Finishing Costs: Stains, Sealants, and the True Cost of the Final Product
You build a table for $800 (material and labor). Finishing—sanding, staining, sealing—takes 6 more hours and $40 in materials. That's another $300 cost. If you haven't priced for finishing, you've underpriced by 27%. This guide teaches you to account for all finishing costs.
Finishing Cost Components
1. Sanding Labor (Most Time-Consuming)
Coarse sanding: 80-grit removes mill marks (2-3 hours per table)
Medium sanding: 120-grit smooths (1-2 hours)
Fine sanding: 150-180 grit finish prep (1-2 hours)
Total sanding time: 4-7 hours per piece typical
2. Stain/Color Application
Material cost: $3-$15 per piece | Labor: 1-2 hours (application + drying management)
3. Sealing (Oil, Varnish, or Lacquer)
Oil finishes: $5-$10/piece, 2-3 hours labor (application + drying between coats)
Varnish: $10-$20/piece, 3-4 hours labor (multiple coats)
Lacquer: $8-$15/piece, 4-6 hours labor (spray setup, multiple coats, sanding between)
4. Final Details (Wax, Polish, Touch-Up)
Material: $2-$5 | Labor: 30-60 min per piece
Total finishing cost: 6-12 hours labor @ $50/hr = $300-$600, plus $20-$50 materials = $320-$650 per piece typical
Pricing Finished vs. Unfinished
Furniture Pricing Comparison
Woodworking/Assembly Costs: $400 (material + labor)
Finishing Costs: $400 (labor + materials)
Overhead (10%): $80
Unfinished (raw wood): $400 × 1.4 = $560 retail
Finished (stain + seal): $880 × 1.4 = $1,232 retail
The Gap
Unfinished vs. Finished price difference: $672 (120% markup for finishing)
This is why finished furniture commands 2-3x more than unfinished. Finishing is 30-40% of total cost but perceived as 70-80% of value by customers.
Key Takeaways
✓ Finishing typically costs 30-40% of total furniture cost (300-600+ labor hours)
✓ Sanding is the biggest time sink (4-7 hours per piece)
✓ Account for drying/curing time between finish coats
✓ Unfinished furniture should sell for 50-60% of finished price
✓ Customers perceive finishing as adding 70-80% of value despite being 30-40% of cost
Account for Finishing. Price Accurately.
TrueCraft tracks finishing time and costs by product.
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