Cover image via MAVIN.
At Moore’s Furniture and Mattresses, we’ve been selling furniture in our local Pennsylvania community for over sixty years now. As a family-owned and family-operated business, Moore’s has long been dedicated to providing quality furniture, and over the years we’ve gained a lot of insight into what works and what doesn’t! For anyone new to buying furniture, assessing quality can be tricky–luckily, we have some tips and tricks to help you know exactly what you’re paying for.
The Price Is Right–Or Is It?
One of the most important factors is understanding that price does not necessarily equate to quality. While high-quality furniture is on the whole more expensive, for many reasons (cost of premium materials, equipment, and the time, labor, and craftsman experience involved), an expensive piece of furniture is not always a good piece of furniture. Sometimes shops set high margins, or a specialty designer name carries an extra charge. Compare prices across retailers, and take into consideration factors like location, services offered (including white-glove delivery, warranties, and other customer service options). After all, cost and value are not always equal!
Image via Freepik.
Take A Look!
You don’t have to be a furniture expert to appraise quality–you just have to know what to look for! Here’s some things to keep in mind while shopping.
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Test the stability and sturdiness. If the furniture flexes or wobbles, the material is likely not as durable, or the craftsmanship is lacking the same level of care as a higher-quality piece. Sounds such as excessive creaking, groaning, or (worse of all) cracking are also red flags. Sitting on and testing furniture can also help you identify whether the material is comfortable or feels “cheap.” Good, solid hardwood is heavier and sturdier than alternatives like particleboard, and that difference can be readily felt in many pieces.
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Inspect and test the supporting material for the sitting areas. Budget-friendly furniture tends to use simpler supportive materials, like a mesh or elastic stretched across the frame with no further support below. For well-crafted furniture built to last, it’s more common to see metal under the seats. Material other than just fabric in general points to a higher-quality piece of furniture made for long-lasting, durable support! Some of the best brands for sofas and chairs use hand-tied supports over coil springs. More points tied over the springs tends to mean more sturdy support, and some manufacturers such as Temple are willing to work with customers to offer up to 16-way hand-tied supports. By lifting up the cushions, you can understand a lot about a chair and how it’s made!
Image via Temple Furniture & Parker Southern on Facebook.
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Look at the joints and joinery. Dovetail joints joined wood-to-wood are the standard of quality for wooden furniture, as they expand and contract at the same rate, which keeps wood from cracking or warping over time, as opposed to metal joinery like screws. Inspect the furniture visually for cracks and warping–quality furniture will have sturdy, straight edges and smooth joints.
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Similarly, it helps to know how to identify a clean, skillful application of finish, versus a messy one that may cause issues down the line. You’ll want a smooth, clear surface, without bubbling, warping, odd textures or peeling. Textures that resemble the peel of an orange, or odd white streaking, can be signs that the finish was incorrectly applied to your furniture, or that it has grown damaged over time with improper care.
Note the smooth, glossy surface!
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Check out the spots that are usually hidden. The back of a recliner, the underside of cushions, underneath a table are all spots where craftsmanship tends to waver, and you can see the secrets of how your furniture was assembled. Having spots that are less polished than the rest of the piece isn’t necessarily indicative of poor-quality furniture, but these spots can be telling nonetheless. Overall, look into the little things. Are there loose threads or uneven stitching? Poorly-sanded wood? Is the stain smooth and vibrant, or streaky and thin? Small details can give away the level of consideration and care that went into the craftsmanship of a piece.
Beyond The Showroom
There’s even more to know about furniture outside of what you can see from the surface level. For anyone who wants to be assured of their furniture’s quality, there’s plenty of research you can do to know that you’re getting the best of the best.
Consider looking into the materials used for crafting your furniture. Not all wood is made equal–nor prepared the same, either. Good hardwoods can vary greatly in how they’re seasoned before working. Manufacturers like MAVIN use kiln-drying to dry out their lumber and stabilize it, which also has the benefit of removing organic matter such as insects or fungi. Similarly, finishing wood has its own variations, beyond stains and paints. Protective coatings such as varnish, polyurethane, or lacquer are standard across the industry, and knowing which one is used for your furniture can be helpful in knowing what to expect as your furniture ages, and how to best take care of it.
Research the brand itself! Of course, all manufacturers will describe themselves favorably, and online reviews can be tricky to sort through. But knowing what to look for can help you make an informed decision. High-end brands that are selling a good product can afford to be transparent about what materials and techniques they use on their furniture, because they have nothing to hide. Go to Temple’s website and look at any of the fabrics they have listed–you’ll see the fabric has information such as the rub count listed, because Temple wants its customers to know the level of quality they’ll be getting from their product. If a manufacturer’s informational material is vague or seems incomplete, ask yourself what they might be leaving out. Quality brands will want to advertise everything that makes them truly quality!
Image via Temple Furniture.
Make Your Dream Home A Reality
Now that you know how to identify well-made furniture, why wait? Stop by any one of our showrooms today and meet with our salespeople–we’d be happy to help you furnish the home of your dreams. We’re always happy to answer questions and make your home a place to be proud of!
