How to repair a bentwood chair?

MHoughton

Hi I’m repairing a bentwood chair that I have but it’s hasn’t any screws or bolts

is it possibly for me to get the correct sizes that I will need from you to finish my project

thank you Maxine

EricL

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us and thanks for sharing your question about your bentwood chair.

It's highly probable that the screw holes have been covered with timber plugs and have been sanded down and blended in with the timber finish. It might be possible to spot the timber plugs depending on the craftsmanship employed to your chair. If the furniture builder took the time to align the grain of the plug it will be very difficult to spot, but if they just placed it in with no concern for alignment then it should be relatively easy to see.

Using a magnifying glass, I suggest looking over the lower section of the chair where the timber meets together. I've placed an image below to give you an idea of what the cover plug might look like. The top one is a totally different grain whereas the one below is lined up with the grain making it blend in with the wood. Once you spot the covers, you'll now have an idea of where the screws are located. The plugs will now just need to be removed and the screw points repaired.

Let me call on our experienced member @JoeAzza for their recommendation.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

JoeAzza

Hi @MHoughton , I agree with @EricL look for any sign of wooden plugs and try prying them out to locate the screws, then you can remove them and replace with a similar size, or if the chair is solid, I would leave alone, just sand and prepare for finishing , I found this on YouTube re restoring bentwood chairs, hopefully it will help.

https://youtu.be/6_pK5P_MCBU?si=JRvEvtxbZ5_m34mO

Goodluck, can’t wait to see the finished project.

MHoughton

EricL

Hello @MHoughton

Would it be possible for you to post a photo of your actual bentwood chair? Can you please post a photo of the loose part you are trying to repair? This will give our members a better idea of the chairs current state. We can then make recommendations on how to repair it.

If there are no screws it might be held together with dowels or by some form of holder. Suffice to say that even if it is not screws, there is something strong and solid holding your chair together.

If you need a hand posting the photos, please let me know.

Eric