Frequently Asked Questions

St. Jacobs Furnishings is a proudly Canadian furniture retailer. All our solid wood furniture is produced locally in and around Waterloo Region by Mennonite craftspeople. We work with about 15 different builders. Some of our Mennonite partners are just small shops of only two or three builders whereas other shops are more industrious with 10+ craftspeople building various styles. While some of our builders do their own finishing, we also have a partnered finishing shop in the Region. Our upholstered goods are from Palliser which manufactures their Canadian products in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

All of our solid wood furniture is hand-produced to order; it does not come from a warehouse. Therefore, each piece can be customized in your choice of wood, stain and size. Simple customizations on our current designs can be made in most cases, including variations in height or width. To learn more, please visit our showroom and one of our furniture experts will be happy to assist.

St. Jacobs Furnishings is proud to offer barn board furniture. We offer our barn board product in both “new” and “old” (reclaimed) wood. “New” wood is harvested pine that has gone through the traditional forestry and lumber process. Barn board furniture made in “new” wood is made to look old and worn, although the wood itself was recently harvested. “Old” wood is wood that has been reclaimed from barns in Southern Ontario. Consequently, each piece of “old” wood furniture has the unique character of the wood within it. Each board has a different story. Some boards are more worn and weathered, splintered, stained or nailed through. “Old” wood furniture is always a unique piece. As “old” wood boards are potentially hundreds of years old, all of our reclaimed wood is kiln dried to ensure they are treated properly beforehand.

Our solid wood furniture is typically available in Maple, Brown Maple and Wormy Maple, Oak and ¼ Oak, and Pine. We also have the ability to offer Walnut and Cherry on certain products. Finally, we have a reclaimed barn board product offering that is available in both “new” and “old” wood (see above). On various products, different texturing is an option which can change the appearance of the wood and stain. Moreover, each wood and texturing style stains uniquely, so we have individual stain boards with our regular stains to help guide your choice. As always, it is best to visit the store to personally see and feel the wood and stain.

Our oak, pine, and maple furniture is handcrafted and hand-finished; slight variations in both sizes and finishes may occur. Furthermore, as wood is exposed to its environment, some minimal continuing shrinkage or span is considered quite normal. Please note that minor variances including knots, variations in grain and surface checks are not considered flaws, but rather enhance the charm and add to the uniqueness of your individual pieces.

All our bedroom styles are available in a twin (39") and double (54"). As all of our solid wood furniture is handcrafted to order, we can customize the size of any individual piece to make it friendly for a child's bedroom. We do not offer any infant (ie cribs) furniture.

All our solid wood furniture is built to order. Due to the numerous choices of wood and finish options, all which can affect the product’s price, providing a single retail price can be misleading. Moreover, providing multiple prices can be confusing, so we have chosen not to display pricing online. If there is a particular product you are interested in, please contact us or visit our showroom, and we would be happy to answer all your questions.

Solid wood orders currently take about 4 - 10 weeks, with the potential for being longer depending on the order. This time-frame is required to ensure quality and coordinate proper finishing schedules between various craftspeople.

After completion, the customer has 2 weeks from notification to pick up their furniture or arrange delivery. Without prior arrangement, furniture not picked up within 4 weeks from notification will be considered forfeit by the customer.

Customers are responsible for ensuring furniture will fit through doorways, hallways, stairways, etc. Customers are responsible for removing any obstructions or hazards inside and outside of the home for delivery staff. This includes ice, snow, vehicles, children's toys, pets, etc. Our staff has every right to refuse to deliver when hazardous conditions are encountered, as noted in the Ontario Workplace Health and Safety legislation. Additionally, our own policy is for our staff not to move customer’s own furniture currently in place. This is to protect both ourselves and our staff. Finally, due to health issues, our staff will not touch any customer’s existing mattress or box spring.

If preferred, customers can choose to pickup their purchase from our store. It is very important customers must come prepared to transport their purchases as there is no packaging associated with the product due to its handcrafted nature. It is recommended customers should equip their vehicles with sufficient blankets to ensure their furniture arrives in as perfect condition as it left in.

Pick-up can happen Tuesdays - Saturdays between 9am - 5pm. For all customers picking up larger or heavier orders, please call us at 519-747-1832 to arrange an appropriate time that works for pick-up. Due to staffing, no pickups can happen on Mondays.

When placing the order, the customer is required to pay a 50% deposit of your purchase. Prior to delivery, you will receive a call to pay the remaining balance of your order and schedule a delivery time. Rates for delivery will vary depending on the location.

If picking up in store, the customer can pay the remainder of their purchase at the time of pickup.

St. Jacobs Furnishings Co. warrants all finished furniture to be free of defects in materials and workmanship for one year from the date of purchase. There is no warranty on unfinished furniture. The warranty does not apply in cases of misuse by the consumer. Wood furniture NOT kept within 40% - 60% humidity will experience shrinkage or expansion, this is not warranted.

All decor purchases may be returned for a refund with proof of purchase within 14 days unless marked as FINAL SALE. Furniture must be returned within 7 days and will be subject to a restocking fee of $75.00 or 30% of the invoice total - whichever is greater. Please note that all "As Is" and "One Only" sales are final.

Please contact us about your situation and we can discuss the next steps.

St. Jacobs Furnishings is a family-owned business run out of Waterloo, Ontario. We currently have one location found on the east end of the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market.

To properly care for wood furniture, humidity levels in a house should be maintained around 40% throughout the year. This level is generally achieved by utilizing air conditioners in the summer and humidifiers in the winter. Likewise, furniture should not be placed in direct sunlight to avoid the wood heating up or drying out excessively. As well, furniture should not be placed above or in the path of heat sources which could cause the wood to again dry out and crack. Conversely, solid-wood furniture should not be exposed to overly humid areas of your house like bathrooms. If you are unsure about your furniture please feel free to contact us here at the store, we would be happy to work with you to ensure your solid-wood furniture is passed on to future generations.

Feel free to get in touch with us at info@stjacobsfurnishings.ca, or give us a call at 519-747-1832 with any additional questions you have and our team will be happy to help. Or, feel free to go to our contact page to submit a request.