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Used dining chairs are cheap and plentiful, and good ones last generations. Check each chair separately, because one wobbly chair in a set of six is normal and fixable, a whole set with loose joints is not. Watch for replicas of design classics, which are fine to buy as long as you pay replica prices.
Complete matching sets of 4, 6 or 8 are worth more than single chairs, and finding a fifth matching chair later is hard. If you need six, look for a set of six, or decide to mix: four of one style plus two at the table ends, or the same chair in different colours. Mixed chairs can look great if they share a seat height (usually 45-47 cm) and a material.
Check the seat height against your table. A 75 cm table needs a seat around 45-48 cm, and armchairs need their arms to slide under the tabletop.
Sit on each chair and rock gently side to side and back to front. Listen for creaks and feel for movement at the joints where legs meet the seat. On wooden chairs, loose joints can be reglued, which is a fair DIY job but takes clamps and time, so price it in. Look for screws added by previous owners, often a sign of a bad repair. Metal chairs: check welds, and on tubular chairs check the tube ends and feet for cracks and missing glides.
Fabric seats on dining chairs take spills and stains, and smell can stay in the foam. Press the seat: foam that bottoms out needs replacing. Most dining chair seats are a board with foam and fabric stapled underneath, easy to redo with a staple gun for about EUR 15-30 a chair. Rush seats (biezen) and cane webbing (Weens vlechtwerk, as on Thonet and Cesca chairs) can be rewoven by specialists, but that costs more than a cheap chair is worth, so check for holes and sagging.
Some of the most common chairs on Marktplaats are copies of famous designs. They are not bad chairs, but they are worth much less than the originals.
Search eetkamerstoelen, set van 4 or set van 6, and specific names: Thonet, Pastoe, Cesca, kuipstoel (bucket chair). On vindje.com you can ask for a set of six wooden dining chairs with upholstered seats under 200 euro, and it filters out single chairs and replicas sold as originals.
| Item | Typical asking price |
|---|---|
| IKEA set of 4 | EUR 20-80 |
| Solid wood chairs, set of 6 | EUR 60-250 |
| Thonet style bentwood chair, each | EUR 30-120 |
| Eames DSW replica, each | EUR 15-40 |
| Fritz Hansen Series 7, original, each | EUR 120-280 |
| Cesca chair, Thonet or Knoll original, each | EUR 120-300 |
Rough Marktplaats asking prices in the Netherlands. Condition, age and season move them a lot.
Describe what you want in your own words and vindje.com searches Marktplaats in Dutch, then reads every listing and keeps only the real matches. For example:
Set of 6 solid wood dining chairs with upholstered seats, seat height around 46 cm, no wobbly joints, under 250 euro, within 20 kmSearch Marktplaats like this
Take the loose joint apart if you can, clean off old glue, apply wood glue and clamp it for a day. Screws alone rarely hold.
Look under the seat for a Vitra or Herman Miller stamp or label. Copies are often unmarked, lighter and cost far less.
For a standard 74-76 cm table, a seat height of about 45-48 cm works for most people.
They can be, as long as you pay replica prices. They are usually lighter and less durable than the originals and have little resale value.
Yes. Most seats unscrew from below. Replace the foam, staple new fabric underneath and screw it back on.