That sounds like a lot of fun. Your piece did present some challenges using hardware cloth on a vertical surface without something in the back. Not sure if you have ever watched someone put up a rock column over a wooden framework. Whether they use hardware cloth or diamond mesh there is a barrier placed on the wood and the mesh is close to that so you have something to smoosh ecerything against. That said, diamond mesh will grab hold and keep your mix where you put it even without a barrier. If you have not used diamond mesh/steel mesh, make sure you are wearing leather gloves during cutting, shaping and sewing it together, it is a brute. Lets see PA is three hours later than here, and I get up early so I could actually be there by early afternoon and a bunch of projects could be completed........... Happy casting and creating, Dena

I need to find something for my boys bedroom. I found the same set on the Costco website. I would like to ask the original poster (kylex) if you purchased this set and if you are happy with it. From the descrption, it looks like good quality (solid birch, kiln dried, dovetailed drawers).The price is very reasonable: $899 for the 3pc set. Here is a link that might be useful:

Gosh I hope I am not a thread killer with this, but...do you really need the chair? Or maybe I should say, do you love the shape and currently have a spot for it? And are ready to reupholster it immediately? Because loving sad looking, orphaned, good-boned chairs can get you into trouble, they are like potato chips. There is a reason it is on GL for only $40...and I would be inclined to believe it's because the owner picked up the good-boned tattered chair and meant to reupholster it and love it, but, it turned out it cost too much, and it sort of smelled funny...and there was a wonky spring that had to be fixed and the part was expensive... I fell into this quagmire a couple of years ago. Now I am the one selling or giving away the sad furniture with the lovely bones for cheap on GL, just so I can have a less cluttered house :-) Unless you are experienced at reupholstery, or really want a new project...that $40 chair could become a white elephant quite quickly, no matter how good is its potential. It's a very cute chair...and if you love the shape, are ready to go with the upholstery, and have a spot for it...then you are making a great score and I hope you show us a picture of it when you are done. But if it's really the price that makes it so attractive, well, that $40 chair could turn out to cost you a fortune (relatively). Joanna

Thanks everyone! I think I'm going to pass for now; if the chairs are still around on CL in a few days, maybe I'll see if I can look (and measure) in person. My hunch is that they are not properly sized for dining chairs. And I'm also wondering whether I should be looking for something different entirely. The colors in my photo are off - the walls are not nearly that bright - but it suddenly seems like an awful lot of red. Back to the drawing board...