Pricing on Mennonite furniture is dynamic — there are a lot of variables. The same piece can come in at very different prices depending on the species of wood and the type of finish you choose.

Rather than post a single number that would be wrong for most combinations, we price each piece the way you actually want it built. That is what our quoting system is for, and it means the price you are given is the price for your piece.

Quotes are requested right on the website. On a product you will see two options:

• Get a price — requests a quote for that one item.
• Add to quote basket — adds the item to a basket so you can ask about several pieces at once and only enter your details once.

Fill in your information and send it over. We usually come back to you within one to two business days. If there is customization involved it can take a couple of days longer.

Yes. We ask for approximately 50% down to start your order.

Orders take approximately 8 to 10 weeks once the order is placed.

Custom pieces are typically within that same range.

Yes — we are partnered with Fairstone to provide financing on furniture orders. Two terms are available:

• 6 months — no interest, no payment
• 12 months — no interest, no payment

All financing terms carry an administrative fee of 10%, to a maximum of $250.

You can apply online at web.fairstone.ca/peterboroughcraftworks, or see our Fairstone Financing page for details.

No — we don’t build it ourselves. Our furniture is made by Mennonite builders across Ontario, primarily around Elmira and St. Jacobs.

Each builder is chosen against our own guidelines for quality and construction, and they stand behind their work.

Most likely, yes. Our website — like our showroom — holds only a fraction of what our builders can make. We’ve put the most requested pieces on the site, but there is a great deal more behind them.

If you can’t find what you’re after, or you’ve seen something close that needs different dimensions, give us a call or send through a quote request and we will get back to you.

Our builders often have a piece in their line that will suit, and we can email you a photo and dimensions. We are always happy to quote custom work.

Yes. All of our Mennonite furniture is made from pine, maple, oak or other specialty woods.

Solid wood is both an investment and a saving. It is durable enough to be passed from one person to the next, which keeps it out of the landfill and tends to cost you less over the long run. If your style changes or you need to part with a piece, it is far easier to find it a new home.

It is also a natural, renewable material — unlike MDF and particle core, which contain formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals.

Our builders work in:

• Pine — regular and rustic
• Maple — wormy, brown and regular
• Oak — regular cut and quartersawn
• Cedar — red and white
• Cherry — regular and speckled
• Walnut

Not every piece is available in every wood. Availability is usually shown on each product or collection page — and if you have your eye on a premium wood such as walnut or speckled cherry, just ask and we will look into it.

Woods differ mainly in hardness, grain, and how they take a stain. Here is how ours compare.

Pine. A softer wood, though still strong, with plenty of knots. It has small grain definition and tends to show more yellow under a stain as the years pass, so it suits finishes painted in ivory or darker shades rather than pure white. Being light, it is a good choice for pieces you expect to move around.

Rustic pine. Available on certain pieces only. The same softness as pine but with a rougher texture, and it takes stain differently — lighter and darker areas shift with the texture of the wood.

Wormy maple (ambrosia maple). Regular maple that has been visited by the ambrosia beetle. The wood is kiln dried, and the streaks left behind add a distinctive pattern without affecting structural integrity. Harder than pine, and currently our most economical option.

Brown maple. Contains both the dark brown heartwood and the pale sapwood. Known for durability and strength, with a fine grain that finishes easily and will last a very long time.

Oak and quartersawn oak. A dense hardwood, resistant to insects and fungal attack. Regular oak has that distinct wide grain pattern; quartersawn oak is cut diagonally from the log, skewing the grain into a more rustic pattern. It does not damage easily and stains well, which makes it a sound choice for an active household and suits traditional and contemporary rooms alike.

Cherry and speckled cherry. One of the most desirable furniture woods. A brown American hardwood with a hint of pink or dark red that darkens with age — a quality considered part of its beauty. The grain is fine, uniform and straight with a satiny texture, and it may naturally carry brown pith flecks and small gum pockets. It holds unusual shapes well, which makes it good for curved mirrors and carved detail.

All of these will look at home as a bed, a dining table or an entertainment unit.

There is a wide range to choose from — have a look at our Stains and Paints page.

The best way to choose is in person. We cannot guarantee that a colour on your screen matches the real thing, and stain looks different again on a finished piece than it does on a sample.

All of our furniture options are listed on the Furniture Options page. If you have a question about any of them, just ask.

Yes, and we would be glad to quote you on it.

Do note that custom dimensions, stains, paints or other unique changes carry a premium, set by our builders and passed on through us.

The easiest starting point is to pick the piece closest to what you want from our builders’ range. That gives us a shape to work from, and you can then choose dimensions, details, and the stain or paint.

We can also start from a photograph or a detailed drawing. Most ideas can be made real, so do ask.

If it is too involved to describe in a quote request, email us your pictures or drawings with as much detail as you can — type of wood, dimensions, textures, leg types, top thickness, any specific wood detailing, and the stain or paint you have in mind. We will check with our builders and come back to you with a quote.

We are a small business running our own delivery truck, so we deliver up to roughly 1½ truck hours from Peterborough. Our furniture warranty is limited to that same area unless we have agreed otherwise.

The delivery and set-up fee depends where you are, and covers shipping, handling and any set up needed.

Not sure whether you are in range? Call us on 705-750-1010.

Please note: since January 2018 we no longer deliver west of Scarborough, including Toronto, Etobicoke and Mississauga. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

Our furniture is handmade, and it does not leave the finishing shop boxed or shrink-wrapped. Rather than get through bubble wrap and Styrofoam, we move it with blankets and careful loading.

So when you come to collect a piece, bring blankets, straps or rope — anything to pad it and hold it steady in your vehicle or trailer. The environment thanks you.

We offer a limited lifetime warranty, covering the structural integrity of the piece. It applies within our delivery area unless we have agreed otherwise, so please give us your correct address when ordering.

Every piece is built to a high standard, but wood can hide internal flaws that nobody can predict. If a piece cracks or becomes structurally unsound once it is home, tell us straight away.

Two things the warranty does not cover. Wood expands and contracts with heat and humidity, so panels will naturally move with the seasons — that is the material behaving as it should. And finishes are not covered: watermarks, burns, scratches and everyday wear are yours to look after. We can usually suggest how to improve or reverse some of it, so do ask.

With a little care, solid wood furniture keeps its beauty and durability for a lifetime. These are the measures that matter.

Give the finish time. We use the best products available to protect the craftsmanship in every piece — but a furniture finish can take up to 30 days to fully cure. Treat a new piece gently for its first month.

Play defense. Placemats under rough plates, trivets under hot serving dishes, and a tablecloth when you are serving a large group. Any time you skip a coaster, wipe off the condensation when you are done. Be mindful that a piece used as a work surface can be permanently etched by someone pressing too hard with a pen or pencil, so pad it accordingly. And try not to leave an object sitting in one spot on a piece that gets a lot of sun — oak, pine and maple all change colour over time when exposed to light.

Stay comfy. Just like us, solid wood is always breathing. Very high humidity leads to warping and swelling, while very dry air causes shrinking or cracking. If you are not comfortable with the humidity in a room, neither is your furniture — aim to keep your home at around 35 to 45 percent.

Don’t worry, just wipe. Things get spilled. Wipe it off as soon as you notice and the finish does the work. Only prolonged exposure to moisture will damage the furniture.

Hold the chemicals. When cleaning, only use a damp cloth. Do not use polishes or solvents: the silicones and chemicals in them eventually work into the finish and harm the wood, leaving it cloudy and difficult to repair or refinish.

Call us on 705-750-1010 any time you would like advice on a particular piece.

Wood is porous: it takes on and gives off moisture for its whole life. Since a Mennonite piece is built to last a lifetime, it is worth keeping an eye on.

Very high humidity leads to warping and swelling; very dry air causes shrinking and cracking. Aim to keep your home at around 35 to 45 percent humidity, particularly on the hottest and coldest days of the year.

Store table leaves near the table itself, or somewhere with similar humidity — a damp basement will let them swell. Keep excess moisture away from your furniture generally, and never wipe it with a soaked cloth.

CraftWorks at the Barn
124 Lindsay Road, Selwyn, Ontario — just east of Fowlers Corners, near Peterborough.

For directions from Highway 115, Lindsay, Bridgenorth or Peterborough, see our Contact Us page.