Solid Wood Cosmetic Standards & Limited Warranty
Every piece we build is solid wood, cut and finished by hand in our shop in Fargo, North Dakota. This page explains what that means — what we stand behind, and what belongs to the material itself.
What we stand behind
We warrant every piece against defects in construction, materials, and workmanship for five years from the date of delivery, in both commercial and residential settings. If something we built fails structurally, we make it right.
| Covered | What that includes |
|---|---|
| Joinery & structure | Loose or broken tenons, failure of the top’s attachment to the base under normal use, and glue line failure running the length of a joint. An opening confined to the end of a top is end separation, addressed below, and is not a joint failure. |
| Bases & frames | Broken frames, cracked welds, and bases that will not carry the top at the rated load. |
| Finish adhesion | Peeling, flaking, or delamination of the finish film from the wood. This is distinct from surface marks, sheen variation, wear, and patina, which are addressed below. |
| Workmanship & specification | Missed sanding, wrong species or finish, and construction that does not match the approved specification, where not reasonably discoverable at delivery. |
Hardware, mechanisms & electrical — one year
Notwithstanding the five-year term above, drawer glides, hinges, locks, casters, levelers, fasteners, grommets, wire management, power and data modules, and any electrical or moving component are warranted for one year from the date of delivery. A component replaced under this coverage carries the remainder of that original one-year term.
How we service a claim
Solid wood is a repairable material, and repair is our standard remedy. That is one of its real advantages over laminate, which can only be replaced. Where a condition can be corrected in place, we correct it in place. We rebuild or replace a component only where a repair is not practical, and we replace a full piece only where a component rebuild will not resolve the defect.
Warranty service covers parts and labor performed at our shop in Fargo. At our option we may ship a repair or touch-up kit for correction on site, supply replacement parts, authorize a qualified local finisher up to an approved amount, or perform the work at our shop. Coverage does not extend to removal, rigging, lifts, reinstallation, or building access costs. Freight on approved warranty claims is covered in full during the first year; after the first year the customer covers outbound freight and we cover return freight.
The nature of solid wood
Solid wood is not a manufactured surface. It was a living thing, and it keeps behaving like one. It absorbs moisture from the air in humid months and releases it in dry ones — expanding, contracting, and settling for the entire life of the piece. Veneered panels and engineered tops do not do this. Solid wood always will.
That movement is the reason a solid top can be refinished, repaired, and passed down for fifty years, while a laminate top gets replaced. It is the trade we make deliberately, and it produces characteristics that are inherent to the material.
Every top we build is a jointed panel — the boards are glued edge to edge into a single slab, so the top expands and contracts as one piece rather than board by board. It is the stronger, flatter, more stable way to build a solid top, and it is the only way we build them.
The following are normal characteristics of solid hardwood. They will not affect the performance or structural integrity of your piece, and they are not covered by the Limited Warranty.
Grain, color & figure
- Variation in grain pattern, figure, and color across a single top, between boards, and between pieces in the same order
- Mineral streaks, sapwood, cathedral figure, ray fleck, and pin knots
- Natural darkening, ambering, or mellowing of the wood and finish over time, particularly in walnut and cherry
- Color shift from sunlight exposure, including uneven shift where objects have rested on the surface
Movement, checking & joints
- End checking — short, fine cracks at the end grain of a board, most common in white and red oak. End grain releases moisture several times faster than face grain, so the ends of a board move first and can separate slightly. It is normal, it is expected in oak, and it does not compromise the top.
- End separation at a glue line — a short opening where two boards meet, at the very end of the top. Because end grain dries fastest, the last few inches of a joint carry the most stress in a dry season. An opening confined to the end of a top is movement, not joint failure.
- Surface checks and hairline splits along the face of a board, which open and close seasonally
- Movement at breadboard ends, where the top and the breadboard shift against one another by design
- Visible glue lines, joint lines, and slight height variation between adjacent boards
- Knots — sound, open, or filled with epoxy or wood filler where a natural void has been stabilized
- Cup, bow, or twist that develops after delivery in response to the installed environment
How we handle checks and end splits
These are repaired, not replaced. If a check or an end separation opens on your top, tell us — we send a filler and finish touch-up kit matched to your piece, along with instructions. It takes a few minutes, the repair is stable, and it blends into the surrounding finish. For larger commercial installations we can arrange for the work to be done for you.
We do not replace tops for checking or end separation, and no reputable maker does. The material is doing what solid wood does; the fix is to fill it, level it, and move on. A top that has been filled once at the ends rarely needs attention again, particularly once the room’s humidity is under control.
Finish & surface
- Brush marks, minor texture, and variation in sheen across a hand-applied finish
- Small dust nibs or specks in the finish film
- Color variation in stain where the wood accepts it differently — end grain and figured areas absorb more
- White rings, clouding, and heat blush caused by moisture or heat reaching the finish. This is the finish responding to its environment, not a failure of adhesion, and it is often correctable — call us before trying to remove it yourself.
- Visible fasteners, plugs, and repair marks where they are part of the construction method
- Patina, softening of sharp edges, and honest wear from use
Build tolerances at delivery
Each piece is cut, assembled, and finished by hand to your specification. The tolerances below describe the condition of a piece as built and as delivered. A piece within these ranges meets our standard. A piece outside them at delivery, we make right.
| Measurement | Accepted range |
|---|---|
| Overall dimensions, up to 48" | ± 1/4" |
| Overall dimensions, 48" to 96" | ± 1/2" |
| Overall dimensions, over 96" | ± 1" |
| Fit-critical dimensions | ± 1/8", where identified in writing at time of order |
| Top thickness | ± 1/8" |
| Flatness — cup or bow across the top | Up to 1/8" per 24", and not more than 1/4" overall |
| Deflection under load | Up to 1/8" at midspan per 60" of unsupported span, at the rated uniform load |
| Glue lines, jointed top | Tight and level at delivery, with no visible opening |
| End checks — cracks originating at end grain, within 6" of a board end | Up to 3" in length and 1/16" in width |
| Face checks — cracks along the face of a board, more than 6" from either end | Up to 4" in length and 1/32" in width |
| Knots & natural voids | Sound or stabilized and level with the surface — no size limit |
| Joint line height variation | Up to 1/32" between adjacent boards |
| Color, grain & figure variation | No limit — inherent to solid wood |
| Finish sheen variation | No limit on hand-applied finishes |
Tolerances are evaluated at a normal viewing distance of three feet under ordinary overhead room lighting, on a level floor, with the piece unloaded except where a loaded measurement is specified. Raking light, magnification, and direct low-angle light are not the standard of inspection.
Which section controls. These tolerances describe a piece at delivery. They do not create a continuing standard for the life of the piece. Where a condition falls outside a tolerance above but arises from wood movement, the installed environment, use, or care — the conditions described in The nature of solid wood and Your environment — those sections control, and the condition is not covered by the Limited Warranty.
In plain terms: a top that leaves our shop flat, tight, and within tolerance has met our standard. What the wood does afterward is governed by the room it lives in — and where it needs attention, it gets repaired, not replaced.
Normal use & rated load
Our tables and desks are built for a uniformly distributed load of 100 lbs per square foot of top surface, with no single point load over 200 lbs. Normal use does not include sitting, standing, or kneeling on a top, or using a piece as a work platform or ladder.
Delivery & setup
Fargo Woodworks does not provide installation. Pieces ship freight, assembled or in components depending on size, with written setup instructions for the initial assembly. Receiving, uncrating, placement, and any subsequent moving of the piece are the customer’s responsibility. Damage arising from handling, placement, or relocation is not covered by the Limited Warranty.
Your environment
How a solid wood piece performs depends almost entirely on the room it lives in. Wood moves toward equilibrium with the air around it, and a building that swings hard between wet and dry will move the wood with it. This is the one variable we cannot control from our shop — and the one that matters most.
Solid wood pieces require an indoor environment maintained at 35–55% relative humidity and 60–80°F, year-round. Movement, checking, splitting, cupping, warping, gapping, or joint separation caused or worsened by conditions outside this range is not a manufacturing defect and is not covered by the Limited Warranty. Where a claim involves any of these conditions, we may request humidification and HVAC records for the period in question.
A note on northern climates
In North Dakota and much of the upper Midwest, indoor humidity routinely drops to 15–20% during heating season without a humidifier. That is dry enough to check the ends of an oak top within a single winter. If your building runs forced-air heat, a whole-building or room humidifier is not optional maintenance — it is the difference between a top that settles and a top that needs filling every spring. We say this before delivery because it is the most useful thing we know about owning solid wood.
Also excluded from coverage
- Placement within three feet of an HVAC supply vent, radiator, fireplace, or space heater
- Installation over radiant floor heat without an insulating barrier
- Sustained direct sunlight, including color shift and accelerated drying
- Storage or use in an unconditioned space — garage, warehouse, three-season room, jobsite, or storage unit
- Standing water, spills left to sit, condensation, steam, or repeated wet contact
- Heat placed directly on the surface without a trivet or pad
- Cleaning with ammonia, bleach, silicone or wax-based polish, or abrasive products
- Damage from receiving, uncrating, handling, placement, assembly, or relocation, and freight damage not noted on the delivery receipt
- Modification, refinishing, or repair performed by others, including repairs attempted before we have inspected the piece
- Normal wear, accidents, misuse, abuse, vandalism, and acts of nature
What you see before you order
Photographs, renderings, showroom pieces, and finish samples are representative. They show the character of a species and finish; they are not a specification for the piece we build you. Because every board is different, your piece will differ from any image or sample in grain, figure, and color, and that difference is not a defect.
Matching. We do not guarantee that separate pieces will match one another, that a later order will match an earlier one, or that any piece will match a sample chip. Where a project requires close matching across multiple pieces, tell us at the time of order — we can build from a single lumber lot and sequence the boards, at additional cost. Reorders placed after a project has shipped cannot be guaranteed to match.
Materials. Tops, legs, aprons, frames, and exposed surfaces are solid hardwood. Some concealed components — drawer bottoms, back panels, dust panels, and certain curved or laminated elements — use quality engineered panels where they perform better than solid stock and will not move against the frame. We will tell you which components these are on any piece, on request. We reserve the right to substitute within the specified species and grade where the lumber requires it.
Inspection & claims
Inspect your piece on arrival, before the delivery team leaves. Note any freight damage or visible defect on the delivery receipt and photograph it.
| Type of claim | Report within |
|---|---|
| Freight or delivery damage | 48 hours of delivery, noted on the receipt |
| Cosmetic or finish condition visible at delivery | 7 days of delivery |
| Incorrect dimension or specification visible at delivery | 14 days of delivery |
| Structural or workmanship defect not reasonably discoverable at delivery | Any time within the 5-year period |
| Hardware, mechanism & electrical failure | Any time within the 1-year period |
Acclimation affects how a condition is measured, not when it must be reported. A piece needs roughly thirty days to settle into its environment, and we will take that into account when evaluating flatness or movement. It does not extend the windows above for conditions that were visible at delivery.
To open a claim, contact us at Orders@fargowoodworks.com with your order number, clear photographs of the full piece and the specific area of concern, a measurement of the condition where applicable, and a reading of the indoor humidity where the piece is installed. We acknowledge every claim within two business days. Please leave the piece as it is and give us the chance to inspect it before arranging any repair — a repair attempted by others ends coverage on that component.
Warranty limitations
This Limited Warranty extends to the original purchaser and is transferable once, on written notice to us, to a successor entity or a subsequent owner of the building in which the piece is installed. It applies to pieces built by Fargo Woodworks and delivered within the continental United States. Proof of purchase is required for warranty service. The warranty period runs from the date of delivery, or from the date the piece is ready for delivery where the customer defers acceptance.
Where a piece is repaired or replaced under this warranty, coverage continues only for the remainder of the original period applicable to that component. Because every piece is made to order from natural material, we cannot guarantee that a replacement will match the original in grain or color. No cash refund is available under this warranty.
DISCLAIMER OF OTHER WARRANTIES. This Limited Warranty is given as an exclusive warranty and exclusive remedy. To the maximum extent permitted by law, no other warranties, express or implied — including but not limited to any implied warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose — are made, and any such warranties are expressly disclaimed. There are no warranties extending beyond the description contained here. This warranty may not be enlarged in scope by any representative, agent, or employee of Fargo Woodworks. Some states do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts, or the exclusion of implied warranties, so this may not apply to you, and you may have other rights that vary by state.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. In no case shall Fargo Woodworks be liable for more than the purchase price of the piece, or for any incidental, consequential, or indirect damages, including loss of use, business interruption, or property damage. Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so this limitation may not apply to you.
Custom, one-of-a-kind, reclaimed-material, live-edge, and as-is or floor-sample pieces carry the structural coverage described above but are sold as shown with respect to all cosmetic characteristics. These Cosmetic Standards and this Limited Warranty are incorporated by reference into every Fargo Woodworks quotation, order acknowledgment, and invoice, and are subject to our Terms of Sale, which govern lead times, delivery, storage, title, risk of loss, and events beyond our reasonable control.
What we build
We don’t build machine-made perfection. No two of our pieces are alike, because no two boards are alike, and because a person made yours. When a client needs a surface that will never move, never check, and never change, we say so, and we point them toward a quality veneer or laminate top — before the order, not after.
What we do build is a piece worth keeping, out of material that rewards keeping it. And we stand behind it.
Built to last. Designed with intent.
Updated August 2026
Fargo Woodworks · Fargo, North Dakota