Which rattan to buy

Email question:

I have to fix an arm of a chair and I don't know which rattan to buy.  I am confused with the flar, flat round and the measurements.  How can I know which I need and how to order? can I return items?  how?  I find all your info. VERY helpful. I already fixed other chairs but they were flat rattan this one is thicker and round in one side and thicker.  Help please.  Thank you!

Email reply:

Hi Isabel

Shape and measurement can be kind of confusing.   Here is a portion from our newsletter www.refinishfurniture.com/newsletters/arc2003-7-19.htm describing how to do it.

On our wicker reed catalog page, toward the bottom of the page, the shape choices are flat reed, round reed and flat oval reed.

The flat reed is flat on both sides, kind of like a popsicle stick.

The round reed is round like a pencil.

The flat oval reed is flat on one side and rounded on the other side, kind of like a pencil split in two down the length, but the rounded part is more of a half oval than half round.

For some unknown reason reed suppliers show some reed in inch measurements and some show metric measurements. The measurement is the diameter of the reed so if you see a number with mm after it the diameter is metric and if you see a fraction the measurement is inches.

Look at the end of the reed on your furniture for the shape, then measure the diameter at it's widest point with calipers if you have them or a plain old ruler if you don't have calipers.

If there is a size in inches in the shape you want on our page that would be the one you want. If you don't see what you need go to the top of the page and enter your measurement in the inch/metric conversion tool. Use decimal rather than fraction, for example .25 rather than 1/4. It will give you a mm conversion so then you can look for the shape you want with a number mm.

If you don't see your exact size, check your measurement and if it's correct you may have to go to the next size larger or smaller.

We don't actually sell the reed, we give links to suppliers that are reliable and that we've bought from and are satisfied with, so I'm not sure of return policies, because there are several different suppliers.  You can check with them as you click the links and go to their sites.  We receive a percentage of each sale from our site which helps us keep the information free.

Repairing curved sections are as easy as the flat sections.  You just follow the contour as you weave the reed and all of a sudden it's done and looks super.

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