How to Rush a Chair

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posted on 15 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Rushing a chair is one of the traditional methods of creating a seat for a chair with rails around the perimeter. Materials for rushing include twisted cattail leaves or even twisted strands of paper. The strands of rush are stretched across the seat and looped around the rails, moving in a counterclockwise direction, to fill in the seat. Pieces of corrugated cardboard are used for additional padding. Below, you will find information on how to rush a chair in this manner.

Steps

Use a utility knife to remove the old rush seat. Do not to mar the frame of the chair. Remove any tacks with pliers.

Cut the rush into lengths of 30 feet (9.144 meters). The rush comes in a coil of 100 feet (30.48 meters) or more.

Dip each rush in a bucket of warm water for 12 seconds, and then shake off any excess water.

Tack it to the inside left rail near the front leg (or slightly behind the last tack if you followed the tip for filling in a gap on a trapezoid-shaped seat).

Wrap it around the front rail and then the left rail so it is tight against the left front chair leg.

Pull it across the front of the seat.

Loop it around the right rail and then the front rail so it is tight against the right front chair leg.

Take the strand to the back rail. Loop it around the back rail and then around the right rail so it is tight against the back right leg.

Cross along the back rail and loop it around the left rail and then the back rail so it is tight against the back left leg.

Bring it to the front rail and continue the sequence, moving counterclockwise around the seat, until you reach the end of the piece of rush. Knock the rushes tight against each other with a wooden block and hammer. Install temporary tacks through the last rush on all sides to help prevent them from slipping.

Tie another piece of rush to the end with a square knot and trim off the excess. The knot should be positioned under the seat so it is not visible.

Insert corrugated cardboard as padding after weaving approximately 10 times around the perimeter of the seat. Place a temporary tack holding the end of the last piece of rush. Cut pieces of cardboard into 4 triangles that are nearly as long as the side rails. Cut off the top corner of each triangle. Slip the side corners of each triangle into the woven rush near each leg.

Remove the temporary tack, tie on another piece of rush and continue in the same counterclockwise fashion over the cardboard until you completely cover the side rails with rush.

Change the weaving pattern to a “figure 8” to fill in the rest of the front and back rails. Place a temporary tack on the side rail and then thread the end of the rush up through the center opening of the seat. The temporary tack holds the woven part in place while you finish the seat. Pass the rush over the front rail, up through the center opening, over the back rail and up through the opening again. Repeat this figure-8 pattern until the front and back rails are filled in.