FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is there a warranty on what you make or do?
A: We will always do our best to provide you with the highest quality item that we reasonably can and as such will try and work with you to ensure that you are happy with what you receive. Because most of what we make is custom and on a per-order basis we can't cover everything with a blanket warranty policy but can say that we will discuss and see what we can do to make it right for you if we are able to.
For our furniture that contains wood please understand that wood can be a fickle thing sometimes and many environmental factors come into play like heat and humidity which can cause wood to expand and contract. This natural movement of the materials, since we almost exclusively use solid woods and not laminates or particle based wood products, will sometimes cause cracking in the coatings or variance in the stains if used. If something happens please contact us and send pictures so we can see if it's something that can be fixed within the first year.
For powder coating we will warranty our workmanship for up to one year provided reasonable use and that the coatings are over bare metal. We cannot warranty or guarantee the integrity of any coating applied over a previous coating especially chrome or chrome-like finishes. Factory wheels often come with a primer or a sealant that is incredibly difficult to remove and we will always do our best to remove it before coating.
Q. What does your pricing include?
A. We will generally include all of the services we are providing as a bundle price when we quote it. If you'd like an itemized cost of what we're doing just ask but understand that it might increase the cost if we start timing each step (as in if we say we're going to coat something for you for $100 but it takes 2 hours to get all of the finish off the wheel and we need to itemize it using our shop rate multiplied by the time we actually spend that cost will be reflected accurately).
When quoting powder coating most of the time unless a services is explicitly removed will include chemical dipping to remove previous powders or paints, outagassing in our oven to remove any chemicals that would cause bubbling under the coating, sandblasting, application, and final curing.
Q. Do you have a low price guarantee?
A. Short answer, no. We price all of our services and creations on a number of factors and as such the pricing will vary depending on market conditions or supply chain availability. If the price of wood or steel goes up our prices have to reflect that. We don't compete on price with other shops but we do try our best to provide good value. The old adage of 'you get what you pay for' applies to cheap things and you're paying us not only for our experience but also our endless quest to do the best we can at everything we do.
Q. What about additional services that weren't on the original quote?
A. We will always try and cover the total cost of something in our original estimate but sometimes we discover additional problems as we get into a work piece. If something is going to cost a good bit more we will contact you and explain the potential for additional costs with a revised verbal estimate or in email if that is the primary form. Historically our quotes are generally accurate within 10% but that can vary.
Q. Do you offer bulk discounts?
A. Absolutely. Just shoot us an email to sales@famouselementsstudio.com and we can start working through pricing. We can even offer group orders for pre-sale off of our website if that is easier for you.
Q. What if I'm just not happy with the work I received and want my money back?
A. Please see our return policy here.
We have a long documented history of success and happy customers though so we will do whatever we reasonably can to ensure you're getting what you want.
Q. What kinds of things can you powder coat?
A. Most metals but generally just aluminum or steel.
Whatever we are going to coat MUST be able to withstand being subjected to at least 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 45+ minutes. Metal has the potential to warp or stretch/contract when subjected to the heating/cooling process and we cannot be held responsible for any distortion caused through this process.
Q. What if my item is damaged during the process?
A. We are an honorable shop and pride ourselves in our work and integrity. If we caused damage to your part (with the aforementioned understanding about the nature of materials warping or moving through the natural tendencies of the work piece outside of our control) we will do our best to fix it or replace it if we need to.
Q. I want to powder coat an engine block and heads!
A. That sounds awesome. Heating and cooling those things for sustained periods of time has the potential to cause warping so you will want to do the coating BEFORE you do machine work to bores or decks. When you talk to your machinist you will need to remind them not to vat your item.
Q. Why do certain powder coating jobs cost more than others even though they are smaller or use less powder?
A. Prep complexity plays a big role in how things are priced. Take an intake for a big block Cadillac versus a wheel for example. The intake will hold heat a lot longer than a wheel will so it has to spend more time in and out of the oven to come to temperature and cool down plus we will need to mask off the mating flanges, all the bolt holes, injector bungs and work around runners. Most of the cost of powder coating anything is the time in the prep work. Bad prep makes bad parts.
Q. What are the biggest items you can powder coat?
A. At this time our industrial oven can handle up to 3' x 3' x 4' and several hundred pounds.
Q. What are the smallest items you can powder coat?
A. We do a lot of brackets and small items such as metal insulated cups. Understand that the powder coating process is adding 1-2 mil of thickness on the piece and you will need to account for this in high precision items such as dowels or threads.
Q. Do you require a deposit?
A. We hate to be vague but the answer is 'sometimes'.
For custom items less than ~$100 we require complete payment up front before work can begin. For items more than that we require 50% up front after designs/services are agreed upon and the remaining balance before item can be picked up, shipped, or delivered depending on what it is.
These deposits or payments are usually there to cover material costs up front and so we don't end up with some really nice sign we designed for you that only applies to you (like a sign with your anniversary date and initials on it) that we can't sell.
Q. Do you charge for custom artwork?
A. Depending on the complexity of the piece we do reserve the right to charge for artwork or alterations to existing artwork. Virtually everything we do requires some collaborative sessions, iterations of design, and adjusting to make it work with the laws of physics. If we can do all of that in less than an hour total we generally don't charge for it.
Q. How is your CNC plasma cut work priced?
A. It's a combination of things. The formula is (cost of the material plus waste (if we're cutting a 1' circle for instance we have to charge for a full square foot of material since the remnant is essentially useless) x number of pierce points at $.25 per x inches of linear cut at $.15/inch ) + design time rounded up to nearest 1/4 hour.
Q. Why don't you list your powder coating prices on your website?
A. There are so many factors when pricing a job that it's difficult to give a single price that covers everything without seeing the condition of the wheel or what color(s) you might want. There is a pretty wide variance for what each pound of powder costs based on finish and color. Some glossy metallics can cost more than twice per pound what a UV rated flat color costs! Our pricing is competitive with many other reputable local shops.
Q. What forms of payment do you accept?
A. Cash, card, Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, Paypal, Shopify, Facebook, etc. We tend to do charge everything through our billing system so you'll receive an invoice for the deposit amount. Once that is paid we can begin work. Remaining balance will come as another invoice to be paid. If you are paying in person there might be an additional fee. We do not take checks or money orders.
Q. How long after something has been powder coated do I have to pick it up?
A. We will work with you as needed (things come up, we understand that) but please try and be reasonable. Anything that is left for more than 30 days and we haven't worked out arrangements (such as storage fees) are subject to be sold for at least what the remaining invoice amount was.
Q. Do you offer mount/dismount/balancing on tires and wheels?
A. We do not. We can recommend some local shops and in some cases we can even take them to those local shops for you but we do not guarantee their work or any damage that might occur or liability that is covered by their work. We also do not offer wheel truing services.
Q. Do you offer disassembly/reassembly?
A. Most of the time we do not. There is a joke in the automotive world of 'An hour long job is just one broken bolt away from a 3 day job'. When in doubt just ask though and we can see what we can do to help. We also do not want liability for something like rebuilding a brake caliper since that is not part of our core competencies.
Q. Can I come to your shop and watch?
A. Sometimes. Just ask and we can see if we can.
Q. I love what you did for us! How can I show you some of that love?
A. We do very little advertising and most of our business has come from repeat customers and referrals from happy customers. We love testimonials! Even better if you want to tag @famouselementsstudio on Instagram or on Facebook. Tell your friends!
Q. I have additional questions that weren't on your FAQ, where do I get answers to those questions?
A. Fastest way is generally email to sales@famouselementsstudio.com or you can give us a call at 470-FAMOUS-1 (470-326-6871).
Q. This sounds awesome, how do we get started?
A. Great! Shoot us an email with what you want to work on (if it's not something you want to purchase directly from this site) and we can get started coming up with something special for you!