World Directory of the Handmade Trade

15 Craft Families · 57 Producing Countries · 24 Craft Cities · Free Directory 2026

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Craft family

Lacquerware & Painted Wood

True lacquer, shellac turnery, painted folk furniture and decorated wooden objects sit at the meeting point of woodcraft and painting. The word lacquer covers several unrelated material systems — urushi, shellac, synthetic coatings — and buyers who do not separate them end up comparing incomparable quotations. This section covers the world's lacquer traditions, folk painting schools applied to wood, gilding and gold-leaf work, and the curing time, layering and repair characteristics that decide the working life of a lacquered surface.

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Product range and what is availableExplore →
Best known products by countryExplore →
Design traditions and patternsExplore →
How to judge quality in the finished pieceExplore →
Telling handmade from machine-madeExplore →
Sizes, forms and typical dimensionsExplore →
Colours, finishes and surface optionsExplore →
Price levels in the marketExplore →
Care, cleaning and durabilityExplore →
Uses, styling and where the product fitsExplore →
Buying, minimum orders and lead timeExplore →
What buyers should check before orderingExplore →
Geographical indications and craft marksExplore →
Market demand and current trendsExplore →

Fix these before asking for a quotation

  • The technique, named exactly — the process, not the look.
  • The input specification: material, grade and source.
  • An agreed variation tolerance for size, colour and weight.
  • The finish system, including who applies it.
  • The compliance regime of your selling market, identified before sampling.

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