Kardoma Woodwork: How the right software helped prevent costly mistakes and support team expansion

In custom woodworking, even a half-inch mistake can ruin weeks of work. Kardoma, a custom furniture design and build studio based in Toms River, NJ, was at risk of this when drawings got lost in an overcomplicated system.

No two days look alike at Kardoma. One day, the crew is installing cabinets, the next, they’re prepping drawings or hardware orders. With projects worth tens of thousands of dollars, miscommunications were too costly to ignore.

That’s when Meir, Kardoma’s founder, started looking for software that could be relied on with every project.

The problem: software that complicated the process

Before Cinderblock, Kardoma managed projects in Wrike. It’s great software, but as a one-size-fits-all solution, it made everyday work frustrating.

Even basic actions, like adding an appointment or updating site measurements, took too many steps. Eventually, Meir’s team stopped using the software and went back to notes on paper or phones, and naturally, details went missing.

The crew understood that when it comes to job management software, less is more. Kardoma needed software that would help with both work in the shop and on-site, and also something simple enough for the crew to use.

How Cinderblock helped Kardoma save hours on everyday job management

Meir tried Cinderblock because it felt different: built for contractors, without complicated automations or tech-heavy setups.

“Other platforms have tons of features you’ll probably never touch. Cinderblock works out of the box and is just simple.”

For a crew already busy with shop work and installs, having one straightforward system that “just works” means they can focus on the projects without getting buried in admin.

Today, Kardoma relies on these Cinderblock features to keep projects organized and reduce errors:

• Job notes save updates and messages in one place, right alongside other job details.
• Appointments make it easy to schedule installs and see the crew’s calendar without extra calls or emails.
• Files store all PDFs and drawings for each job, keeping the latest version on hand, even offline.

In custom woodworking, clear communication makes or breaks a project. With drawings and notes always up to date in one job timeline, the crew avoids building from the wrong version, saving both time and material costs.

Since switching to Cinderblock, Kardoma has hired more than five new employees. That’s when the difference was clear: the old software took days of training, while with Cinderblock, new hires could start working on day one.

“I sent new hires the login details, and they figured it out. With our old software, training took a full day, and I’d still be fielding questions for weeks on how to use it.”

Why Kardoma recommends Cinderblock to contractors

Looking back at other job management software, Meir explained why Cinderblock stood out:

“If you want software that has everything you actually need and most importantly, nothing extra to confuse you, this is it.”

Software packed with too many features can seem powerful, but when it’s hard to use, it gets ignored, and that’s when deadlines slip and mistakes pile up.