Outsourcing Finishing

Cabinetmakers discuss the cost, feasibility, and advantages of contracting out the finishing step. December 14, 2005

Question
I am wondering about other people's experiences with outsourcing finishing. We've been doing small amounts of our own finishing for a couple of years now in a two person shop, but are getting to the point of having to either expand the booth and finish area or start outsourcing. The rate I'm quoted for outsourcing is $4/square ft for clear and $5/square ft for stain. We find the finishing the most challenging part of the business at this point though we're getting better at it.

Forum Responses
(Business Forum)
From contributor A:
I have outsourced my finishing for years. The prices you were quoted are fair. I pay $6/square ft for stain. The company that does my staining also makes my doors and they are several blocks from me so I drop off end panels or moldings so they can spray them at the same time. If I make my own veneer doors they finish them for me as well. We cannot afford the space or the cost of a full time finisher, not to mention the state regulations here in Florida for doing this type of work.


From contributor B:
We have just started using a finisher about 2 blocks from our shop. We were using a finisher who was 45 min to an hour away, and that became a nightmare getting samples and repairs done with the traveling times. The new finisher is more expensive, but will save us tons in time and money lost in the traveling time. You want to make sure that the finisher guy is a pro and can meet deadlines. Our new finisher’s lead times are 1-2 weeks, and I believe you need to give the finisher that time to do a good job. If you do the things that you are good at, such as woodworking, and let the finisher do his thing, your shop will run smoothly.

From contributor C:
I used to have 2 spray booths. Since finishing is usually a bottleneck and we don’t do enough to justify a full time finisher, subbing it out has worked out very well. It allows us to take on bigger jobs that have a lot of finishing. We can have the doors drop shipped to the finisher, to save on drive time. He is better at finishing than we are. And since finishing is all he does he is better at hitting deadlines. Being able to meet deadlines is an important factor in selecting a finisher.

From contributor D:
I have my cabinets finished by a company in town that gives us fair pricing and good work. I pay $17 a linear foot. He doubles it for tall cabinets. He adds $2 a linear foot for staining and buys the stain.

From contributor E:
Outsourcing finishing is the way to go, but be prepared for the 2 weeks lead time and have a plan for rework that needs to be done quickly.

From contributor F:
Outsourcing finishing sounds like a great idea but I don't think this idea is as popular on the east coast as it is on the west coast. I have a wood finishing business that I started about 3 months ago and have found it challenging to pick up different clients to maintain diversification. I am on the east coast and specialize in polyester conference tables and bar tops. These are not the only finishes that I can produce. These are finishes that should be at the top of any companies outsourcing needs due to their complexity.

I know that my company is in its infancy, but the only finishing jobs that I'm doing are jobs that companies don't feel like doing. Last week I painted 27" by 24" cabinet door frames for glass and there were over 600 of them - all the same color. I believe that this was a wholesale job and no one else wanted to do it.


The comments below were added after this Forum discussion was archived as a Knowledge Base article (add your comment).

Comment from contributor G:
Outsourcing your finishing to a company like mine that specializes in polyester finishing is not only a good idea for moving along production, but it makes good economic sense as well. Although $17 to $25 per square foot for most manufacturers sounds like a high price to pay for finishing, it is still less expensive than the investment needed to properly equip a finishing department and train a finisher that will stay loyal and remain your employee for many years.

Properly done finishes with high quality end results require machinery, experience and warehouse area that is separate from other manufacturing processes. Also, high quality finishing adds value to your products and makes you stand out as a manufacturer of high quality woodwork. Large manufacturers have learned this lesson after years of losing money with complaints and returns about their finishing, and are now outsourcing all their more complicated and demanding finishing projects.