At Handmade by Ronald Lohse, I take great pride in each and every unique piece of solid furniture I sell. My furniture is handcrafted and professionally finished by me and built using solid wood that sanded to reveal the natural beauty of each piece.
Given the handmade and hand-finished nature of the products I craft, variations and imperfections in the wood should be expected and celebrated! Just as every tree is unique, so too is every piece of furniture that is handcrafted and hand finished just for you.
Please read through my cosmetic standards below before placing an order with me.
NOTE By placing an order with me, you are confirming that you understand and agree with the conditions of these cosmetic standards
Every piece of furniture will have a unique grain pattern and slight color variation as a result of the grain pattern. If you require stain, I cannot guarantee exact stain matches to other tables. Wood does have a mind of its own and every piece of wood accepts stain differently. I will use the correct stain or paint color that you requested for your order, but there is a strong chance the color will vary slightly from the table or picture you were thinking of when you placed the order. This is normal. I cannot rework the finishing on your table to get a perfect match.
I do NOT match stain colors off of photos. The only way I can do any type of custom stain color for you is if you bring me the stain yourself and tell me which type of wood to use. All wood types receive stains differently. Once you bring me the stain and tell me which wood to use, I will do what you've asked, however - I cannot rework staining that did not come out exactly as you had in mind. Why? Because - every piece of wood has a unique grain pattern and there will always be slight color variations.
Matching epoxy colors is very difficult because of the chemistry and physics involved. I can reliably create opaque black and white epoxy fills, but any other color and/or pigmentation is not guaranteed. I can provide small samples for your review, but the final pour will still differ because of volume, color concentration, and the exothermic reaction caused by the chemical curing process. Pigments that add color or metallic patterns are completely random for the same reasons.
The finer finish you would like for your table to have, the lighter your stain will be. The more that your table is distressed or deeply grained, the darker your stain will be. Why? Because wood has pores and as wood is finely sanded, the pores shut off - allowing less stain into the wood - resulting in a lighter color. The more distressed or deeply grained a table is generally means that the pores of the wood are still open (since it hasn't been finely sanded) and it will accept the stain darker.
Other characteristics of handcrafted, solid wood furniture include open knots, visible brush strokes, micro-imperfections and textural variations in the durable, hand brushed finishes, unique distress marks, exposed screws, wood filler marks, joint lines, and distinctive nicks, splits, cracks, and other imperfections. I allow up to approximately 1" of variation across all measurements due to the custom nature of the handcrafted furniture I build.
Solid wood may expand and contract due to changes in temperature and humidity. This means that the gaps between the boards of a traditional table top may get wider over time and will need to be cleaned. This natural movement enhances the one-of-a-kind beauty of solid wood handcrafted furniture. It does not affect structural integrity and is not considered defective.
I do not offer machine manufactured perfection - no two pieces are exactly alike since Handmade by Ronald Lohse furniture is crafted to your order specifications.
Your table is protected to a degree with the cured oil/wax finish and ceramic topcoat that I apply to your order. However, your table will experience micro-scratches that I have no control over. The only way to avoid these is to never use your table; there is virtually no way to avoid these from happening, unfortunately.
I cannot guarantee that your furniture will not scratch, and these types of scratches are not considered manufacturing defects.
I celebrate the true uniqueness of every piece of solid wood furniture that is built and finished by hand in my wood shop. It is my hope that you will as well.
