How to Repair A Broken Rocking Chair

While rocking chairs are a classy choice for increased seating options, when not properly maintained and repaired, they visibly express their age. When these pieces of furniture seemingly transform into ancient relics, there are a few steps you can take to restore rocking chairs to their former beauty. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Remove damaged seat spindles by tapping them out with a hammer and punch. At the arms, use a non slip pad to help twist the spindles out.

2. Plane the seat joints to provide a good fit. Avoid changing the natural shape of the wood by removing too much wood. When gluing the seat spindles back into the seat joints, clamp them into place while the glue dries.

3. Repair cracks by gluing thin pieces of maple into the cracks. Use a glue syringe to effectively apply the glue. Then scrape away all excess glue and old glue, again being careful not to change the natural shape of the wood.

4. Apply a finish stripper to remove the finish. Follow the manufacturer's instructions when applying the finish remover.

5. Remove the old finish with a putty knife. When scraping the finish away, be careful not to gouge the surface of the wood.

6. Clean all parts of the chair with a flexible stripping pad to remove the old stain from the tiny cracks in the wood. Then sand the surfaces with 220 grit sand paper.

7. Dry assemble the chair to make sure all parts fit correctly. Glue the pieces in place and apply the new finish, following the manufacturer's instructions during application.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't change the shape of the wood while filing or clamping, as doing so will severely hamper the rockingness of the chair as well as its look.