What can be done with this old tired rocking chair

Linda D
by Linda D
I bought this antique rocking chair and the arm has broke on it twice. I stained it and fixed it once but it broke again. It has a beautiful woven seat and backing- any ideas?
  7 answers
  • I'm not sure about the structure of the chair, but can you remove the arms + structurally add in support for the back? That might be a way around the broken arm. If not, I've seen many people use old rockers as planters in their backyard.
  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Aug 30, 2014
    Depending on where the arm broke...did it splinter? Did the joint come lose? Send photo or a more detailed description. Long screws and glue can fix some pieces. A double ended screw can too as can an "L" bracket on the underside of the arm. Give us more info!
  • Karin From B'ham Karin From B'ham on Aug 30, 2014
    I had my older sister's 60 yr. old child-sized rocking chair refurbished as a Christmas gift. A missing arm was fabricated and all of the wood re-stained and the chair was re-upholstered. Needless to say, she was overcome! It is a treasure now. It just depends on how much you value your chair and want to put into it. There is almost nothing a skilled craftsman can't do. Good luck!
  • Carole Carole on Aug 30, 2014
    A picture showing the chair and where the arm was broken would have helped. Jeanette S. gave some good suggestions for repairing your chair. If you paid a lot for the chair, You should take it to a professional to be repaired. That way, the chair would hold it's value and the repair would be unnoticeable. Good luck!
  • Linda D Linda D on Aug 31, 2014
    I thought I posted the picture,,the arm of the chair at the joint is where it is broken...thank you for the comments so far...
  • Donna Byram Donna Byram on Sep 01, 2014
    Is the arm just not staying in the hole? If not try F26 Construction Adhesive. It is super strong and better than wood glue. IF the part(peg) that goes into the hole is broken, cut it off back to the area of the arm where the peg starts, drill a hole and put a size appropriate dowel rod in the hole you drilled in the arm and glue with the F26. Let dry and then glue it in place on the back of the chair. Also when gluing the arm into the back of the chair, I would tie a rope around the front upright spindle right under the front lip of the arm and around the back post and tighten to put pressure on it until it drys. Hope this helps.
  • Linda D Linda D on Sep 02, 2014
    O.K. Great...Thank you