# pricing slab furniture



## yellabret (Aug 20, 2012)

with all the great projects posted in the "post your pics" thread, i was wondering if anyone has a method for pricing their work? when i google arounf the prices are all over the map, obviously they are worth what you can get someone to pay, but does anyone use a formula?

such as - value of the wood plus $600 labor for a basic table, $500 for a simple bar, $800 for a more intricate or really cool base, etc.?

or maybe just bf value of the wood times a factor like 5?


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

There will be no formula that works for everybody nor which works in all parts of the country.

Obviously the cost of materials is the starting point. How much labor will be involved is a function of what is to be constructed and your skill in that construction. The more skilled the less time will be involved. The more complicated the more time.

And, probably most importantly, just how much do you value your time. Are you worth $5.00 per hour or are you worth $50.00 per hour. Only you can make that judgement.

You also should be aware of what a similar product will be worth on the retail market IN YOUR PART OF THE COUNTRY.

I imagine that others can add the this list.

George


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

I could go to a flea market or outdoor show and get 1/10th what I could through the right sources and in high end neighborhoods.
Correct that pricing is all over the board. 
I figure my time in @ $X.oo per hour (generally $50.oo +), + materials and then add 25%. If I can't get my working wage + some, it's not worth doing, unless it's for me personally.


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## MidGAOutdoor (Apr 7, 2011)

i just price it. i dont know how i do it i just do it.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

MidGAOutdoor said:


> i just price it. i dont know how i do it i just do it.


Just pick a number. Lol

Kidding. I would base it on how much it cost you for the slab? Type of project? Type of finish, and estimated hours to do it.


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## NYKen (Aug 24, 2012)

Pricing, and gettin whats deserved is the hardest part of woodwokring IMO. I try and keep things somewhat affordable, yet make it worth my time also. A fine line to walk. Im thankfull for my location, close to highend areasr where folks dont mind spending money on nice furniture.

Ken


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

I haven't had success in this yet, but I'm targeting interior decorators, since my pieces are "one-off" and cannot be repeated. This (I hope) will give me an audience of those with money to spend, and not just someone shopping around. 
Lets face it. Most furniture and pieces in homes can be bought relatively cheap with the advent of the internet and with mass production shops. I just bought some nice chairs in a red leatherette, made in China for $60 each w/ free shipping, and the design is fairly unique since my home is totally contemporary (which is hard to buy for).

Unless you can offer something quite unique and one of a kind, you have an uphill battle on a pricing front.
As mentioned above by me and a few others, you must figure your hours, w/ hourly rate + materials + a little more, but aside from that...ya hope like hell, something similar isn't sold at Ikea at 1/2 or 1/3rd the price. You might tell yourself, "Yeah, but my wood is better!", but bottomline is most don't know pine from oak once stained. We do, since it is our trade and love.

Do your homework on what you design/build, and don't fool yourself.


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

I just price most of my stuff. Yes, everything starts with materials cost and estimated number of hours. Even with skill tho, one small detail thing can go wrong and increase time spent on a piece. 

I generally have a running total of bf in a piece, cost of materials like sanding pads, steel wool, finish used, hardware installed, hours spent, etc. 

Other things can be really complicated to price out beyond cost of materials like when I get an iron table base at an auction. Well, there's that total cost plus gas, time spent locating it, cleaning and preparing it for use. In those cases, I come up with a price which is high enough to cover all of the above mentioned and a bit more if I think it is special. Like one of a kind stuff. 

The other aspect of this is how long I can afford to hold on to things. I factor this in as well and will drop a price a bit if I need it move out for space reasons. 

There's very little science to this. Price what you feel it is worth. Don't undercharge for your skill but don't over charge to price yourself out of a market. 

In the grand scheme of things, what is the materials and labor cost of a $30-40,000 Nakashima table compared to what it would cost us?


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## gideon (May 26, 2010)

aardvark said:


> I haven't had success in this yet, but I'm targeting interior decorators, since my pieces are "one-off" and cannot be repeated. This (I hope) will give me an audience of those with money to spend, and not just someone shopping around.


Have you had success with interior designers? A few have my work and some others who've contacted me. The ones who have my work in house get a price break so they can mark up my work so we are price matched. They also have to use my name, not hide it. 

Among the other ID's I've been contacted by, they tend to want me to build to the same standard for 1/3 the price so they can sell at higher than what I price at, they won't use my name and they have unrealistic time frames. Some want to treat me like a slave. And they approach me like its all for my gain. 

Be wary and don't be afraid to quote a price which makes it worthwhile to YOU. Don't let them sell you on the idea of exposure to a greater audience especially if they won't use your name (and many won't). They're job is to keep as much money for themselves. For that, I've directed some to Ikea and other KD furniture suppliers.


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

gideon 
Thanks for the advice.
I'm just a new start up in this. I just 2 weeks ago got the website up. The search for decorators starts this month. All pieces are labeled and dated under a coat of epoxy or poly, in near business card form.. The name is on the item. Can't be removed. 
I don't make consignment pieces since I'm doing "one-off" design of very intense gnarled grains and from wild sections of tree grains. These are a "take it as it is" proposition. 

It is my intent to use interior decorators, (or as we architects call em,, "inferior desecrators" ). I expect they want to make a markup, and they can charge what they want above my listed price on the site. I expect that and my pricing runs semi high but not as high as some I've seen on the internet. So they have a margin, without looking out of line.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Hey Dan. I have a friend who is an interior designer on the north shore, all high end clients. I've worked with him on many occasions. The only problem is the homes he does are mostly contemporary, Witch doesn't help me. So finding the right designer/decorator for the things we do can be a challenge. 
Good luck my friend. You'll have better luck in Tennessee.


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## Horatio (Apr 4, 2012)

Part of the problem is that the wood it's self is art. Finding that one piece and then being able to do something with it....it's one thing if you have a direct cost for purchasing the slab from a mill. Even if you calculate out the time, fuel, equipment wear and tear etc, it's hard to figure in good fortune or the time spent hunting a good piece.


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Horatio.
Ayup!

Then if you cut or find something in the raw, you go into drying mode and hope the pieces don't detonate/split/cup/warp/other.
There is the time in finding just the right piece for what you are planning and sometimes a piece comes to you and the light goes on..."I can make that outa this!" 
Milwaukee Wood Works has been supplying me with some decent cuts and slabs as of late. They need dried, but I'm getting the pick of the litter. That is a 80 mile run, and that needs added in in gas, vehicle wear and tear and 1/2 of a day lost.
I don't think many people take the little expenses into consideration.
If you are going to be doing this as a business, you gotta itemize everything on down to keeping the lights on, tools that crap out, mailing costs, and even this fool computer.


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## aardvark (Sep 29, 2011)

Bring Em On, Dom!
I could use a local North Shore lead!

(Asheville N.C.)


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## yellabret (Aug 20, 2012)

i am planning on hittong some ID's soon, and a friend is trying to get me in with a builder who does country style in Houston. i would think there would be a good market here, people with money that have country places also, the hard part is finding them and them finding you. there are only a couple of people making slab furniture here, one i know well is booked solid but doesnt share, i keep nice with him because he has a lot of good dry stuff i can buy and he is fair on the price.

the good thing a bout slab furniture is the customer would have to spend hundreds to ship a piece in from across the country. 

the bad thing about slab furniture is a potential customer across the country would have to spend hundreds to ship a piece there from me.

catch 22 all over again!


we do have a very well attended 2-week fall antiques and crafts fair not too far out in the country, tens of thousands come. spread out over a whole county it seems. i have some friends that make very unique and craftsy crosses out of whatever they find - railroad spikes, driftwood, etc. , and they want to use my mesquite tables and pecan park bench for display, and i'll pay them 10% if one sells. i couldnt resist that offer, might even slip a rocking horse in there. 

david


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

aardvark said:


> Bring Em On, Dom!
> I could use a local North Shore lead!
> 
> (Asheville N.C.)


Oh yea. N.C. Lol.


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