Guide
How to Repair Wicker Patio Furniture (Resin and Natural)
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On this page
- 5 Steps to Repair Wicker Patio Furniture
- Repairing a Wicker Chair, Rocker or Sofa
- Is vintage wicker worth anything?
- Is rattan easy to repair?
- What is the average lifespan of wicker outdoor furniture?
- Is wicker furniture worth repairing?
- Wicker Repair Supplies We Recommend
- Protecting Repaired Wicker Furniture
- Frequently Asked Questions
To repair wicker patio furniture, find out whether it is resin or natural wicker, unweave the damage back to sound strands, then reweave or wrap new strand and glue the ends underneath. Fix loose frame joints with epoxy or polyurethane glue before you touch the weave, and seal natural wicker once the repair is dry.
Most breaks are small and fixable at home with a few supplies. This guide covers the five steps in order, the chair, rocker and sofa repairs that come up most, and the supplies that match each material.
5 Steps to Repair Wicker Patio Furniture
Work in order: each step makes the next one easier, and skipping ahead to the glue is how repairs fail.
Step 1: Assess the Damage and the Material
Look over the whole piece, not only the spot that caught your eye. Check for broken or loose strands, frayed ends, weave that has come undone, and any movement in the frame when you push on the arms and back. Press on dark or soft areas of natural wicker: a spongy spot means moisture damage that has reached the fiber.
Then settle the material question with the check in the box above, because it decides your supplies. If large sections are rotted or the frame is cracked, compare the cost of repair with a replacement from our best outdoor furniture guide before you start.
Step 2: Clean and Dry the Piece
Dirt and mildew hide cracks and stop glue from bonding. Brush loose debris out of the weave with a soft brush or an old toothbrush, wash with mild dish soap and warm water on a soft sponge, rinse, and let the piece dry completely before any repair. Never glue wet wicker: moisture weakens the bond and hides the real extent of the damage.
For stains, mildew and a deeper clean, follow our how to clean patio furniture guide.
Step 3: Rework Loose and Broken Strands
Loose or partly separated weave is the most common damage. Use small pliers or tweezers to ease loose strands back into their place in the pattern, and trim frayed ends with sharp scissors. Go slowly: brittle fibers snap if you force them.
Where a strand is broken, unweave it back to the point where the weave is tight again. Cut the new strand to length, weave it through the gap following the over-and-under pattern of its neighbors, and tuck both ends under a neighboring strand on the underside. On natural wicker, soak the replacement reed in warm water first so it bends without cracking. Resin strand goes in dry.
Step 4: Glue Breaks and Secure the Ends
A small dab of two-part epoxy on each tucked end holds it in place. Epoxy fills the gaps in a woven joint and stays strong through weather, where super glue turns brittle and lets go after a season of sun and rain. Mix only what you can use at once, press the parts together, and hold them with clamps or weights until the glue sets.
Match the glue to the material. For resin strand on a metal frame, pick an epoxy whose label lists both plastic and metal. For wooden frame joints under natural wicker, polyurethane glue or epoxy both work.
Step 5: Reinforce the Frame and Seal the Weave
A lasting repair starts in the frame. Run epoxy into loose joints and, where a chair arm or leg carries a lot of load, add a small L-bracket in a spot nobody will see. Let every glued joint cure fully before the piece goes back into use.
Finally, seal natural wicker with a clear outdoor finish so water cannot get back into the fiber. Resin wicker needs no sealer, but you can spray paint a new strand if its color does not blend in with the old weave.
Repairing a Wicker Chair, Rocker or Sofa
Chairs, rockers and sofas tend to fail in the same few places: the seat, the arm wraps, the legs and the joints that carry the most load.
Fixing a Wicker Chair Seat or Back
A hole in a woven seat almost always starts with one broken strand. Unweave the damaged strands back to the point where the weave is tight, trim the frayed ends, and tuck each end under a neighboring strand on the underside. Weave the new strand through the gap, following the pattern around it, and finish the end underneath.
A pre-woven cane seat is a different job. If the seat opening has a groove routed around it, the cane is pressed cane webbing: pry out the old spline, cut a new sheet of webbing slightly larger than the opening, press it into the groove with wooden wedges, then glue a new spline over it. If the frame has a ring of drilled holes instead of a groove, the seat was hand-caned strand by strand and needs strand cane rather than pressed webbing.
Rewrapping Wicker Chair and Sofa Arms
Arms wear fastest, because hands, elbows and bags rub the same spot every day. When a wrap starts to unravel, unwind it only back to the point where it is still tight. Glue that end down, wrap the new strand around the arm with each turn pressed snugly against the last, and finish on the underside of the arm with a dab of glue. On a wooden frame, a small brad can hold the end while the glue sets.
Legs, Feet and the Base of a Wicker Sofa
Leg wraps fail from the bottom up, because the feet sit in rainwater and on rough patio stone. Rewrap a leg from the foot upward so each turn sheds water downward. Furniture glides lift the wrap off wet ground and slow the same damage from coming back.
If the base of a sofa sags or creaks, take the cushions off and check the frame before you touch the weave. Loose joints can be reinforced with epoxy and an L-bracket. A cracked or bent metal frame is a welding job, not a wicker repair, and that is usually when a new outdoor sofa makes more sense than another fix.
Wicker Rockers: Check the Runners and Joints
A rocker puts a rolling load on the joints where the legs meet the runners, and those joints loosen long before the weave wears out. Any movement there needs to be glued and clamped before you rewrap anything: epoxy for metal or mixed joints, polyurethane glue for wood. Then repair worn wraps on the runners and legs, and let the glue cure fully before anyone rocks in the chair again.
Is vintage wicker worth anything?
Sometimes, but value depends on the maker, the age, the design and above all the condition. Original weave, an intact frame and a clean finish are worth more than a heavily repainted or patched piece, so repair it gently and keep the original finish where you can.
If you think a piece is valuable, do not strip it or replace large sections before getting it looked at by an antiques dealer or appraiser. A careful local repair usually keeps more value than a full rewrap, and a rough repair can lower it.
Is rattan easy to repair?
Yes, for small jobs. Rattan is a natural fiber that bends once it is soaked, so loose ends, small breaks and worn wraps are within reach of a beginner with replacement reed, wood glue or epoxy, and patience.
Rattan is harder when the frame itself has split, the fiber has rotted, or the piece is a cane seat that needs pressed webbing or hand caning. Rattan also differs from the plastic wicker on most patio sets: plastic strand needs no soaking and needs a glue that bonds plastic.
What is the average lifespan of wicker outdoor furniture?
There is no single number, because it depends on the material, the frame and where the furniture lives. Resin wicker on an aluminum frame lasts far longer outside than natural wicker, which suffers from rain and sun.
Whatever the material, covers, shade and seasonal storage add years. Our guide to the most durable outdoor furniture compares materials, and how to store patio furniture covers the off season.
Is wicker furniture worth repairing?
Usually, when the frame is sound. A few broken strands, a worn arm wrap or a loose joint cost a small amount of supplies and an afternoon, far less than a replacement. It stops being worth it when rot has spread through the frame or the metal is cracked.
A quick test: if you can push the piece and it feels solid, and the damage is limited to the weave or a joint, repair it. If the frame flexes, crumbles or has rusted through, replace it and use a cover on the new piece.
Wicker Repair Supplies We Recommend
You need a replacement strand that matches your material, a glue that bonds it, and a finish if the wicker is natural. These four cover most repairs on this page.
Laphivieh 120 ft Wicker Repair Kit (Gradient Dark Brown)
For resin patio sets, this is the strand to start with. It is a flat synthetic wicker made from virgin polyethylene, sold as a 120 foot roll: enough to reweave a seat panel or rewrap several arms and legs. The color is a gradient of two browns rather than one flat shade, which helps it blend into weathered furniture.
- ✅ Flat profile: matches the flat weave of most modern patio sets
- ✅ Waterproof, UV resistant PE, rated by the maker as resistant to fading, cracking and peeling
- ✅ Can be spray painted if the brown does not match your set
- ❌ Flat only: not a match for round or half-round wicker
Best For: reweaving holes in resin chair seats and backs, and rewrapping arms and legs on brown outdoor wicker.
Weavemaster 1 lb Coil of Round Reed (Natural)
For natural wicker, round reed is the replacement material. This listing sells one-pound coils in a range of diameters, so you can match the strands you are replacing. Bring a broken piece and compare it against the size chart before ordering, and soak the reed in warm water before weaving.
- ✅ Several diameters to match the original strands
- ✅ Natural color, ready to stain or paint to match
- ❌ Not for outdoor resin sets: it absorbs water like the original natural wicker
Best For: natural wicker porch chairs, rockers and indoor pieces that need strands replaced.
J-B Weld ClearWeld 5 Minute Epoxy (25 ml)
A clear two-part epoxy that also bonds most plastics and metal. J-B Weld lists metal, most plastics, PVC, wood and fiberglass among its surfaces, which makes ClearWeld a good fit where resin strand meets an aluminum or steel frame. It comes in a 1:1 syringe with a resealable cap, a mixing tray and a stir stick.
- ✅ Bonds most plastics and metal, per J-B Weld
- ✅ Clear glue line, so repairs stay discreet
- ✅ Resealable syringe for several small repairs
Best For: resin wicker on metal frames, and frame joints where you want a clear glue line.
Gorilla Original Glue, Waterproof Polyurethane (2 oz)
The polyurethane option for wooden frames. Gorilla describes the original glue as 100% waterproof for indoor and outdoor repairs, and it expands into the material as it cures. That makes it a good choice for loose joints on the wooden frame of a natural wicker chair or rocker. Clamp the joint while it cures, because the glue foams as it expands.
- ✅ Waterproof, made for outdoor use
- ✅ Bonds wood, metal, stone and more
- ❌ Expands as it cures: wipe away squeeze-out before it hardens
Best For: wobbly legs, rocker runners and other wooden joints under natural wicker.
Protecting Repaired Wicker Furniture
Natural wicker needs a clear outdoor finish to keep water out of the fiber, and a recoat whenever the surface starts to look dull or dry. Resin wicker needs no sealer, but dirt trapped in the weave holds moisture against the frame, so brush it out regularly.
A fitted patio furniture cover keeps rain and sun off the weave between uses. In winter or a long wet spell, move pieces under a roof or into storage: see how to store patio furniture for the details.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Keeping the rest of your set in shape? Our guides to cleaning patio furniture and storing patio furniture cover the routine care, and the best patio furniture covers protect it between uses. More how-to help: our guide on how to clean wicker chairs.