COMMON HURDLES!

I love the furniture, but it's a bit more than I was planning to pay?

The simple answer is; that whatever the product, nobody can offer you the lowest price with the highest quality and impeccable service. You have to ask yourself; which of these three are most important to you? We have a very interesting article on our website about the value of great reproduction furniture, against other common major household expenses. The figures may surprise you!

I'm nervous that your products won't live up to our expectations.

A good look at our testimonials will allay your fears. There, you will see the number of clients who have ordered from our website and read their genuine comments. If, in the very, very unlikely event you don't like what you've bought (and it's not bespoke), send it back and we'll refund your money. If you are planning something bespoke and you're still nervous, test us out and order something small from our standard stock first. If it doesn't reach your expectations, simply return it and we'll refund your money in full. It's very unlikely though. In the last twenty odd years of making furniture we have never had this happen. As a matter of interest, almost half of the testimonials are from clients who have ordered bespoke items from us.

We want to order, but can't wait that long for delivery.

Where time is important, we can occasionally fast track orders. For example, we have done this for clients who want something for an impending anniversary or as part of an exhibition or grand opening. This may be tricky with more complicated bespoke items, particularly where there is carving involved, but for smaller items and anything from our Berwick range, we can usually accommodate. In fact, at the time of writing this, we will be delivering one of our Berwick Potboard Dresser Bases within 2-3 weeks of our client placing their order.

FURNITURE

Do you compromise on quality to get the price lower?

Absolutely not. Our furniture is top end reproduction and, in this respect, you simply won't find anything better. Why not visit our showroom to see for yourself? We make and finish to a quality standard and our products are priced accordingly. The main reasons why our furniture is such good value, is that our showroom is farm-based, in a rural area, rather than on the high street. Also, we don't employ shop staff or sales people and we have a very efficient nationwide delivery service.

Is your furniture imported from Eastern Europe and the Far East?

Absolutely not. Apart from a couple of chair designs which are uneconomical to make over here (but where we have strict control over quality), all our furniture is craftsman made and finished in Britain. We are passionate about supporting small businesses and craft workshops based in the UK so, wherever possible, we try to source all our products from local/British craftsmen and women.

Is the oak used, properly seasoned?

Yes, up to 75-100mm (3-4 inch) thickness is air dried and then kiln dried down to approximately 8-12% moisture content. Over this thickness, it is not possible to successfully kiln dry, so well air-dried stock is used.

Do you use traditional joints?

Yes. All our cabinet frames (cupboards for example), and open framework (tables and stools for example), are joined with traditional mortise and tenon joints. All dovetails, for drawers etc. are cut by hand (Berwick range uses machine cut dovetails).

Do use American white oak?

Is the oak joinery grade?

Surprising to some, the answer is no. Joinery grade oak is straight grained and generally bland in appearance, making it ideal for contemporary work. We use pippy or character grade oak, which has knots, minor shakes and splits and is far more appropriate for the early period style furniture we produce. However, if you are looking for pristine 'as new' finished pieces, without any surface ageing, you may want to request 'clean' oak at the time of ordering. This is probably the only instance that a surface, minus the natural defects and blemishes, may be more suitable.

Is the furniture solid oak throughout?

Yes, with the exception, possibly, of carcase work, i.e. dresser bases, clothes press, side tables etc. In such work, the unseen backs and internal floor base may be in other woods and the drawer linings may be also be in other woods, such as chestnut or ash. This is entirely authentic with original period pieces, many of which were constructed with the 'not seen' surfaces in chestnut, ash, pine, for example. Any experienced early oak antique dealer will confirm this. If there's a high risk of panel shrinkage with solid oak, i.e. when using large flat panels in carcase work, then we may use our own oak veneered board. These are not bought-in boards with thin veneers. We veneer our own boards with 1.5mm thick oak veneer which can be hand scraped and spoke shaved, just the same as solid. We will only do this where possible stability issues makes it a better alternative and we only use this for flat panels in carcase work, never for framing or table components.

Can I adjust furniture sizes slightly?

Yes (apart from our Berwick range, although these can be changed, as a bespoke piece, if required). Most dining tables in both Chalvington and Wilmington ranges are available, as standard, in a range of lengths and widths to suit most requirements. If you have a specific set of dimensions in mind, for tables or any other piece of furniture in these ranges, please contact us. Around 50% of our customers want to change something, either size or design (or both) to suit their requirements.  We are always happy to do this.

Can you colour match furniture?

Yes. We would need you to provide us with a sample or component for us to copy. This may incur a small additional cost. Are you able to send colour samples to us? Yes, if you don't want to rely on web photos or can't get down to our showroom, we would be more than happy to send actual samples to you.

Does your showroom stock everything on offer?

No, we have over 400 items of furniture and many accessories available, which would need a huge warehouse to accommodate and attract high overheads which would push up prices. At our showroom, we have thought very carefully about how we can show a good varied cross section of styles, in all three ranges, in both oak and fruitwoods, with sample pieces showing all the ageing and colour options.

Does your upholstery comply with fire regulations?

Yes. Our upholsterers incorporate a barrier cloth under the top fabric so, for normal domestic use, the top fabric doesn't have to be FR rated. Our upholsterers will also fix a compliance label to BS5852 Parts 1&2. Stricter rules apply to upholstered furniture used in public places, so we would need to be informed beforehand, if this is where the furniture is to be used.

ACCESSORIES

Do we have to buy furniture in order to purchase accessories?

No. You can purchase one candle stick if you want. What we would say is that if you are adding one or more accessories to a reasonable furniture order, you can take advantage of our additional discount offers.

PRICES

I have seen similar items much cheaper. Why is this?

We've never been interested in trying to be the cheapest out there. Our prices are what they are and if there's any area we can address to lower them we do, but never at the expense of quality and service. If your main criteria is the 'bottom line' then we probably aren't the people for you. We are aware that there are seemingly 'similar' looking pieces offered at impossibly low prices. One way of reducing costs is to use American white oak (Quercus alba) which, although generally cheaper and in some ways similar in strength and durability to European oak, is inferior in appearance to the character grade English/European oak (Quercus robur) that we use. The grain of American white oak is usually straight and the surface can be dull and bland. It has characteristics which make it perfect for certain types of joinery and cabinet making, contemporary work for example, but is largely unsuitable for period style pieces. Also, costs can be trimmed by reducing the cross sectional sizes of the components, so that the pieces become uncomfortably flimsy in appearance. Additionally, labour costs can be reduced considerably by spray finishing or, even worse, simply applying a tinted 'antique' wax onto bare oak. The former results in an all over colour with no patination (which is a major part of the appeal of antique furniture) and the latter imparts a non-durable surface finish which evaporates over a relatively short time leaving a muddy lifeless colour. But, more often than not, these pieces originate in some form or another (they can be imported in component form, assembled here and labelled 'handmade in the UK') from the Far East, where labour rates are low but, all too often, so is the quality control...and, because of the logistics, the furniture cannot be made bespoke. A website with no showroom may be a clue to the furnitures' origins and lack of quality. In the same vein, very low prices and use of inappropriate timber, should have alarm bells ringing. Our best and most shrewd advice is to spend some time comparing products 'in the flesh'. This should flag up the enormous differences in craftsmanship and finish, rather than relying on website photos alone, where pieces can often appear misleadingly similar. We always welcome visitors to our Sussex showroom, where we are happy and proud to show you the many quality features of our top-end reproduction furniture.

Is VAT and delivery extra?

No, all our prices include VAT and delivery anywhere in mainland Britain. There are no hidden costs or surprises.

Is the cost of upholstery included in the furniture cost?

Yes. We will automatically upholster to barrier cloth. We will also apply your own top fabric at no additional cost, providing it is available to us before we finish manufacturing. You can also purchase fabric from us. We have an excellent selection of period and suitable contemporary style fabrics at our showroom.

ORDERING

We've seen items on your website we like, where do we go from here?

From the individual product pages, send your item (or items) of choice to our Basket Page. Once you've fine tuned your selection you can make your purchase either by contacting us direct or by using WorldPay's secure online payment facility. You can also print the basket page and bring it with you to our showroom. If you still need to finalise your choice later, you can also choose to save the page.

What are your payment terms?

For furniture we only ask for a deposit of 30% at the time of ordering (which is less than many similar companies who ask for a minimum of 50% deposit), with the balance payable prior to delivery. Accessories which are custom made are paid for in the same way. Accessories not custom made are payable in full when you order.

How do we pay?

By credit card or debit card (online, by phone or at our showroom), cheque or BACS transfer.

How long does it for our order to be completed?

Furniture is custom made to your specification and, as a rough guide, takes about 8-12 weeks from the date of ordering. Quite often we finish items ahead of this period. Carved furniture tends to take longer for obvious reasons. Accessories which are custom made can take between 3 to 10 weeks depending on what they are. Accessories which are not custom made can be ready for delivery between immediate and 4 weeks. We will always endeavour to dispatch in-stock items within 0-3 days from order. Fulfilment of any bespoke order is largely dependent on our workshops workload at the time and availability of stock, so please do contact us if you require a more accurate and current forecast of delivery times for specific items.

What happens if we change our mind on the specification part way through an order?

You would need to talk to us to see if changes can be made after commencement of production. We will do all we can but it may or may not be possible. So, to be safe, you need to thoroughly check that everything is as you wish, on your order, immediately on receipt.

SHOWROOM VISITS

Do I have to book an appointment to visit your showroom?

It's not essential, but advisable, particularly if you're coming from some distance away. As part of our policy to keep unnecessary costs down, our showroom is not always staffed as per normal shop hours. It is adjacent to the small craft workshops of Early Oak Specialists and we are normally there working, Monday to Saturday. However, just in case we are on-site fitting (or having a well-earned rest!), we would definitely recommend contacting us first, just to make sure.

The only time we can visit your showroom is at the weekend. Is this possible?

Yes, of course, Sunday is fine. Please let us know in good time beforehand, so that we can arrange something to suit you.

DELIVERY

Do you deliver?

Yes, delivery is part of our service (and included in the prices we publish) and is either by us or, at our discretion, a reliable and courteous courier service. They operate as a 1 or 2-man team, depending on the size and weight of the pieces, and will unload, unpack and assemble if necessary, and place in the room of your choice. We normally install 4-poster and other similarly complicated beds ourselves, subject to the delivery being within a reasonable distance.

Can I collect from your showroom?

Do you deliver overseas?

Yes, we can deliver outside of mainland Britain and abroad. We use a long established furniture shipping company and they take care of everything, including packing and customs. Like our mainland Britain delivery, this is also a 'to your door' service. Unfortunately, we don't export to the USA.

We have tight access in our home for deliveries. Is this a problem?

If you have any doubts whatsoever about access into your home, do please talk to us first. Beds dismantle down to easier-to-manage components, but may still prove to be problematical negotiating old twisting staircases, for example. Wardrobes can be a nightmare too. As it is unlikely that we will have visited the clients' home for a survey, the client has to accept full responsibility for access.

AFTER-CARE

What happens if something goes wrong after we've purchased?

Our furniture is made to last at least several generations so, in this unlikely event, we will do everything in our power to rectify the problem. Even just one dissatisfied client quickly undermines all our efforts to maintain an excellent reputation, so it's the last thing we want. In any event, your Statutory Rights are there to protect you.

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