Laced Danish Cord, 3-Ply Paper Cord, Natural or Black, 1 or 2 lb

Danish cord is the paper cord on mid-century Danish modern chairs. This laced version is made from three strands of twisted kraft paper laced together into one cord. The lacing makes it round and firm, so each row in the weave stands out with a clear, rope-like twist. If your old seat shows that defined, beaded look, laced cord is the match.

It comes in natural, a light tan, and in black, which stands out against light woods and looks sharp on dark or painted frames.

How a Danish cord seat goes together:

• The cord is wrapped around the rails in groups of warps.
• L-shaped nails driven into the inside of the rails hold the cord loops, so the warps stay spaced and tight. Our L-nails are made for this, and a typical seat uses 30 to 50.
• The weft is then woven across the warps in the chair's pattern, and the rows are packed tight.

Danish cord is woven dry. It is paper, so keep water away while you work, and let the coil feed off without kinks. Pull every wrap with the same tension; one soft row shows as a dip in the finished seat.

If you are restoring a chair, photograph the old seat and mark where the old nails sit before you cut the cord off. The new seat goes back the same way, and the original nail spacing tells you how the warps were grouped.

Laced or unlaced: laced is rounder with a crisp twist; unlaced lies flatter and softer. Match the cord on your old seat if you can, or pick the look you prefer for a new frame.

For quantity, most dining chair seats take 1.5 to 2 lb of cord, so one 2 lb coil (about 360 ft) usually covers a seat. Armchairs, wide benches and chairs with a woven back need more; add a 1 lb coil (about 180 ft) to be safe. Seat size and pattern change the amount, so treat these as starting figures. For several chairs, choose 2 lb coils: longer runs mean fewer joins.