You put rattan on furniture using cane webbing, a pre woven sheet of rattan that is soaked in water, stretched over a grooved frame and locked in place with a reed spline and waterproof glue. For frames without a groove, the webbing is stapled to the back of the opening and covered with beading. Either way the sequence is the same: measure the opening, soak the webbing for around thirty minutes, fit and secure it while damp, then let it dry and tighten naturally.
The technique is well within reach of anyone comfortable with basic tools, and it transforms flat cabinet doors, headboards and chair backs. It is one of the more satisfying furniture updates because the material does most of the work: rattan shrinks slightly as it dries, which is what gives a finished panel its taut, drum like tension.
Two different jobs get called caning, and it is worth separating them.
Cane webbing, also called sheet cane or pressed cane, comes pre woven on a roll. It is fitted as a single sheet into a groove or behind beading. This is what you want for cabinet doors, headboards, room divider panels and most modern furniture updates.
Hand caning is the traditional method of weaving individual strands through a series of drilled holes around the seat frame. It is used on antique chairs with a ring of holes rather than a groove, and it is a slow, skilled process taking many hours per seat.
Check your frame before buying materials. A continuous groove running around the opening means webbing. A ring of small drilled holes means hand caning. This guide covers webbing, which accounts for the vast majority of projects.
Webbing comes in several patterns and the choice affects both look and cost.
Standard open weave, sometimes called radio weave or hexagonal weave, is the familiar pattern with visible open hexagons. It is the most common and the most versatile, and it suits cabinet doors and headboards where you want light and air to pass through.
Closed or tight weave has a much denser structure with little visible gap. It reads as more solid and works well where the panel needs to conceal what is behind it.
Square or checkerboard weave gives a graphic, modern appearance and suits contemporary pieces.
Also consider width. Webbing is sold in various widths, and buying a roll wide enough to cover your opening in one piece is far better than joining sheets. Measure your largest opening and buy accordingly, allowing at least an extra twenty five millimetres on every side.
Gather everything before you start, because the webbing begins drying as soon as it leaves the water.
You need cane webbing, reed spline sized to your groove, waterproof wood adhesive, a shallow tray or bath for soaking, several small wooden wedges, a blunt chisel or a purpose made caning tool, a sharp craft knife, scissors, a rubber mallet, a clean cloth and masking tape.
For the stapled method you also need a staple gun with narrow crown staples, and timber beading or trim to cover the staples.
Spline size is the detail people most often get wrong. Take a short offcut to a supplier or measure your groove width carefully. Spline that is too thin will not hold; spline that is too thick will not seat without splitting.
Start with the old panel. Soak the existing spline with hot water or a little vinegar solution to soften the glue, then lever it out with a chisel. Take your time: damaging the groove makes the new fitting much harder. Scrape all old glue and cane residue out of the channel and let it dry.
Cut the new webbing about twenty five millimetres larger than the opening on all sides. Soak both the webbing and the spline in warm water for around thirty minutes, until the cane is flexible and the spline bends without cracking. Do not soak for hours: over soaked cane loses strength.
Lay the damp webbing over the opening with the shiny side facing up and the weave running square to the frame. Check the alignment carefully now, because it cannot be corrected later. Press the webbing gently into the groove at the centre of one side and tap in a wooden wedge to hold it.
Work outwards from that point, wedging the webbing into the groove at the centre of the opposite side next, then the two remaining sides. Keep the tension even and the weave square. The webbing should be seated at the bottom of the groove all the way around.
Trim the excess webbing just below the top of the groove with a sharp knife, holding the blade at a slight angle so the cut edge tucks downward.
Run waterproof adhesive into the groove, then press the spline in, starting at a corner. Tap it home with a rubber mallet and a block of wood, working steadily around the frame and removing wedges as you reach them. For rounded openings the spline can be bent to follow the curve; for square openings mitre the corners or cut separate lengths for each side.
Wipe away squeezed out glue immediately with a damp cloth. Leave the piece flat for at least twenty four hours. As the cane dries it shrinks and pulls itself tight, which is exactly what should happen.
Many modern updates involve a flat cabinet door or a plain headboard with no groove at all. Here the webbing is fixed to the back face.
Cut the opening in the door if there is not one already, using a jigsaw and leaving a border of at least forty millimetres for strength. Sand the cut edges smooth.
Soak the webbing as before. Lay the door face down and position the damp webbing over the opening from behind, keeping the weave square. Staple the centre of one side, then the centre of the opposite side while pulling the webbing taut, then the remaining two sides. Work outwards towards the corners, alternating sides to keep the tension even.
Trim the excess close to the staples. Once dry, cover the staple line with timber beading fixed with panel pins or adhesive, or with a decorative trim if the back will be visible.
This method is quicker and more forgiving than splining, and for a cabinet door where only the front shows it is entirely adequate.
Natural cane can be left as it is, which is the most common choice, since the material has a warm tan colour that suits most interiors.
If you want to protect it, apply a thin coat of clear matt lacquer or a water based varnish with a soft brush once the cane is fully dry. Avoid heavy build up, which clogs the weave and looks plasticky.
Cane can be painted or stained, though the results vary. Spray paint gives the most even coverage, applied in very light passes so the paint does not fill the holes. A dark stain deepens the tone attractively but will darken unevenly where the weave overlaps, which some people like and others do not. Test on an offcut first.
Whatever finish you choose, coordinate it with the rest of the piece. Cane sits particularly well against oak and walnut, and against black or deep green painted frames.
Cane suits pieces where lightness is an advantage. Wardrobe and cabinet doors gain texture without visual weight, and the open weave lets air circulate, which is genuinely useful in a wardrobe or a shoe cupboard.
Headboards are another strong candidate: a caned panel between timber uprights adds warmth to a bedroom without the bulk of upholstery. It pairs neatly with timber bedroom pieces, and looking at how it sits beside a modern wooden beds UK sale option helps you judge the tone before you start.
Chair backs, room dividers and the front panels of a sideboard all take cane well. Avoid it on seat surfaces unless the frame is properly designed for it, since a caned seat needs the strength of hand caning or a supporting sub frame to take repeated weight.
If you would rather not take on the work, woven and rattan effect detailing appears across ready made ranges. Our wooden sideboards UK sale selection includes designs with textured fronts, and we stock modern furniture for every room at Furniture in Fashion, with free delivery to most UK mainland postcodes.
Cane is a natural material and it responds to its environment. Very dry air makes it brittle, while persistent damp encourages mould. Normal household conditions are fine; a conservatory in full sun or an unheated garage is not.
Dust with a soft brush or a vacuum on low suction using a brush attachment. Clean marks with a barely damp cloth and dry immediately. Never soak finished cane.
If a panel begins to sag over years of use, lightly dampening the reverse and letting it dry naturally will often restore some tension. Keep caned pieces out of direct sunlight, which fades and weakens the fibres over time, and avoid placing them directly against a radiator.
Around thirty minutes in warm water is usually enough for the sheet to become pliable. Soaking for hours weakens the fibres, so aim for flexible rather than saturated and fit the panel while it is still damp.
No. A grooved frame gives the neatest result using spline, but flat frames can be updated by stapling the webbing to the back of the opening and covering the staples with beading.
Most often the webbing was fitted too dry, or the tension was uneven when it was wedged in. Cane also relaxes slowly with years of use. Dampening the back lightly and letting it dry can recover some tightness.
Yes, though spray paint applied in very light coats gives the best result. Heavy application clogs the weave and dulls the texture, so test on an offcut before committing.
Sheet webbing is not designed to carry body weight on its own. Traditional chair seats use hand caning through drilled holes, or a supporting frame beneath. Keep webbing for backs, doors and panels.
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