Fiber Rush Seat Kit for Ladderback Chairs, 2 lb Coil and Tacks

Fiber rush is a tightly twisted kraft paper cord made to imitate the natural cattail rush once used on country chairs. It is the usual material for re-seating ladderback, farmhouse and other chairs with four round rails, and it goes on dry, straight from the coil.

A rush seat is woven by wrapping the cord over and around each rail in turn, corner after corner, so the seat fills from the four corners toward the middle. Most of these seats are wider at the front than at the back, so you first fill the two front corners until the open area is square, then weave full rounds. Keep the pattern card beside you as a reference for the wrapping order.

You will also need:

• Scissors and a tape measure
• A spring clamp or clothespins to hold the cord when you stop
• A blunt stick or flat piece of wood to push rows tight
• Stiff cardboard to pad the seat as it fills
• Shellac or a water-based finish, if you plan to seal it

Tack the first end to the inside of a side rail, keep a steady pull on the cord, and press each round snug against the last. Join new lengths with a knot on the underside, where later rounds will hide it. When the seat is partly woven, slip triangles of cardboard between the top and bottom layers to fill it out.

A 2 lb coil typically does one average seat; very wide seats may need more. Once the seat is full, a thin coat of shellac or water-based finish helps it stand up to wear. Our guide on weaving a fiber rush seat goes through it round by round.

Both sizes are kraft brown and weave the same way. 5/32 in is the finer of the two and gives a neat, close surface with more rounds. 6/32 in is a little thicker, so it fills the seat in fewer rounds and has a bolder look. That is also why the 2 lb coil is shorter in 6/32 in: about 280 ft against about 350 ft.

If you are replacing an old fiber rush seat, match what was there: cut a short piece of the old cord and compare its thickness with a ruler or calipers. If you are starting fresh, pick the look you like. A very wide seat may need more than one coil, so add a second coil of fiber rush in the same size.