A few years ago, I purchased these Marcel Breuer Cesca chair lookalikes (I've always assumed they're not the real thing) for quite a steal on Facebook Marketplace. ~$200 total for four chairs.

When I first got my hands on them, they were in great condition. Overtime, the cane started to give out, the chrome developed rust, and the cane/wood got a bit musty.

Needless to say, these chairs were begging for a tune up.

The TLC in question

I had three areas to tackle in this project: chrome, wood, cane.

Here's what it took to get these chairs back into shape:

• Removed the chair backs and seats from the chrome bases

• Removed the rust from the four chrome bases and polished them

• Sanded and restored the wood on the four seats

• Stained the spline used for the cane to better match the original

• Removed and replaced the cane in three of the seats

• Cleaned the wood/cane in the chair backs with vinegar to address musty smell and remove discoloration

• Re-attached the backs and seats to the bases with new hardware

Note: I was pretty pleased with the cane and spline color match. Although I did realize the spline I purchased was a tad too thick for this project. I should've gone a little smaller so the spline could more easily fit in the groove around the seat of the chair.

After

When all was said and done, the chairs felt sturdy and the chrome was shining. The chairs no longer carried that familiar, musty smell, and I got to use them without fear of falling through to the floor :)