If you are like me, your investment in furniture has to last!
It has to be durable, beautiful and a good buy for my money. You
all know that a good buy doesn't necessarily mean cheap, but it
does mean that the value in years of problem-free use. I want to
know that the furniture will last at least as long as it took to
make the money to buy it! (And in some furniture I have seen, it
was a distinct possibility that it wouldn't survive the trip
home!)
There are two types of furniture, upholstered furniture and case
goods. "Case goods" refer to furniture that is not upholstered,
but has a basic box or case construction (with many elaborations
and variations!). Case goods are usually used for storage or
display. Upholstered furniture has fabric-covered cushions or
padding and is usually used for seating.
When buying case goods:
1. Make sure you know the difference between hardwoods and
softwoods. Hardwood comes from a broadleafed, or nonneedled
tree, like maple, cherry or mahogany. These woods have
strength or stability; but those qualities can make hardwoods
difficult to work with for intricate carving and detail work.
Softwoods come from needle-bearing trees such as pine or
cedar. They are easily carved or worked. Since their surfaces
are often soft, they are more susceptible to marks and dings,
which may result in a weathered or worn quality that is
appropriate or appealing in certain pieces.
2. Make sure you know what "solid wood" means. "Solid wood"
means that all exposed pieces of the piece are solid, but
those areas hidden from view may be something else.
3. Make sure you know why using plywood may be your best bet!
Solid wood has a tendency to expand and contract as the
humidity changes and does not offer the needed stability
when constructing the large flat panels (like table tops or
cabinet sides). Plywood or particle board (made of ground up
wood) is significantly more stable and less apt to warp or
split. These panels will often be framed in solid wood and
covered by veneers to recreate the look of one large piece
of wood.
4. Make sure you know what "veneering" is. Veneer is the use of
thin layers of highly decorative woods on top of plywood,
particle board or medium-density fiberboard (MDF). Veneering
makes it possible to match grain patterns or use inlays to
create designs that mother nature can't produce in solid
wood. But beware of cheaper furniture which reproduces wood
grain photographically. If it is photographic, the grain will
be perfect, with none of the flaws of nature, and the grain
will have no natural variations.
5. Make sure drawers are dovetailed and jointed securely, have
glides and stops, glide easily when, have dust panels and
are smooth and snag free inside.
6. Make sure doors swing open easily without squeaking or
rubbing and that long doors are attached with study hinges.
7. Make sure tables have a heavy balanced feeling when rocked,
that the leaves fit properly and that the leaves match grain
and finish of table.
When buying upholstered furniture:
1. Make sure that the piece has adequate padding with no harsh
underlying wood edges, especially on the arms. If the fabric
is directly touching the wood with no padding, the piece will
quickly wear at that point.
2. Make sure the patterns are matched at the seams, on front
edges and on back cushions. Matched patterns are usually a
sign of higher quality.
3. Make sure the stitching is tight and that no areas are
separating (and no stuffing is hanging out!).
4. Make sure the frames are constructed of a kiln-dried hardwood
for durability.
5. Make sure the frame is joined using dowels as well as corner
blocked, glued and screwed together.
6. Make sure you check the type of springs. Eight-way hand-tied
springs are used in the base of better quality pieces. These
springs are three-dimensional coils attached to webbing on
the bottom of the upholstered piece and tied with twine at
the top to each of the eight adjacent coils to keep them from
shifting. The result is an even comfort level which never
"bottoms-out" even when your linebacker friends sit on it.
Sinuous springs are two-dimensional "S" shaped wires that
are fastened to the top of the front rail and run down the
back of the piece every few inches apart. The result is a
somewhat "mushier" seat and is less costly.
7. Make sure that you chose fabrics that will wear well if you
have a family. Keep in mind that, as a rule, tightly woven
fabrics wear best. For durability, chose a high thread count
fabric - meaning that the number of threads per square inch
is high. Another general rule is that fabrics which have
their pattern woven in wear better than printed fabrics.
8. Most important, make sure you sit in the piece. It may be
beautiful, but can you bear to sit in it for any period of
time?
Before buying furniture:
1. Make sure you know how it will be used and how long. You
don't want to spend a lot of money on a baby crib you will
use for only a short time, while budgeting just a little on
table that will be used for many years.
2. Make sure you know how much space you have. Don't chose
furniture that will overwhelm a small space or get lost
in a large one.
3. Make sure you decide what style you want. Casual (overstuffed
sofas, earthy colors, and softwoods, such as pine);
contemporary (bold colors, sharp lines, metal and glass);
country (soft cushions, floral prints, distressed and painted
wood); traditional (damask and chintz, cherry and mahogany
woods); or a combination of all?
4. Make sure you know how much you can spend. (This is always
where I trip up!)
5. And make sure you do some planning before you go shopping.
Decide what colors you like, what texture would work best for
your family and whether you want patterns, stripes, checks or
solids. Look at design websites such as
www.homeandgardenmakeover.com
for tips on what furniture would look best for your room size and lifestyle.
Buying furniture should be fun and creative! Just make certain
that you know what you are buying and why! And another tip: Ask
yourself if you will still like this piece ten years from now?
If not, it will probably not be worth the investment today. Now,
I'm off to follow my own advice! Hmmm...will I like that purple
velvet plaid with the orange trim in 2014?
About the Author:
Pamela Cole Harris is a writer with over 35 years experience.
Her expertise on decorating on a
budget comes from her own experience. Visit her website
www.homeandgardenmakeover.com ,
for her unique view of home decorating and remodeling and a free
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website, visit Here.
