Snagging bespoke joinery and FF&E: agree the criteria first

At a glance

Classes and windows are examples to agree in the project documents, not a standard.

Agree the criteria before the work is made

Snagging is checking finished work against the drawings, the specification and the approved samples, and listing what does not comply. Stone Federation GB, writing about natural stone, makes two points that apply well beyond stone. There are no specific standards for snagging or for what is acceptable, and quality is a matter of personal judgement, which is why it causes friction between designer, contractor, maker and client. We found no snagging standard for joinery or furniture either.

The remedy is to settle the criteria while nothing has been made. Write them into the specification, tie them to the signed control sample and the approved range, and fix how you will inspect. The inspection then applies what was agreed and adds nothing new. The drawing shows where the criteria are written and where they are used.

What to settle before production

• The benchmark. Drawings and revision, specification clauses, signed control samples and the approved range. See the sample hierarchy sheet.
• Tolerances, for the maker and for the site. Manufacturing and site tolerances are different things, so agree both. Measure them against the stated figure; do not borrow a number from a general guide. See the sheets on joinery tolerances and furniture tolerances.
• Natural variation. What is accepted for each material, written down or shown in a range.
• Inspection conditions. Light, distance, angle, and who attends.
• Classes and remedy windows. The table at the top of this page is a starting point.
• Timing. When the inspection happens, and what must be finished first, including site readiness. See the site-readiness checklist.
• Who decides a disputed item, and how that decision is recorded.

Payment is a separate question. Payment and retention are contract matters. Stone Federation GB’s guide says the inspection and snagging process should not be linked to the release of payment, and that the contract should ideally say so. This sheet gives no legal advice: take advice from your contract adviser before writing payment terms around snagging.

Classify what you find, in order

Not every finding is a defect, and not every defect is equal. Sorting before arguing keeps an inspection fair. The questions below put a finding into one class, in order. Natural variation and damage by others are settled first, because neither is a defect in the work. The split between safety or function and appearance follows the one Stone Federation GB uses, with appearance divided into what fails the specification and what only needs finishing.

Natural variation by material

The hardest calls are appearance calls on natural materials. The table gives examples of what is usually expected and what is usually a defect. They are examples to adapt: the project’s own samples and range decide, and the partner workshops should say what they treat as natural for each finish.

Inspect fairly, record, close out

Conditions to agree and write down, with the points Stone Federation GB makes for stone that carry over:

• Measure what can be measured. Joints, levels, squareness and flatness can be checked against the stated tolerance, which is a matter of fact. Appearance is judged by eye, under the agreed conditions, against the control sample.
• Light and distance. Agree and record them. For stone, Stone Federation GB cites 2 m for approving samples. For installed stone in a small room it accepts viewing from the middle of the room, no closer than 1 m, in daylight where possible with wall lights and downlights off, and not with torches or site lamps. Those figures are for stone: agree your own for joinery and furniture.
• Who attends. The person who approved the samples should take part in the final inspection, so that the benchmark is not reinterpreted late.
• Timing. Inspect after the maker or installer has done its own check and cleared its own snags, and after other trades have finished in the area. If an earlier inspection is unavoidable, record the condition with photographs so that later damage is not blamed on the work.
• Photographs. Photograph each issue at normal magnification with a scale or reference object in shot, as well as a wider view.

Then work the list in a fixed order: the maker’s own check, a joint inspection, each item recorded and classed, an owner and a window agreed, the remedy, a re-inspection of the listed items only, and an acceptance record signed by both sides. Record each item the same way:

Damage by others, and sign-off

Record the condition. Before protection goes on, or before the piece is handed to other trades, inspect jointly and photograph the work. Stone Federation GB advises that this record is the baseline: damage after it is treated as damage by others, and is dealt with separately from the snag list. Who pays for it is a matter for the contract.

Sign off. When the agreed classes are closed, sign an acceptance record that says who accepted, when, and what remains open. A new item raised after sign-off is assessed on its own: is it a defect, wear, or damage? The length of any snagging or defects period after handover is agreed in the contract or the commission. The studio’s own process is described on the installation and aftercare pages.

Work is accepted against drawings [numbers, revision], specification clauses [numbers], approved control samples [S-01 to S-nn] and [the range report / range samples]. Natural variation within the approved range is not a defect. A feature none of these covers is referred to [designer], and the decision is recorded.

Joint inspection by [designer], [maker or installer] and [contractor / client], on a date agreed [number] working days ahead, after the maker's own check and after other trades have finished in the area. [Person who approved the samples] attends. Appearance is judged from [distance] m in [daylight / the room's lighting]; no torches or site lamps. Dimensions and alignment are measured against the stated tolerances.

Class A (unsafe or does not work): attended within [number] working days; out of use until safe. Class B (fails the specification, sample or a stated tolerance): repaired or replaced within [number] working days or by a date agreed. Class C (adjustment or finishing): completed within [number] working days. Natural variation within the approved range, and damage by others, are not defects.

Each item is recorded with location, item code, finding, class, a photograph with a scale, action owner and due date. Re-inspection covers the listed items only. An item is closed when [designer] confirms in writing.

The condition of the work is recorded jointly, with photographs, on [date / before protection is applied]. Later damage is listed separately as damage by others. Acceptance is recorded on [form], signed by [designer] and [maker or installer], when all Class A and B items are closed [and Class C items are closed or agreed]. Payment and retention are governed by [contract clause], which this clause does not alter.

Standards and sources

• Stone Federation GB: Inspection and snagging of finished internal works using natural stone (August 2022): read in full 5 Nov 2026. Guidance for stone, adapted by principle only; its text is not reproduced.
• NHBC Standards, chapter 9.1: A consistent approach to finishes: named by Stone Federation GB; could not be opened on 5 Nov 2026 (HTTP 403), so no figure from it is used.
• Make Bespoke Studio: Installation and Aftercare: how the studio runs snagging and sign-off.

Questions we are asked

What is the difference between a snag and a defect?

The words overlap and contracts differ. Stone Federation GB describes snagging items as those that need attention but are not significant enough to delay practical completion. A defect is more generally any work that does not comply with the contract. Agree the terms, and the classes, in writing.

When should acceptance criteria be agreed?

Before the work is made: in the specification, the signed control samples, the approved range and the inspection conditions. Criteria written after the work is delivered are argued from opinion.

How do I tell natural variation from a defect?

Compare the item with the control sample and the approved range, under the agreed light and distance. A feature the sample or range allows is natural variation. A feature that neither covers is referred to the person who approved the samples, and the decision is recorded.

Who should attend the snagging inspection?

The designer, the maker or installer, and the contractor or client as the contract requires. Stone Federation GB recommends continuity: the person who approved the material at design stage should take part in the final inspection.

Is there a standard for snagging bespoke joinery or furniture?

We did not find one. Stone Federation GB notes that there are no specific standards for snagging, and points to NHBC guidance on finishes for housing, which we could not open. Agree the criteria in the project documents.

What is damage by others?

Damage that happens after the condition of the work was recorded and it was handed over, for example by a following trade. Recording the condition jointly, with photographs, before protection goes on is what lets it be separated from a snag.