Help CenterWhen ordering a Breuer chair seat replacement it is very important to keep in mind that the finish will not match 100% to your existing chairs. Both the wood finish and cane finish will differ. Generally, it is possible to get anywhere from a 70-80% match but keep in mind that if you want all your chairs to look 100% the same it is best to replace all the seats and backs or have your seat re-cained. If you choose re-caining please keep in mind we do machine cained seats only. If your seat is hand cained then the cost will be much higher and in most cases will cost more than buying a new chair.
Most customers purchase the honey oak finish. When your chairs were brand new you might recall purchasing natural but since the wood and cane oxidize due to oils and sunlight most customers need to purchase honey oak. So if your chair was natural or honey oak when brand new the closest match will be honey oak.
Please see the images below for more information:
1) Image 1: In this image below you can see a customer's old chair and a brand new honey oak seat on top. This is a common example of the best scenario color match.
2) Image 2: In this image, you can see that not only will the wood not match but the caining will also be darker on your old seat due to the natural aging process of the cane and oxidation.
Image 3: This is a comparison showing that honey oak will match better than natural even though your chairs were natural when brand new.
Image 4: In this image, you can see a honey oak chair that turned more orange over time with the caining also changing color and a honey oak seat on top which is the better match, and a natural wood sample which is much lighter in color.
The image below is another example of how the finish varies and how the cane has oxidized and became more honey overtime vs. the natural cane on a brand new seat.
Below is an image showing how construction can vary also over time. The seats made today are much nicer with angle cut wood vs. straight cut. The curvature of the front of the seat has also improved and is nicer today vs. older seats.
These are all factors to determine if you:
1) Prefer to recane/repair your existing chairs or
2) Replacing all the seats and backs on all your chairs for a perfect match
3) Buying new chairs and discarding your old chairs
Below are two more images showing how different a very old chair will compare or a new chair in replacing the parts
