s a l e s t r ai n i ng m anu al w oods, finishe s and h ar d war e Providing a choice is our standard... Seven fine hardwoods. Dozens of handsome wood finishes. Protected with the finest clearcoat or colored varnish. Distinctive hardware in quality finishes. MANY STYLES. ONE STANDARD.
AT SIMPLY AMISH, IT IS ALL ABOUT THE WOOD Our Seven Wood Choices Are Hardwoods Hardwood is the wood that comes from a deciduous tree, a tree which has leaves. Hardwood trees grow slowly and, hence, are denser and stronger. That strength, combined with their beautiful wood grain, makes them perfect for use in higher quality furnishings. Oak, maple, hickory, cherry and walnut trees, in particular, produce ideal wood to make heirloom quality furniture. In contrast, other manufacturers may use softwoods in their furniture construction. Softwoods come from conifers, trees that have needles. Typical softwoods are pine, spruce and cedar fast growing trees that yield wood which is less dense, less durable and less expensive. Simply Amish uses only the finest solid hardwoods in our furniture. No softwoods. -except our entire rustic pine line OUR HARDWOODS ARE ALL KILN DRIED A kiln is a big oven used to scientifically reduce the moisture level in wood. If the wood dries too quickly or in an uncontrolled environment, it is likely to crack or split. For instance, left alone in a living room as the furnace and air conditioning cycle on and off, a piece of green lumber will almost certainly crack or split. But in the humidity and temperature-controlled drying kiln, the moisture content in the wood is reduced to a the ideal level 7% moisture content to prevent warping and splitting of the wood when in a customer s home. note: Even with kiln drying, hardwood furniture in a home where the humidity is significantly above 35% will expand, causing drawers to stick and other close tolerances to close up. Humidity significantly below 35% is probably even worse as it often causes the wood to dry out and crack or split. You can see the effect on almost any dining table which separates in the middle to insert leaves. When humidity is too low, the center gap will be larger. When humidity is too high, the gap closes up. Such challenges are not quality or warranty issues; they are humidity issues. When the humidity in the home stabilizes near 35% the wood will return to its 7% kiln dried level and everything will look and work fine. 1-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
OUR SEVEN WOOD CHOICES Most pieces can be made from any of the following hardwoods. The Catalog and Price List will tell you if there are any restrictions. Red Oak (Price List Code: O) Popular, traditional look Coarse textured, heavily grained Excellent durability and strength, wears well over time Accepts stain consistently Natural color ranges from yellow to pale brown, often with a light reddish tinge Quartersawn White Oak (Price List Code: Q) Traditional look, popular in Arts & Crafts styling Medium course texture, heavily grained Excellent durability & strength, wears well over time Natural color ranges from light tan to nearly white or light gray Our white oak pieces are always quartersawn about quartersawing: This cutting technique produces a combination of parallel line patterns and varied figuring that gives a unique aesthetic appeal. Quartersawn White Oak is often referred to as Tiger Oak. Soft Maple (Price List Code: S) Straight-grained, fine-textured From Red or Silver Maple Trees Actually a hardwood (despite its name), not quite as durable as hard maple Accepts stain better than Hard Maple Natural color ranges from light cream to pale brown, with occasional dark streaks 2-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
SALES TRAINING MANUAL Hard Maple (Price List Code: M) Fine and uniform texture From Sugar Maple or Black Maple Trees Finishes smoothly and is very durable Often seen with no stain Natural color ranges from nearly white to light tan, with occasional reddish tinge Cherry (Price List Code: C) Dense, even-grained wood Widely considered to be the finest of the fruitwoods Great for formal or casual applications Natural color varies from a light cream to a dark reddish brown Darkens considerably with age, developing a desirable, rich patina Hickory (Price List Code: H) Close-grained wood One of the hardest, heaviest & strongest woods found in North America Commonly used in the construction of chairs and bentwood furniture Natural color ranges across a wide spectrum from nearly white to dark brown Walnut (Price List Code: W) Black Walnut trees produce one of the finest cabinet woods Dense, slow-growing wood, highly desired Natural colors range in color from light- to deep-chocolate brown an exception you should understand: We don't use solid hardwood just to say we did it. We use it because it is the best material for the job. Almost always. And that is the same reason we do not use solid hardwood on certain cabinet backs and other places where seasonal expansion and contraction of the wood would destroy the integrity of the joints. In these cases, we use hardwood plywood, made by layering multiple panels in a cross-grain build for maximum structural stability. It's not solid hardwood, but it is a very good product. We guarantee it for life. 3-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
PRICING In the Price List, each furniture piece has the wood codes listed in the Woods Available column to notify you of which wood species are available for that style. The prices for each of our available woods are listed in three columns. Well, all of them except Walnut. You will learn about that in a minute. But the other six woods are found in those three columns. In the first Price List Column: Red Oak (O) Red Oak has the lowest base price. In the second or middle Price List column: Soft Maple (S) Most Soft Maple prices are 10% higher than the Red Oak prices. In the third Price List column: Cherry (C), Hickory (H), Hard Maple (M) & Quartersawn White Oak(Q) Most of these woods are priced 25% higher than Red Oak. what about walnut?: There is no pricing column on the Price List for Walnut (W). It's special. Walnut items are priced 45% higher than Red Oak, O in Column 1. To compute the price of a piece in Walnut (if listed as an available wood for the desired style) multiply the Red Oak price items by 1.45. Note: If a piece with a Walnut framework has a large amount of upholstery, the upcharge for Walnut may be less than 45%. Use a Custom Quote Form to receive an accurate price. A GREAT WAY TO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE MATH Your Retail Price List has prices for everything except Walnut already figured. 4-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
wood REVIEW 1. What are some differences between hardwoods and softwoods? 2. What does it mean to say that Simply Amish hardwoods are kiln dried? 3. List the seven hardwoods available for use in Simply Amish furniture. 4. Next to each of the seven woods listed in questions 3, write the letter code used to identify that wood in the Price List. 5. Which of the seven woods is the lowest price? Which is the highest price? Review your answers with your manager or check the previous pages to verify your responses. 5-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
wood finishes 80 different combinations Simply Amish offers about 75 different combinations of woods and finishes. All variations are on display in your store s Design Center. You can also view a list of woods/color options in the front of the Price List. Not all finishes can be applied to all woods. Adding color We add color to wood in two different ways: stain and colored varnish. Stain Adds translucent color while allowing the grain to show through. Hand wiped for a deep and even color. Multi-step staining process for a rich, luxurious look. Some darker stains require a multi-step application and, thus, add 5% to the price (see Retail Price List). Stained pieces will also receive clearcoat varnish protection. Colored Varnish Adds opaque color with little or no grain showing through. Adds 5% more to the price of the piece. The following colors are achieved with stain and colored varnishes: Black #18, Antique White #19, Pure White #24, Espresso #25 Colored varnish is the same product as clearcoat but with color added. Same durability as clearcoat varnish. 6-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
wood finishes Adding protection Each Simply Amish wood piece will have its finish protected by either clearcoat varnish (on stained woods) or colored varnish. Our high tech varnish is: Non-yellowing Resistant to water, alcohol & nail polish remover (although these liquids must be wiped away promptly) Low-maintenance; cleanable with mild soap and water Periodic polishing with Guardsman polish (sold through Simply Amish) is recommended. three notes about our varnishes: 1. Simply Amish varnishes are incredibly protective of the wood finish. But they are not scratch-proof. Customers must follow care and protection guidelines to avoid scratches. See the last page in the catalog for Care and Protection advice. 2. Customers must not use wax or any silicone products on varnished surfaces. (Please check ingredients of home cleaning products) 3. Espresso or black colored varnish is not available on Soft Maple (S) dining table tops. Two Tone Finishes Most Simply Amish wood pieces can be ordered in two different woods and/or finishes. The Price List explains in the Woods Available column whether or not two-tone is available. It is designated by 2T. Specifications for two-tone applications can be found in the front of the Retail Price List. There are limitations as to where the different colors can be used. 7-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
wood finishes Unfinished Simply Amish products Ordering the wood totally unfinished (no stain or varnish) is an option. Naturally, unfinished furniture does not have Simply Amish varnish protection. As a result, there are no warranties on unfinished furniture. Wood Inlays Inlays are actual pieces from a second, different species of wood that are cut and inserted into the wood framework. By dying the inlay wood ebony black, a distinctive contrasting decorative element is created. The inlaid wood is then sanded along with the overall wood framework, stained and varnished. Whether ebony-color on our Aspen collection or walnut on our Royal Mission collection the inlays maintains maintain their contrasting color regardless of the stain color. Note: Ebony is the only color available for inlays. Creating inlays takes time and precision. They require true craftsmanship. Other manufacturers may simulate this process by painting on an "inlay look." A painted inlay can chip or peel over time. We do it the right way. The best way. The Simply Amish way. 8-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
specialized finishes To add to the customized look and feel of our furniture, there are several additional finishes/treatments available. Each one will increase the cost as noted. Examples of each specialty finish are shown near the front of the Simply Amish catalog. Pricing Specialized Finishes Hand hewn top surface Hand Hewn on top surface Consult Price List for additional cost hand hewn reminders: The ultimate hand-finished look. Done freehand with a power planer to create a random, no-two-surfaces-alike finish. Available on any top surface. Table leaves must be added to top surface area. Price will be determined by the square footage of the top surface. To determine square footage of the piece to be ordered, multiply the surface length in inches (including leaves) times the width in inches. This will be the number of square inches. Divide that number by 144 for the number of square feet in the top surface. 9-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
specialized finishes Pricing Specialized Finishes (cont d.) Matte finish add 5% 5 degree sheen, compared to our standard 35 degree finish. Flat appearance, almost as if there were no clear coat, but it is fully protected. Rub Thru on colored varnishes add 5% Matte Finish We use sandpaper after the first coat of colored varnish to sand through the finish to the wood in certain spots of the furniture to create a time-worn look. The entire piece is then varnished with a clearcoat to finish it off. Rub Thru and Glaze on colored varnishes add 15% Same as above but after creating the rub thrus we then spray a glaze over the entire piece. As the craftsman is wiping the glaze off, he will leave some of it in corners and other key areas to create a refinished look. Clearcoat provides the final protection. Distressed (Gentle) add 15% Distressed (Heavy) add 25% Rub thru and Glaze Antique White on Soft Maple Both gentle and heavy distressing involve using tools, instruments and even stones to simulate years of use. Gentle distressing suggests some degree of use; heavy distressing suggests a long history of hard use. The irony? The distressed surfaces are constructed and prepared with the same attention to detail as formal finished pieces. And even after distressing, we sand the surface again for uniformity. 10-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
wood finishes REVIEW 1. What are two different ways Simply Amish adds color to wood pieces? 2. What is the basic difference between the two types of wood color? 3. What is the primary purpose of either type of varnish? 4. T or F. Both clearcoat and colored varnish will not scratch. 5. More than 80 combinations of Simply Amish woods and finishes are listed on the Price List. Where can you see all of them? 6. List the six "specialty finishes" discussed on the previous page. 7. Which two specialty finishes are priced by adding 5% to the original price? Which specialty finish is priced by the square footage of the top surface? Review your answers with your manager or check the previous pages to verify your responses. 11-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
hardware Drawer and cabinet pulls/knobs Each piece of our furniture that features drawers and/or cabinet doors comes with a standard hardware application. However, your customer can choose to change the hardware to virtually any of the other options pictured in the front of the Simply Amish catalog. The Hardware Part Numbering System Each hardware part has a seven character number assigned to it. Typically it is a two digit number followed by a letter and then two more numbers. Like this: 90-B-01 Hardware part 90-B-01 It is helpful for you to understand this seven character coding. The first two digits represent the Hardware Series. For part 90-B-01, 90 is the series. The letter in the middle is the Cost Rating code. For part 90-B-01, B represents the cost on the hardware option price list The last two digits represent the part within the hardware series. For part 90-B-01, 01 represents one of five different knobs and pulls with the same styling in Weathered Copper. Changing the Hardware If the desired hardware has a higher cost rating than the standard hardware, an additional charge must be calculated to make the change. If the desired hardware is the same as or less than the standard, there is no price adjustment. e.g. If the standard hardware is a Code D, then the customer could substitute any Code A, B, C or D hardware at no extra charge. Hardware at Codes E, F or G would be extra. Buying Extra Hardware If the customer simply wants to buy extra hardware (as opposed to exchanging for the standard hardware), there is a special price for this in the Retail Price List. Extra Hardware is designated by the letters EH before the part number. 12-Woods, Finishes, and Hardware
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