FAQ and Policies

An engraved wooden recognition trophy, one of the awards and plaques we build. The kind of piece a quote covers before any cutting starts.

How do you request a quote?

Use the Contact page or email contactvern@vernswoodworking.com. Include the intended use, rough dimensions, quantity, style or personalization, budget range, target date, and city, state, and ZIP code. Sketches and inspiration photographs are welcome. A few details go a long way. Tell us what the piece is for and the room it will live in, because a desk display and an outdoor sign need different materials, finishes, and protection. Give us a rough size instead of an exact one, because we can refine dimensions with you once we understand the use, and a rough number is enough to start. Share any personalization up front, such as a name, initials, an icon, or a short message, so we can plan the engraving or lettering into the design rather than bolting it on later. A budget range helps us match the piece to what you have in mind and keeps the estimate honest. The ZIP code matters because it drives delivery or shipping, and a target date lets us be upfront about whether the piece can be built and finished in time. If you do not have all of this yet, send what you do. We will ask for anything else we need, and the quote we send back is a starting point you can work with, not a fixed offer.

How quickly will you hear back, and how long does production take?

We normally reply within one to three business days. Some made-to-order pieces take a few days to build and finish. A typical custom production estimate is around seven to ten days, while detailed or layered resin work can take longer. Materials and our current workload also affect timing. The timing is an estimate, not a guarantee, unless a date is confirmed in writing for the order. We give you a range rather than a single day so the estimate stays honest. A simple piece with a familiar design and ready lumber may move quickly, while a piece that needs a specific wood, a detailed engraving, or several layers of resin that must harden between pours takes more time. The written estimate you accept sets the timing for your order, and if your date is firm, say so when you inquire so we can tell you whether we can meet it. Rush work is covered in the next question, and the short answer is that we consider it when you ask, but we do not promise it.

Do you guarantee rush work?

Tell us about a firm date when you inquire. We will consider it, but we do not guarantee rush work and may decline a deadline that does not leave enough time to build, finish, cure, package, or deliver the piece properly. A rush job that skips a step, such as a finish that is not fully set or a package that is not ready to ship, is a piece that can arrive with a problem, and we would rather not take that risk. If your date is important, give us as much warning as you can, and we will tell you honestly whether we can take the piece on. When we accept a date in writing, it is a commitment we plan the whole order around, from lumber to the last layer of finish to delivery or shipping.

Cutting boards we make, set on a table. Pieces like this start as a fit question and a rough idea, then move through a written estimate before the build begins.

Design Approval, Deposits, and Payment

How do design revisions and final approval work?

Reasonable revisions can be made before final design approval. Once you approve the design and work begins, further revisions are not included. A later change may be declined or may require a revised price and completion estimate. We keep the revision window open on purpose so you can get the design right before we cut and build. That means the details that matter most, the name, the size, the color, and any engraving, are settled first. After you approve the design and work starts, the piece is already in the shop, so a change can mean new lumber, new lettering, or extra hours, and those are the things that change the price and the timing. If you want to make a change after approval, send it to us and we will tell you plainly what it costs and how long it adds, and whether we can fit it at all. Most pieces need one or two revisions at most, and we try to get the design right the first time, but the approval step protects both of us: you know the piece before it is built, and we know the build before we start.

Are deposits always required?

No universal deposit applies. A deposit or other initial payment is decided case by case and stated in the written estimate. Final payment is due before shipping or delivery unless the accepted estimate says otherwise. An unpaid item is not shipped. Some orders move fast enough that we ask for an initial payment to reserve materials and time, and some are small enough that we wait until the piece is ready. The answer for your order is the one in your written estimate, and it is decided case by case, not by a single rule. A deposit on a made-to-order piece is a fair way to hold the time and the wood, especially when the piece takes a week or more and uses material we source for the job. When we ask for one, we tell you the amount and what it covers, and it comes off the final total. Final payment is due before the piece leaves the shop, because an unpaid piece is not something we ship or hand over, and that rule keeps the order simple and clear for both of us.

What payment methods are accepted?

Accepted methods are PayPal, credit or debit card processed through PayPal, Venmo, and cash for an agreed local delivery. Payment instructions are provided directly. Do not send card or account information through the inquiry form or ordinary email. We keep payment details out of the inquiry form and out of email on purpose, because those channels are not secure for that kind of information and because the form is built for a description of your project, not for money. When it is time to pay, we give you the instructions directly, and the method you use depends on the order. Cash works for an agreed local delivery, where you can hand over payment as the piece arrives. PayPal and card through PayPal, and Venmo, work for orders that are shipped or delivered without a person on hand to take cash. If you are not sure which applies to you, ask, and we will tell you the method that fits your delivery.

Is sales tax charged?

West Virginia sales tax applies to orders delivered within West Virginia. The rate depends on your delivery address: 6% state tax, plus up to 1% local tax in some cities, including Charleston, for a 7% combined rate there. Tax is calculated for your delivery address and added to your written estimate before work begins. The tax is not a flat number for every order, because the local part changes with the address the piece ships to. If your delivery address is in a city with the local add-on, the combined rate is higher, and we add that amount to your estimate so the total you approve is the total you pay. For an order delivered outside West Virginia, the tax question is a different one, and we will walk you through it in your estimate rather than leave it to guess. Either way, the number is in your written estimate before you approve it, so there is no surprise at checkout.

Two plywood tabletops engraved with BREW BOARDS, with routed diamond outlines and cup holders, on a shop floor. A written estimate covers the design, the deposit, and the final payment, all stated before any work begins.

Delivery, Shipping, Returns, and Problems

How do local delivery, pickup, and shipping work?

For an accepted order of at least $75, free local delivery may be offered within 25 miles of Charleston, West Virginia. A smaller order may qualify when delivery can be coordinated with travel we are already making. We do not offer customer pickup, workshop visits, or installation.
Orders outside the local area are shipped when the piece can be packaged and transported safely. Packaging and shipping charges are stated in the listing or written estimate. Large, heavy, fragile, or unusually shaped work does not come with a free-shipping promise.
The free local delivery is a convenience, not a guarantee, and it depends on the order clearing the $75 mark and the piece being ready when we are already heading that way. A smaller order can ride along when the timing works out, and we will tell you if it can. Because we are a private shop, there is no storefront to visit and no pickup counter, so the piece reaches you by local delivery or by shipping. For anything that will not survive ordinary shipping, such as a large, heavy, fragile, or odd-shaped piece, we plan delivery or a careful hand-off instead, and we say so before you commit. Packaging and shipping charges, when there are any, are in the listing or your written estimate, so the number you approve includes them.

What can be returned?

A ready-made, nonpersonalized item may be returned within 30 days if it is unused and in its original condition. The customer pays ordinary return shipping. Original shipping is not refunded unless the return resulted from our error.
Custom and personalized pieces are not eligible for return, because they are built to your details and cannot be resold. That rule keeps both sides honest: you get a piece made for you, and we get a fair way to handle a piece that is one of a kind.

What if a piece arrives damaged?

If a piece arrives damaged in transit, contact us within a reasonable time with a photo of the damage and the packaging. We will work out the fix, which may be a repair, a replacement, or a refund, depending on the piece and the damage. For custom and personalized pieces, the options are narrower because a one-of-a-kind piece cannot simply be replaced with an identical copy, so we will work with you on a fix that makes sense for that piece. We would rather sort a problem out with you than leave it to guess, and the goal is to get you a piece that is right, not to argue over a form.

Materials, Variation, Care, and Supplied Artwork

Are wood and resin variations defects?

No. Wood grain, color, knots, and figure vary from board to board, and no two boards are alike. Epoxy resin can carry small bubbles, slight color shifts between layers, and a surface that is not perfectly flat, because it is poured and cured by hand. These are the marks of a hand-made piece, not defects. A cutting board made from end-grain will show the pattern of the wood, and a desk nameplate poured in layers will show the layers in the finish. Each piece carries its own character, and that is part of what makes it worth having.

A hardwood cutting board in the shop, its grain and routed groove set before the finish. End-grain and hand-made detail show through, not hide behind a coating.

How to care for your piece?

Wood and oil-finished pieces want a light hand. Wipe a spill with a dry cloth, avoid standing water, and keep a hot or wet cup off the finish, since that is what leaves a ring. When the color looks dull, a small amount of oil on a clean cloth works it back in. Keep the piece out of strong direct sun for long stretches, because the sun can fade the warm color over time.

Wood care products, the kind that keep an oil-finished piece looking good. A light coat now and then is all most pieces need.

Can you build to supplied artwork?

You can send artwork, a logo, or a design, and we will tell you whether it can be cut, engraved, or printed onto wood with our tools. For logos, insignia, team marks, or protected artwork, tell us what it is and send proof of permission when you have it, and we will tell you whether we can take it on. We do not accept hate-based or racist content, and we will decline a request that asks for something we cannot stand behind. When you are unsure whether a design is acceptable, ask early, and we will answer plainly. If a request needs permission we do not have, we will say so rather than build something that is not right. The standard keeps the work honest and keeps the shop on the right side of the material it builds.

Privacy, Photographs, and Content Standards

How is your information handled?

We use the information you send, your name, email, and order details, to reply to your inquiry and to build and deliver your piece. We do not sell your information, and we do not share it with third parties for marketing. Payment details, when they are used, are handled through the payment method you choose, and we do not store card numbers or account details. The form on the site is built for a description of your project, not for payment, so keep card and account information out of the form and out of ordinary email. When you send a message, you are starting a conversation, and we use what you send to answer it and to make the piece you asked for.

Can you photograph your piece?

We may photograph a finished piece for our project pages and our catalog, unless you ask us not to. If you do not want a photo of your piece, say so when you inquire, and we will not use it. A photo of a finished piece helps us show the kind of work we do, and it helps the next person who is looking for a piece like yours, but the decision is yours.

What content standards apply?

We build pieces that carry a personal mark, a name, a message, or a detail that matters to the person who ordered it. We do not accept hate-based or racist content, and we will decline a request that asks for something we cannot stand behind. For logos, insignia, and protected artwork, we ask for proof of permission when we need it, and we will tell you plainly whether we can take a design on. The standard keeps the work honest and keeps the shop on the right side of the material it builds.

Still have a question?

Email contactvern@vernswoodworking.com. We normally reply within one to three business days.