I hear that all the time. Someone walks in clutching a roll of old cane webbing or a bundle of riempies they’ve stashed away for years, thinking I’ll just handle the labor part so as to save money
I have to say no. It’s not because I want to be difficult — it’s about protecting my reputation.
I’ve seen people show up with riempies they bought fifteen years ago. On the surface, they look fine, but to prove a point, I broke them in pieces with my hands. Or there’s the webbing from those “big name” upholstery shops — the stores that always push back on my prices — but their material’s been sitting on a shelf for years, already discolored and brittle long before anyone even tries to use it.
Here’s the important bit: When you have friends over and proudly show off your “restored” chair, nobody’s going to ask where the material came from. They’ll ask who did the work.
Contact me on whatsapp for a quote
And if someone sits down and that brittle riempie breaks? They won’t blame the bargain-bin material you bought fifteen years ago. They’ll just feel bad for you — because, in their eyes, the restorer did a lousy job.
But really, it’s my reputation on the line. One slip like that, and Rattan and Riempie’s good name takes the hit, all because I bent my standards to make things easier for you.
So, I use only my own material, material I can bet my name on. I know it’s fresh. I know it’s the best quality out there. When I hand that chair back to you, I want it to speak for my craft, not come back as a problem.
Respect the furniture. Do it right.