Common Questions

 

Who are Jali?

Jali is a high-tech manufacturer of made-to-measure and custom-made furniture, based just outside Canterbury, Kent, UK. We manufacture a wide range of fitted furniture and architectural items for private and business customers.

All Jali products are made to exact customer sizes using a revolutionary design and manufacturing system. We aim to fill the gap between engaging a bespoke joinery company and a highly-equipped carpenter.

 

How do I order bespoke furniture?

Using our unique Jali Designer program, you can design your own items online, right now. You simply select the most suitable design for you, then adjust it until it meets your exact specification. Jali Designer is an online design program - you don’t to install it, it’s free to use, there's no obligation and it requires no training.

 

How much does Jali custom-made furniture cost?

Every item is priced individually. Our prices are low because they are based on the precise work and materials needed to create your item. This is automatically calculated online and immediately displayed at the top of the Jali Designer screen. All our prices include VAT and delivery to most of mainland UK.

 

What exactly do I get?

You will get exactly what you designed on the screen delivered as a flat pack kit of parts which will quickly produce a very professional job with limited tools and skills. All units are made from MDF and all fixings are included. The MDF parts are supplied unfinished ready for assembly and painting.

 

Can I buy my unit painted?

Currently all our products are supplied unpainted or primed, ready for you to paint. With a bit of care and attention you can get an excellent finish by hand-painting - see the Painting MDF section for some tips.

 

What's the catch?

There's no catch. Our unrivalled service, quality and value for money is made possible by our revolutionary design and manufacturing system. By linking together a wide range of computer-controlled machinery we eliminate wasted time and materials. The time and money saving is passed onto our customers in the form of lower prices.

(See How it works if you are interested in further technical details.)

 

How quickly do you deliver?

Our standard delivery is about two weeks and for an additional charge we do offer an express service which could take as little as three days! The cost and availability of the express service depends on the actual timing, size and weight of your order.

You can see the cost and delivery information immediately by completing all the necessary details in the Shopping Trolley.

 

How do I start the Jali Designer?

First of all, go to the list of products and choose the product and design you want. Then select Customise and the Jali Designer will show you the selected design. You can then begin to customise your furniture to your exact specification.

 

How do I customise a design?

To change a size, use your mouse to drag the red measurement triangle; or click the number box and enter a measurement with the keyboard. Use the buttons on the right-hand side to choose different styles and measurement options. You can zoom in and out using the mouse wheel (or the zoom buttons), and drag the image around with the left mouse button.

If you do find yourself getting lost, simply press the Redraw button on the left hand panel. Move your mouse over the boxes for extra information on how things work.

 

How do I save my designs?

To save a design - so you can either work on it later or order it - you will need to register your name, email address and a password with Jali. You can do this on the home page or from within the Designer when you want to save your design. When you save your design, you can name it (e.g. "Hall cupboard") and, once saved, you can login from anywhere in the world to retrieve it.

  You can save your design either in Work in Progress while you're still working on it or in the Shopping Trolley when you're ready to place an order. You can carry on editing your design at any time.

 

I can't find the item I want!

Email us and tell us what you need! We are working on new products all the time and if your item is something we are working on we will let you know. We may even be able to rush it through for you!

 

Are Jali made-to-measure kits easy to fit?

Yes. When your kit arrives, all the difficult carpentry tasks have been done for you. You simply need to assemble it using the fixings provided and then fix it in place. The only adjustment you may need to make is to the 'side skirtings' on larger items of furniture which would need to be cut to fit around your existing skirting board. This is called scribing and it can be done with a jigsaw.

 

Will I need any special tools to put together a Jali kit?

Nothing that you probably do not have in your tool box already: all you'll need is a large and a small Pozidrive or Phillips screwdriver and a saw to cut the side skirting pieces if required. The only other item required is a little PVA or wood glue.

 

Do you keep any made-to-measure kits in stock?

 

No. Jali produces only made to measure furniture and because every customer's requirement is different it would be impractical to carry stocks.

But our manufacturing process has been specially developed so that we can deal with most orders as though they were produced on a traditional production line. That means our costs and delivery times are kept low.

 

Does a radiator cover waste the heat emitted by my radiator?

No. In fact the innovative Jali design means that cold air is drawn in at the gap at the bottom and pushed through the vent in the top. This means that heat comes into the room rather than straight up the wall, collecting at ceiling level.

If your radiator is under a window, this prevents the heat from going up behind the curtains and being wasted.

 

I have a thermostat on my radiator. Will I still be able to fit a radiator cover?

Having thermostatic valves is not a problem; you just need to decide whether you want the valve inside or outside the radiator cover, which may depend on the size and position of the valve. Thermostatic valve manufacturers recommend leaving them outside; however, sometimes this is not wanted or physically impossible in which case you can simply turn up the thermostat to take into account that it is inside the cover.

 

How do I get to my radiator once the cover is fitted?

All Jali made-to-measure radiator covers have drop-down fronts for quick access to your radiator and valves. They are secured with magnetic catches and the front panels are easily removed and put back in again.