I’ve been doing some research in the local community and the general concensous seems to be that the cabinet maker rarely finishes the cabinets. They seem go by the rule that the finish is up to the customer and the painting contractor. When asked why, the answer was that they had no desire to invest in the equipment. Anbody else feel that way?
Steve – in Northern California
Edited 5/20/2002 11:53:03 AM ET by Steve Schefer
Replies
From the customer's point of view, the finish makes the project. The average customer does not know anything about construction or care about all the fancy tools. The finish is what they end up paying for. Mess that up, and you don't get paid.
That said, even though I have been finishing for a number of years and think I do fairly well, when the big buck project comes along, I send out the finishing.
When I was involved in a large shop, we began by sending out our finishing. However, we then hired our own finisher, set up a spray booth and did most of our own. But, we had enough going on to make that pay. He more than earned what we paid him and gave and showcased the quality we built into the item. Finishing sells, not construction.
I agree Howie, that's why I'm having such a hard time understanding why they don't do it here. Thanks for the input.Steve - in Northern California
I big issue now days are the EPA and VOC regulations. It is very costly to set up a compliant spray operation. Some states are much more difficult to deal with than others. California being one of the most difficult.
Lots of smaller shops commercial shops have stopped doing any spray finishing at all--even waterborne. It's just easier to send it out and, in many cases, you get a better job.
I just got off the phone with a friend that does furniture refinishing. He said just about the same thing. He advised if its not your primary business, let somebody else do it or rent the space when you need it. I'll be setting up a deal with him tonight.Steve - in Northern California
Truth be told, most woodworkers are not good finishers. Finishing requires training, practise, skill and patience. Woodworkers want to get on to the next piece of wood to saw, not take the time for sanding and finishing. A good finisher brings some artistry to the process and the finish is the value add to the item.
As I said before, if I have a high dollar commission, I tell the customer that the finish will be added to the bill.
Howie I must be an exception to that rule. I spend a lot of time sanding and finishing. After all, this is the phase that sells the project and gets the repeat business. A customer does not care about what power tool you use and your method of joinery, they want a piece that is pleasing to eye. Say what you want, but a lot of woodworkers should take some more time when it comes to sanding and finishing.
Dave in Pa.
Edited 5/21/2002 11:43:56 AM ET by DAVE6281
Dave, you probably are. If you take a poll of hobbiest and amateur woodworkers you will find that the activities they most dislike are sanding and finishing. Even many pro woodworkers feel the same way. But for many pro's, they just do not want to tie up their shop with the time required to do finishing.
As I said in my first responce to Steve, the finish brings the customer back and sells the new customer.
Steve,
Until a few years ago, I insisted that I finish all my work, because many of my projects were degraded by inept finishers. Then, as jobs got bigger, I couldn't justify the expense of making my shop dust free enough to do the job properly. Also, living on the San Francisco Penninsula, I couldn't comply with air quality standards without going to great expense to setup and maintain a proper spray booth. Although I successfully sprayed a lot of waterborn laquer, its just not as widely accepted or as easy to control as solvent based products. So, I gave up when I found an on site finisher that does great work. He's more cost effective and I can continue making saw dust. I still enjoy finishing small furniture projects, but when I'm pressed for time, I send those out to a shop whose expertise and well equipped facility is warranted by the quality I want. That guy costs twice as much as my on site finisher, in part because of his facility costs.
Gary
Steve - in my case, I never finished any of the cabinets. That was for the 'Finisher' to do. I did do the counter toppings, though. The only time I did finishing was when a tenant wanted me to provide extra furnishings such as book cases, credenza's, etc. These were small office buildings (4 or 5 floors) where the builder leased out office space to various tenants. I did all the 'built-in' cabinetry and case work and then got any extra stuff the tenants wanted. The latter was where the 'gravy' was.
Once, the finisher stood all the cabinet doors against the wall and sprayed them with lacquer. He never bothered to clean the floor first. Well, all kinds of crap got caught in the lacquer and the doors looked horrible and felt like sandpaper. The contractor made him strip them to bare wood, restain, and re-lacquer. Was close to 100 cabinet doors. After that job, he quit and never came back. The builder asked me if I would be interested in sub'ing the finishing out. I said NO!
By the way, when I left Tulsa these builders were about to start two new buildings. I just about had them convinced to put in central computers with time-sharing to all the tenants. I was gearing up to do that when the economy went sour (1987) and the builders cancelled their plans. It would also have included a central alarm system and central environmental system.
In hind-sight, it was lucky that the economy went sour before my transfer to Houston. Had it waited 9 months, I probably would have rejected the transfer and now be setting in Tulsa with no retirement!
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy
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