A Windsor chair is built around a solid wooden seat, with the legs and back spindles fitted straight into it. There is no separate seat frame. That construction makes most repairs a matter of joints and cracks, and it also raises a bigger question: whether the original paint should stay. Look at both before you pick up a tool.
What makes a Windsor different
- The legs and spindles fit directly into the solid seat.
- American Windsors are often made with a white pine seat (sometimes poplar or basswood), turned maple legs, and spindles and bows of hickory, ash or oak.
- English Windsors often have an elm seat, with beech legs and yew or ash bows.
- The leg joints are usually tapered (conical) tenons, often passing through the seat and wedged from the top.
- The taper angle varies by maker, so do not assume a standard size when you look for replacement parts.
- Mixed woods on one chair are normal and do not necessarily mean a part was replaced.
Assess the damage
Work through the chair by hand. Rock each leg and spindle gently, and look for:
- A loose leg, which will move when you rock the chair
- A loose spindle, which may wiggle in its hole
- A crack in the seat, most often running with the grain
- A missing or broken bow
- Old, worn or flaking paint
Make a note of what is loose before you start. Several loose parts can point to one common cause, such as dried-out glue, so check each joint rather than assuming each problem is separate.
Tighten a loose leg
A loose tapered leg can often be tightened:
- Remove the leg carefully, cleaning out the old glue from the hole and the tenon.
- Reglue with hide glue. Hide glue is the traditional choice for Windsors. It keeps the repair reversible for the next person.
- Drive the leg back in, slightly deeper if the fit allows, and clamp it until the glue sets.
For hide glue and clamping in more detail, see how to repair broken and wobbly antique furniture legs.
If the leg is wedged through the seat, you cannot simply knock it out. Cut or drill out the wedge first, then work the leg free.
Do not put screws through the seat into the legs. Screws do not fix a wobbly Windsor, and they make a later repair harder.
Reglue loose spindles
Spindles sit in blind holes in the seat and the bow. A loose spindle should be reglued, not nailed. Clean the old glue from the hole and the spindle end, apply hide glue, and seat the spindle. Hide glue gives you more working time than many white glues, which helps when you are fitting several spindles at once.
Repair a cracked seat
Glue and clamp a crack in the seat, working the glue into the crack and clamping across it. Will wood glue fix split wood explains when glue alone will hold. A butterfly key is a visible alternative for a larger crack. It is a decorative repair, so it shows on the surface, and it suits a chair where that look is acceptable or where you want the repair to be obvious.
Decide what to do with the paint
Most early American Windsors were painted when they were made, usually in green, black, red or white milk paint or oil paint, not stained. So bare wood is not necessarily the original look.
- Original paint, even worn, can carry significant value on 18th- and 19th-century chairs. Get an appraisal before you strip anything. The old furniture value guide explains how.
- Old milk paint resists most strippers. Ammonia can soften it, but test on a hidden spot first. For what milk paint is made of, see can milk paint be used on wood.
- Stripping an antique Windsor to bare wood can reduce its value a great deal.
- Reproductions and factory-made 20th-century Windsors are generally safer to refinish, so they are a better place to practice.
If you decide to keep the paint, clean the surface gently and repair the joints without disturbing the finish.
If you refinish
If the paint is gone or you have decided to refinish, test every product on a hidden spot first. Old paint layers may contain lead, so test before you sand or strip. Work in a ventilated space, wear a respirator when you sand or use a stripper, and follow the product’s label. Once the old finish is off, sand lightly, starting at about 120 to 150 grit and finishing at 180 to 220 grit.
For the general order of work on any old chair, including joints, finishes and seats, see restoring an old chair.
Safety
Old paint may contain lead, so test before sanding or stripping. Use a respirator and good ventilation with strippers, and keep sharp tools and clamps away from your hands while you work.