kimr10•10d ago

A client in Boise asked me to leave the pencil marks on his new shelves

He said they show the work was done by hand, not a machine, and that's what he's paying for. I've been sanding them off for a decade, but now I'm thinking about that line between 'finished' and 'crafted'. Do you guys ever leave subtle marks as a signature?

3 comments

3 Comments

xena110d ago

My buddy in Portland leaves a hidden thumbprint.

the_adam10d ago

Noticed this a lot lately, like how @xena1's friend does, where small flaws become the real mark of something made.

wesley_martin1d ago

My last kitchen install in Tacoma had a similar request. The homeowner wanted the faint chalk line from the cabinet layout left visible on the subfloor before the final flooring went down. It felt wrong at first, like I was leaving a mess. But @the_adam is onto something with that idea of flaws being the real mark. That chalk line proved the whole room was squared from one true point. Now I see those pencil marks the same way, a little proof of the human hands that measured and fitted everything.