I am planning the same thing as you are, and have decided to paint out the chairs the same colour as my trim work. Have you considered this for your chairs? Would it suit your decor? Is your trimwork painted.. otherwise, maybe I'm just flappin' my gums here. I have a dark kitchen (not light-wise, but cabinets, floor ect) My trim is CIL French White, and currently we have surprisingly extremely sturdy Ikea chairs that are white. The white doesn't quite match the trimwork, so I'll be painting them as soon as my son refinishes and restains the table a darker colour to blend with the cabinets. Here is a link that might be useful:

Hey a fellow Jane!! I'd use a silicone based adhesive that gives you some movement allowance, like door and window adhesive caulking, and if you used an oil based stain, you'd better go with a primer, I'd say, I think the key is to apply thin coats as was already suggested, that way you can decide to stop any time and have any look you want, as you don't need it to "loose" it's wicker look! Post pics as you go!!!

I don't think there is any finish that will protect rattan from repeated rainfall. However, furniture made of this material has a reasonable service life when used on a covered porch.

pps - I've seen pics of your beautiful house and would trade in a heartbeat. Too many unfinished projects in mine anyway :-D shay - I painfully scrubbed this hutch with a toothbrush and wax remover (and even acetone) several times to get rid of the wax finish. That toned it down a bit but I then bleached the wood because I initially wanted the grain to show through the glazing. If I had known I'd end up using a solid paint then I would have still needed to go through the wax removing process but wouldn't have bleached the wood. I've used a commercial wood bleach (a powder you mix with water) on a pine piece before and that worked well but the hardware store was out of stock. I ended up using a homemade liquid drain cleaner solution found here: Homemade bleaching/aging solution Be sure to test a small area before you do this and wear a protective mask, gloves, etc. Also, allow plenty of drying time between removing wax/bleaching and applying a new finish.