Expert: Eileen Cronk - 6/2/2010

Question
QUESTION: I am about to recover some antique club chairs.  It is a King and Queen set that was made with nails (not staples) and has hay (not horse hair) as padding.  There are no marking on the chairs to let me know who made them.  

Should I get them recovered or call an antique person first or what?  They are at the upholster now and she just removed the fabric.  Please advise.

Thank You

ANSWER: Hi Scott
Nice to hear from you.
As long as you know this shop does good work, you will only increase any value your chairs have so don't worry.
They will replace the hay (as they should).
Regards
Eileen

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: So I can assume from your response that the chairs dont sound like anything special?

Answer
Hi again Scott
Sorry for such a short answer previously. I was running late LOL..but thats no excuse.
Scott, its not unusual to see hay or horse hair used as stuffing. In fact its the norm for old stuffed furniture.
And did you know that horse hair is still used today in very high end furniture. Hay is not.
As I said previously, a proper recovering job will enhance the value of these chairs.
But I cannot tell you anything about the age of your chairs without a picture.
The site allows you to post one.
Any chance?
And your chairs could be special. I did not mean to imply that they were not.
Regards
Eileen