The one on the left, I think
The client wanted the oak to look 'a bit smoky, not too grey'. Your finisher made four samples on offcuts, each with a different stain and a matt or satin lacquer, and pencilled a number on the back. They were posted to the client, who texted a photo a week later saying 'the one on the left'. On the photo, which was taken under kitchen lights, it is not obvious which was on the left.
The finisher goes with number three. At delivery, the client holds up the sample they kept and says the table is darker.
Samples without a system
Finish is where bespoke furniture is most personal and most open to dispute. Colour depends on the timber, the light, the sheen and how the client remembers it.
- Samples are labelled in pencil or not at all.
- The recipe, such as stain, dilution, coats and sheen, is in someone's notebook.
- Clients approve by text or photo, without referring to a sample code.
- Samples made for one client are reused for another without a record.
- The same timber from a different board can take a finish differently, and nobody noted which board the sample came from.
What finish disputes cost
Refinishing a piece is slow and can mean stripping back and starting again, sometimes with a delay to delivery and a hit to the margin. Even when the finish is exactly what was approved, a dispute without evidence is hard to resolve and leaves the client unhappy with a piece they have paid a lot for. And a good finisher's recipes are part of your workshop's value, which is lost if they live in one notebook.
Sample tracking for commissions
- Every sample board gets a code on a printed label, linked to a record with the recipe: stain, mix, number of coats, lacquer or oil, sheen, and the timber and board it was made on.
- The record includes a photo taken in consistent light in the workshop, so there is a reference that does not depend on the client's kitchen.
- Samples are linked to the commission they were made for, and sent to the client with a short page showing each code and photo.
- The client approves a specific code online, with a comment if they want an adjustment, and the approval is recorded with the date.
- Adjusted samples become new codes linked to the original, so the history is clear.
- The approved recipe appears on the workshop instructions for that commission, and a library of past recipes can be searched when a new client wants something similar.
| Item | Today | With sample tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Sample label | Pencil number | Printed code |
| Recipe | Finisher's notebook | Stored with the code |
| Client choice | Text or photo | Approved code on record |
| Instructions to finisher | Remembered | Approved recipe on the job |
| Reuse for new clients | Rummage through offcuts | Searchable library |
Finishes the client recognises
Finishing starts from a recipe the client approved, recorded in writing. If the client queries it at delivery, you can show which sample they chose and when. The finisher's recipes become a library the workshop can use, and new clients can choose from finishes you know how to reproduce. It does not remove the fact that timber varies, but it means everybody is talking about the same sample.
The library helps with sales as well as disputes. When a new client says they want something warm but not orange, you can show them approved finishes from past commissions, each with a photo in the same workshop light and a recipe your finisher knows how to repeat. That shortens the sampling rounds and gets the commission to the bench sooner.
Do finish choices cause arguments?
- Clients have said a finish is not what they chose.
- Samples are labelled in pencil.
- Recipes are in one person's notebook.
- Approvals come as photos or vague texts.
- You cannot easily reproduce a finish from a past commission.