Pews

The search for pews has been an adventure and quite an education. Did you know that simple wood pews can cost in excess of $1,500 per 4ft of bench? And that does not include kneelers ,book racks, installation, or delivery! It has been suggested that we obtain discarded pews from churches that are remodeling and use them to save money. We definitely looked into that option but the results were discouraging. It seems that many churches are discarding used upholstered pews. They are moving away from upholstered pews because of the cost of upkeep and often poor quality of the materials underneath the padding. According to pew manufacturers, padded pews have cheaper wood underneath the padding because it won't be seen. We have selected unpadded pews so that we will not have the cost and worry of cleaning and maintaining padded pews. In addition, the solid wood pew has the potential to last the entire life of the chapel whereas the padded pew or its fabric may need to be replaced in time. The solid wood pews will be easier to keep clean for the many visitors that may have compromised immune systems. If we find that visitors would like some extra padding, we can provide individual seat pillows for people to borrow. When we found discarded solid wood pews, the cost of refinishing them was quite high and often times the style did not fit the architecture of our chapel. The decision was made to take the time to raise the money for the pews, find a furniture maker that could give us the best price, and do it right the first time. If you know anyone that would like to donate for the pews, let us know! You can email melissav@ctk-catholic.org or call us at 480-964-1719.