Friends Of ASP
Wicker By Design
Care and Repair of Wicker Props
Susan Day Moore of Wicker By Design offers some of her tips learned from her over 15
years of experience of working with portrait photographers. Click here to learn more about how Susan started out in
wicker restorations and antique reproductions and she eventually came to
designing and selling props to portrait photographers.
Wicker By Design's wicker props are
designed to be durable and strong. We hear reports from many photographers that have
used our pieces for hundreds of sittings. However, all furniture is going
to be damaged from repeated use, no matter how careful the photographer.
Here are a few tips from Susan on wicker care plus some useful web sites
for more advice.
Never leave wicker in the elements or
in a hot dry place; even extended exposure to the sun will dry and bake the reeds,
and they will break. When the wicker reeds begin to crack or break, it can
only get worse.
It is a good idea to wash your wicker down on an occasional basis with a
hose to remove dust and to "hydrate" the pieces (dried out wicker is more
prone to be brittle and break).
You can reglue the wrappings with Elmer's Glue.
For small spots or blemishes on the wicker where
the paint is chipped, use whiteout for white or whitewash finish or brown
artist's felt tip pen for walnut (brown) stained finishes.
In general, wicker can be repainted. Wicker with a brown/walnut
finished can be painted white but you must first apply a stain blocking
primer like "Kilz." Unfortunately, white wicker cannot be stained
to look brown or walnut. However, white wicker can be repainted ivory or
tan. In addition, it is possible to repaint white wicker to have a
"whitewash" look. We know of photographers who have applied
ivory/tan paint on white wicker and sponge/wipe off that ivory/tan coat to
create the whitewash or two-tone finish.
To prepare the paint job, lightly sand the
wicker; apply one or two coats of primer with finish top coat in semi-gloss
or gloss paint. Always use an oil based paint. You can use spray paints in
a can (look for a high quality brand) or an electric power sprayer. Of
course, you can always employ a professional painter.
We do supply replacements for the cushions. The
price ranges from $20 to $75.
Simple repairs can be done with supplies and
more tips from the sources/links below:
Canning
supplies at caneandreed.com/bookstore.htm
Lots
of wicker sales links at aboutchair.com/wickerchairs/
Great advice on wicker care from the wickerwoman.com
More advice from wickerwoman.com, this time on wicker repair
Wicker repair sources from wickerwoman.com
Frank's Supply for can and reed
Wicker repair advice from diynetwork.com
More on the care and repair of wicker from
refinishfurniture.com
Click here for portrait photography tips or
click here for more portrait photography resources.
Do you have a question for Susan? Do you have a question for us about
wicker or wicker repair? Click here to contact us at Wicker By Design
with your question. Or email us at info@wickerby.com.
Wicker By Design recognizes the work and
talent of the people who actually produce our props. We contribute back to
that country for economic development purposes. Click to learn more about what you can do.
