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Written for makers who already know their craft, and for the people who live with what they make. Every claim links to its source.
Running commissions
For owners · 5 min
Commissioning furniture: a checklist to prepare before meeting your maker
A short checklist for clients before a first meeting with a furniture maker: measurements, photos, how you will use the piece, budget, timing and what to ask.
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For makers · 10 min
HoneyBook alternatives for furniture makers: what a commission needs
A fair buyer's guide for furniture studios: what software must do across a commission, and how HoneyBook, Dubsado, Trello, Notion and woodworking tools fit.
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For makers · 6 min
How to keep clients updated during a custom furniture build
A milestone plan for commission progress updates: when to send them, what to photograph at each stage, how to share delays and how to keep each one short.
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For owners · 7 min
How to commission custom furniture: process, timing and questions
What happens when you commission a piece from a furniture maker: brief, drawings, quote, deposit, build and delivery, typical lead times and what to ask.
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Pricing & deposits
For makers · 6 min
How much deposit for custom furniture, and how to set a payment schedule
What a deposit on custom furniture is for, the ranges makers report, staged payment schedules, refund questions under consumer law and what to put in writing.
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For makers · 7 min
How to price custom furniture: a pricing formula for small studios
A pricing formula for handmade furniture: materials and waste, shop rate, overhead, risk and margin, with worked examples for a table, sideboard and chair.
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Passports & provenance
For makers · 7 min
Certificate of authenticity for furniture, with a free template
How furniture makers can write a certificate of authenticity: what to include, how to number pieces, paper or digital, and a free plain-text template to copy.
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For makers · 7 min
Maker's marks, serial numbers and QR codes for furniture
How to mark and number handmade furniture: branding irons, stamps, plates and laser engraving, where to put the mark, and how small an engraved QR code can be.
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Care & maintenance
For everyone · 9 min
Hardwax oil maintenance: Rubio Monocoat vs Osmo vs General Finishes
How to clean, refresh and recoat Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C, Osmo Polyx-Oil and General Finishes Hard Wax Oil, with cure times from the makers' data sheets.
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For everyone · 8 min
Soap finish on wood: how to care for a soap-finished table
What a Scandinavian soap finish is, which woods suit it, daily care, how to re-soap a table, handling stains, and how soap compares with an oil finish.
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For owners · 9 min
White ring on a wood table: diagnose the finish before you fix it
White vs dark water marks, how to identify oil, hardwax oil, lacquer, shellac, wax or soap, which fixes are safe at home and when to call a restorer.
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For owners · 9 min
How to care for an oiled wood table, and how often to re-oil it
Daily care, re-oiling intervals and fixes for white rings on oiled, hardwax oil, soaped and lacquered wood tables, with makers' and manufacturers' guidance.
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Materials
For everyone · 10 min
Solid wood vs veneer furniture: how they differ and which to choose
How solid wood and veneered furniture are made, plywood, MDF and particleboard cores, wood movement, repair and refinishing limits, and what to ask a maker.
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For owners · 10 min
Walnut vs oak for a dining table: hardness, colour, movement and finish
Walnut or oak for a dining table? Janka hardness from the USDA Wood Handbook, dent resistance, colour change, wood movement, finishes and what drives the price.
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Rules & regulation
For makers · 7 min
Digital product passports for furniture: what small makers need to know
What the EU ESPR and digital product passport mean for furniture, what is decided, what is planned for 2028 and what small makers can sensibly do now.
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