How to Repair a Room Chair
- 1). Apply painter's tape to every piece of the chair. Label each leg, each joint, each cross member, each corner and each piece with a sharpie. Be thorough. Things may look identical but it is likely that each piece of the chair is different in some way. Mark small guide lines where each piece lines up with the piece it connects with using a washable pen so you can remove the mark later.
- 2). Unscrew the chair legs and separate the pieces. Use a mallet gently to help loosen and remove the pieces. Place these in an orderly way. If a leg is solid, leave it alone.
- 3). Scrape off old glue on dowels and tenons with a pocket knife. Scrape along the surface to clean the wood without removing any wood. Clean out the receiving holes, removing just the glue.
- 4). Dry fit the chair. Put the chair back together with no glue. This will allow you to make sure all the joints are clean and there are no burrs or problems with the wood.
- 5). Pour white glue into a disposable container. With a cotton swab, apply a film of glue around the ends of the stretchers that go between the legs. Apply glue into the holes in the legs and fit the stretchers into the legs. Make sure you put the correct stretchers into the correct holes on the legs. You should not have excess glue running down the legs. Glue and insert the legs into the seat. This may be a tight fit. Use the mallet to tap the leg in securely.
- 6). Cut three one-foot sections of 5/8-inch dowel rod with a hand saw. Purchase a small coil of sash cord. This is a special type of woven cotton rope that is used to hold sash weights in antique windows. Get the largest size of sash cord you can find. Turn your chair upright on a flat floor. Cut the sash cord large enough to circle the chair. Tie the ends of the sash cord to the middle of one dowel rod and twist the rod as a rope clamp. Tighten until the tenons are well seated. Angle the dowel rod so it cannot come undone. Wipe off any excess glue with water and a rag and allow the glue to dry thoroughly.
- 7). Assemble a formal dining chair by gluing and attaching the front rail to the two front legs. Glue and attach the side stretchers and side rails into the front legs. Lay the chair on its back. Line up the stretcher and side rails with the holes in the back legs. Glue and mallet the stretchers and rails into the holes. Set the chair upright. Use two sash cords and dowels. One around the rails, one around the stretchers. Tighten the dowels evenly and wipe off excess glue. Replace your corner blocks on the underside corners of the chair after the glue has dried at least 24 hours.
- 8). Wipe off all marks. Remove any tape and re-install blocks and seats.