What is a rush seat on a chair?
A rush seat, also known as a cane chair or seat, is a woven seat made out of long grass-like vegetation that has been dried and used to weave the part of it that people usually sit in. Weaving a rush seat is often called caning, and it can be completed as a do-it-yourself project or by a professional.
How can you tell if a Hitchcock chair is real?
Names, Signatures and ways to identify a genuine piece of Hitchcock: Most genuine Hitchcock furniture will be signed with a stencil name along the back of the chair seat, under the table top, or along the back of a dresser or hutch. Many pieces will say: “L. Hitchcock, Hitchcocks-ville, Conn.
Are Hitchcock chairs marked?
ALL HITCHCOCK CHAIRS MADE FROM 1948 ON WILL HAVE THE “HCCo” STAMPED ON THE BOTTOM. Hitchcock chairs of today were blueprinted from antiques. Hitchcock chair co. agreed to stamp every piece so people would not confuse them with antiques.
How much does it cost to rush a chair seat?
Generally, the current charge for re-caning chair seats with holes (“hand caning”) is $1.35 to $1.80 per hole in rural areas. Some areas get a lot more: $3 a hole+. Count the number of holes around the entire frame and that’s the $ amount that you should charge for labor alone.
How long do rush seats last?
Seats like these may last 30-60 years. Of course, there are always people who can wear one out in 10 years. In the olden days, many times between the top and bottom layers of rush old newspapers were stuffed in hollow area creating a firmer or “padded” seat.
What is a Windsor rocking chair?
A Windsor chair is a chair built with a solid wooden seat into which the chair-back and legs are round-tenoned, or pushed into drilled holes, in contrast to standard chairs (whose back legs and back uprights are continuous).
How do you identify a Windsor chair?
Look at the chair’s legs. An American Windsor will have angled legs, whereas the English chair legs were straight. Check the chair’s plank seat to see how thick it is. Generally, older chairs will have thicker seats.
How much rush do I need for a chair?
The average chair seat requires approximately 400 feet of fiber rush.
How do I protect my rush seats?
Paper rush is the exception. We apply a coat of thinned shellac to the top surface as the first line of defense against spills. Occasionally, we apply a light tung oil finish to reed if the seat is going to be left on a covered porch.
Can you clean rush seats?
The chairs are in excellent shape, but the seats have dirt wedged between the cracks. Research on cleaning these seats states that they should be vacuumed, and a moistened toothbrush should be used to get into the ridges.
How much does a handmade Windsor chair cost?
Prices for period Windsor chairs now range from about $1,000 to $200,000, with rumors of private sales of over $500,000. “Windsor chairs are very hot right now,” says Charles Santore, author of The Windsor Style in America.
Are Hitchcock chairs still made?
Their customized graduate chairs are also very popular with universities, said Swenson. While the vast majority of furniture sold in the United States is made overseas, Swenson said part of the Hitchcock Chair Company’s continued success is that all of their furniture is still made in America.
What period is the Windsor chair from?
The main period of Windsor chair production was the 19th century. However the design originated in the early 18th century when it is thought that Windsors were often made in small workshops. The earliest known date relating to the supply of Forest chairs is currently 1720.
What is Windsor style?
Airy yet sturdy, Windsor furniture is characterized by its delicately turned spindle backs and sculpted wooden seats. These pieces have straight legs that splay out at an angle, usually connected by an H-shaped stretcher for stability. And the back of Windsor chairs usually reclines.
