Many people prefer to purchase low-cost furniture from bigger stores to get appealing products. However, the traditional pieces of Amish furniture last for generations, but they are costly.
Why is Amish Furniture So Expensive? Amish furniture is so expensive because most of its products are handcrafted and finished by craftsmen. Moreover, Amish people use certified stains and natural raw materials like solid wood and leather for construction. They offer eco-friendly, unique, and traditional products that last for generations. Furthermore, they do not use nails and screws and produce limited products at one time.
The presence of Amish furniture inside the bedroom, living room, or other corners of the house gives an aesthetic appeal because traditional items still hold a distinctive place.
What makes Amish furniture so expensive?
You have to invest a few extra dollars to get traditional products compared to modern ones because wood’s natural beauty and extreme strength add to their price.
No mass production
Limited production of products leads to increased prices when demand is high. It has high rates because the artisans do not manufacture products in bulk quantities.
You can find a small number of beds, sofas, tables, etc., of this style in the secondary markets or the retail shops because these manufacturers release a small number of products.
It is hard to manufacture each product by hand without using power tools and machines; that’s why it has limited production.
Handcrafting and finishing
Each product of Amish furniture is handcrafted by experts in the community who make efforts to keep continuity in their heritage so that it can reach to next generations.
Product prices ultimately increase when manufacturers make an extra effort to give a rare product because the modern furniture industry focuses on quick and cheap products to gain profit.
Moreover, they use traditional tools for cutting, designing, and finishing the products and carefully work on minor details, making it a time-taking process and reducing yield.
They use saws, chisels, hammers, and other handy tools instead of electricity-operated machines to make them more neat and appealing by focusing on detailing and finishing.
Use of natural material
Amish people prefer to use natural materials to produce durable products that can be passed on to the next generations.
They use superior quality wood like solid hardwood instead of particle board or laminate that can resist environmental and physical damage due to extreme strength.
They commonly use oak, brown maple, white oak, cherry, hickory, hard maple, walnut, and rustic cherry for manufacturing chairs, sofas, tables, and bed frames.
These carpenters avoid using defective pieces of wood and reject the logs because they do not compromise the quality and strength of products.
Moreover, faux leather, ultra-leather, and genuine leather are used for the upholstery of sofas and padded chairs that can stand against scratches and dirt.
Unique and traditional products
These items have a unique appearance because craftsmen follow traditional manufacturing methods and tools to construct a solid wood product that requires a lot of effort.
You can find hidden compartments in most of their products because they consider old designs and ensure the continuity of their heritage.
The options for customization make it unique because you can choose your favorite wood, upholstery material, finishing options, and other hardware.
Customer choice can vary depending on usage and space availability inside the home; that’s why every person gets a new design after the desired customization.
Eco-friendly production
It is prepared by considering eco-friendly practices, as carpenters source wood or other raw items from local areas and avoid importing exotic materials.
Moreover, it can retain its structure for many years, avoiding the need for landfill and quick deforestation leading to sustainable harvesting and positively impacting the environment.
Eco-friendly varnishes are used for finishing of wooden items because highly volatile organic compounds can damage the environment in the long term.
Furthermore, they use certified stains to paint surfaces that do not release harmful chemicals into the environment.
No use of nails and screws
Amish furniture contains no nails and screws joining two pieces together and follows fastener-free practices that do not require any tools for joining purposes.
They do not use advanced machines and tools for constructing products and rely only on basic or traditional tools used by carpenters in the past.
They prefer to employ other techniques, like rabbet, in which glue joins the ends for proper fitting into their place.
Dovetails are a secure method of making joints and are usually adopted for drawers. It involves joining wooden pieces in a distinct pattern as they interlock with each other.
Moreover, the mortise-and-tenon joinery technique is also used in their furniture, which provides more strength and connects two adjoining pieces of wood at right angles.
Examples of Amish furniture with their cost, dimensions, and manufacturing material
| Type of Amish furniture | Cost | Dimension in inches (WxDxH) | Manufacturing material |
| Bunk bed | $2400 | 77x42x69 | Oak |
| Drawer wall unit | $4250 | 86x16x48 | Oak |
| Display bookcase | $2670 | 55x13x58 | Hickory |
| Barrington Sofa | $3480 | 85x34x33 | QS white oak |
| Cubic loveseat | $2500 | 64x33x28 | Cherry |
| Montana bench | $1400 | 59x18x17 | Oak |
| Alana dining chair | $580 | 18x23x38 | Hard maple |
| Barrington chair recliner | $425 | 35x37x40 | Walnut |
| Artesa dresser | $1890 | 52x21x38 | Rustic cherry |
| Caledonia recliner | $3400 | 31x37x44 | Rustic walnut |
| Wildwood end table | $790 | 21x23x25 | Rustic cherry & Hickory twigs |
What is the average cost of Amish furniture?
Amish furniture items are considered expensive compared to other stores because other high-end companies produce products in bulk within a short time.
The average cost for Amish coffee tables is $450 to 650, while its sofa tables are around $500 to $700. A glass coffee table can cost you almost $960 and $1550.
Moreover, you can get a lodge sofa and high-back panel sofa for almost $2565 and $2380, while the Barrington footstool is available for around $425.
The TV stands can cost you around $1200 to 1500 on average. You can get a complete set of dining tables for almost $1450 to $1700, with 4 to 5 chairs and one large dining table.
Moreover, you can get Bel Aire and Addison flat panel beds for almost $1799 and $1650. An Amish platform bed costs about $2300, and bed frames are almost $1200 to $9000.
The dressers are pretty expensive if you need a larger one with multiple drawers, as an Addison dresser with 6 drawers can cost you around $2139.
So, the average cost of Amish furniture ranges between $1000 to $2500 because some chairs are available at less than $500 while larger beds and sofas are for more than $8000.
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