Dining Room Chairs

Our dining set gets used every week, at least the table and chairs.  It has been an ordeal in some ways from its initial purchase about forty years ago.  Unknown to us, the Van Sciver Company, a seemingly stable small regional chain of furniture stores, was about to go under.  We ordered our set, paid the deposit but it never came.  After a while I complained to our local paper's consumer reporter, who investigated my inquiry.  His response was the delay was caused by customized seat covers.  No way.  It was caused by Van Sciver not paying its contractors.  Eventually the set came, with the seat covers as ordered.  The breakfront got filled quickly, extra leaves put away for use when needed, which has been hardly ever, and we have shabbos dinner there pretty much without fail, along with most of our fleishig meals over an extended time.

We've never had a problem with the table, the breakfront needed repair of the doors which had come off alignment.  However, the chairs have been a challenge.  Some have back pieces that shattered needing professional repair.  The glue has come undone.  I replaced all the seat covers myself after teaching myself how and ordering some very sturdy fabric.  The screw alignments have some faults and screws fall out.  It might be easier to replace them all, but we invariably opt for repair.  This week, too many cushions had come loose, so I took and inventory of missing screws.  There were nine.  Off to the hardware store, purchased at a price well above what I expected for standard hardware, and before you know it, eight of the missing nine had been restored, though not all screwed into their sockets fully and for the ninth I couldn't locate the socket which had been covered by fabric.  Three screws anchors the cushions adequately, so project completed.