When you refinish a nice piece of furniture like a dining room table, do you put your brand on the bottom when you're done? Maybe a little "Refinished by..." kinda thing?
I recently got a branding iron that I couldn't be more proud of, and my friends are really excited for me to be refinishing their table. I'm sure they'd be fine with me putting my brand on it, but before I ask them, I wanted to see what the professionals here think of it. What's the standard etiquette in this situation? Is it crass, or just good sense? Or is it a case-by-case thing?
I personally see no harm in the "Refinished by........" kinda thing. It is your handiwork, so you have every right to take credit for it as long as you are referencing the refinishing and it is placed in an inconspicuous spot.
I think it would be alright to put a paper label on the furniture advertising your business but I don't think I would put something as permanent as a brand on it. A paper label could be removed if someone too offense to it. I once refinished a chair that was suppose to have belonged to Oliver Wendell Homes. I hated to have to refinish it and suggested they not but they were intent to have it refinished so if I didn't do it someone else would have and perhaps didn't put the care into it that I did. Suppose you put a brand on that chair. Probably by now you can't tell the chair had been refinished so maybe the damage will go unnoticed. That was more than 30 years ago. The chair did have some unsightly marks on it.
I brand my work in an unobvious place. I have repaired furniture but I would never attempt to take any credit for the repaired work. It could be construed that I built the piece and I wouldn't want to do that.
I did repair an Ikea chair for a friend of SWMBO. When I realized the problem with the chair that caused the failure I insisted on re-assembling the other 5 in the set. I used Loctite Red to insure that the hanger bolts wouldn't loosen.
I would ask permission of the client first. There's a difference between "branding" and a small, classy paper label. If it was my furniture you branded without permission, I'd be upset.
What if your plumber decided to brand your toilet seat after installing a wax ring?
You're not the creator of the piece, you're the refinisher.
That's my opinion.
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