Questions we are asked most

How long does a bespoke table take to make?

Typically six to eight weeks from the day you accept the written quote. Large resin pours take longer because the resin has to cure and then be levelled and finished by hand. Your quote states the lead time in writing before anything is cut.

What does a bespoke dining table cost?

These bands are for made-to-length solid-timber dining tables: a 1 600 mm table seating six runs about R24 000 to R32 000, a 2 000 mm table seating eight about R28 000 to R40 000, a 2 400 mm table seating ten about R34 000 to R52 000, and a 3 000 mm table seating twelve about R42 000 to R68 000. A resin river table is a different piece — a single slab split and rejoined with a hand-poured epoxy river — and starts at R80 000. Timber, base style and finish move the figure, so every piece is quoted individually in writing.

Do you deliver, and what does it cost?

Yes. Furniture delivery in Gauteng is R1 350 per order. Outside Gauteng it is quoted per job, based on the size of the piece and the distance. Decor items are R130 per item countrywide. We also deliver across the border to Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, quoted per job, with the delivery time confirmed on your written quote.

Can I choose the timber and the resin colour?

Yes. Solid oak, kiaat, blackwood and reclaimed timber are all available, and a river table can have its resin channel poured in the colour you choose. Bring a fabric, a paint swatch or a photograph of the room and we will match to it.

Will my table look exactly like the photograph?

Close, but not identical. Every slab has its own grain, colour and character marks, which is the point of a solid timber piece. We photograph the actual slab before work starts on anything bespoke so you know what you are getting.

What if the piece does not fit my room?

Send us your room measurements, or book a site visit and our team measures it for you before the quote is issued. Because bespoke pieces are made to your dimensions, sizing is settled in writing up front rather than discovered on delivery day.

Do you re-upholster existing furniture?

Yes. Couches, dining chairs and headboards can be re-covered in a fabric of your choice rather than replaced. Send photographs and rough measurements and we come back with a written quote.

Can I see a piece before I buy?

Yes, and we recommend it for anything substantial. The showroom is Shop 14, Design Quarter, Leslie Avenue, Fourways, Sandton. Louise on 082 570 3761 and Antoinette on 082 304 1276 can hold a piece aside for your visit.

How do I get a quote?

Use the enquiry form on any product or bespoke page, email web@designbyu.co.za, or call 082 821 4695. Tell us the room size, how many people must sit at it and any timber you like. We reply within one working day.

Where are the pieces made?

In our own factory in Johannesburg. You are welcome to see your piece in progress, which is not something a reseller of imported furniture can offer.

What is the difference between a one-slab river table and one made from two boards?

Most epoxy river tables are made by taking two narrower boards and running a resin channel between them. We work the other way: one wide slab is split and rejoined with the pour, so the grain and the live edge mirror each other across the river and the top reads as one piece of timber. Both methods make a river table; a single slab is simply the harder and rarer of the two to find and to work.

Why does a single-slab river table cost more?

Wide old-growth slabs are scarce, they have to be air-dried and stabilised before anything can be cut, and one wrong cut ends the piece — there is no second board to fall back on. That is why a resin river table starts at R80 000 while a made-to-length solid-timber dining table starts far lower. Every piece is quoted in writing before work begins.

Is an epoxy table the same as a resin river table?

Yes. An epoxy table, an epoxy river table, a resin table, a wood-and-resin table, a live-edge table and in Afrikaans an epoksie tafel all describe the same piece: solid timber with a hand-poured epoxy channel or fill. We make all of them to order in our Johannesburg factory, in the length, timber and resin colour you choose.

How thick is the top, and will the resin crack or yellow?

Tops are made from full-thickness slabs, and the resin is poured in controlled layers so it cures right through rather than trapping heat. Once cured it is levelled, sanded and finished by hand with the timber, so the surface is one continuous plane. Keep it out of permanent direct sun, as with any timber piece, and clean it with a soft damp cloth rather than solvents.

Can I see the actual slab before you cut it?

Yes. We photograph the exact slab before any work starts, so you approve the timber that becomes your table rather than a photograph of somebody else's. The slab is never repeated, and the finished piece is entered in our build register with a numbered certificate.

Do you deliver a river table outside Gauteng?

Yes. Delivery in Gauteng is R1 350 per order; elsewhere in South Africa it is quoted per job, based on the size of the piece and the distance. We also deliver to Namibia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, quoted per job, with duties and clearing for the buyer's account.

More detail on bespoke dining tables, resin river tables, re-upholstery and how a piece is made.