This small rush chair was brought into our shop with a small amount of damage on the front of the seat. Unfortunately with rush chairs any damage means replacing the entire seat. This is because the whole seat is woven with one long continuous string of rush. This particular chair was woven with the man made paper fiber product opposed to actual rush. The look and quality are very similar, but at a lower cost to the customer. The paper fiber product is finished with a sealant to keep it from absorbing moisture and it gives it the gloss finish that you see below.