The #1 mistake new furniture makers make on pricing (and it's not 'too cheap')
Most guides tell you "you're underpricing your furniture." True, but it's not the real mistake.
The real mistake: pricing off gut feeling instead of a formula.
Here's the simple math every furniture maker should run before quoting a client:
Materials — actual receipts, no rounding down.
Labor — hours x your real target hourly rate (not what you'd pay an employee — what your time is worth).
Overhead — a slice of rent, tool wear, insurance, allocated per project.
Markup — 1.5-2x for standard work, 2.5-4x for custom/luxury commissions.
Example: a walnut dining table with $650 in materials and 25 hours of labor at $60/hr comes out to a $2,300 subtotal. At a 2.2x luxury markup, that's a $5,060 sale — not the $1,800 "gut feeling" price most beginners would've quoted.
If you're building furniture and pricing by vibes, you're leaving real money on the table. Run the formula before your next quote.
— NCW Wood Shop