Furniture Shopping Hints
FURNITURE SHOPPING HINTS
1. Visit a store’s website before you go there in order to see if your style and the store’s are compatible.
2. If you have a floor plan, take it! If not, it is very helpful to have measurements. There is no point taking time to find out about a piece if it won’t even fit.
3. Plan ahead time-wise as much as possible…it gives you more options. Lead times for special orders can take 4 to 6 months.
4. If a piece of furniture has drawers, examine the drawer glides. Metal glides are generally superior to wood. Does the drawer have full extension (pull out all the way)? Is it wobbly when pulled out? Does it close snugly? The latest and greatest drawer glides (and also the most expensive) are self-closing for the last inch or so.
5. With case goods (dressers, beds, bookcases, wall units) the prices vary greatly depending largely on the finish and the ease of production, especially the amount of hand labor involved. Finishes are sometimes hard to tell apart, but solid wood can usually be recognized by looking at the end of a plank to see if you see the end grain. Veneers generally have a more uniform look than solids, or perhaps a repeating pattern. Typically solid wood is more expensive than veneered, but not necessarily better. This is a matter of personal taste. A less expensive finish would be melamine, also referred to as “paper”. A photograph is taken (usually) of real wood. This photo is then impregnated with melamine resin combined with formaldehyde. Another finish is stained or lacquered MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF edges, unlike other composite furniture boards, can be milled into different shapes. Because MDF is made with a lot of glue, it has a relatively high formaldehyde content.
6. A discussion about leather furniture must begin with an explanation of some of the terms used in the business: top grain, split, pure aniline, corrected, protected, bi-cast and reconstituted. Most leather used in furniture comes from the hides of cattle. These hides are much thicker than the leather that you see on the furniture, because the hides are literally sliced into thinner, more workable pieces. Thus top grain refers to the slice that was on the top, or outside of the hide, and splits are the inner slices. Top grain is structurally superior to, and more expensive than a split. Splits can be used on the backs and sides of some pieces to reduce the price, and if properly backed, this will not affect the quality. Bi-cast leather is made from a split by coating it with a type of polyurethane. These leathers are shiny and very uniform looking. Corrected leathers are usually top grains that have been processed, mechanically and/or chemically to remove scars and variation in grain. They generally have an artificial grain stamped or embossed on them. Protected leathers have some sort of surface protection to prevent staining. The great majority of leathers you will encounter while shopping for leather furniture in the United States are protected. What is given up with these leathers is some of the softness to the touch. Pure aniline hides are simply top grain hides that have been dyed all the way through. They have no “surface treatment” or protection and are thus more vulnerable to staining than the protected leathers. They have a great feel to them and darker colors are recommended. Some of the finest leathers in the world are sold under the brand name Elmo. These are pure aniline hides that come from Scandinavian cattle. They are fortunate to have an environment that is free of insect pests (like botflies) that damage the hides. Also, barbed wire is not used, so the hides are in excellent condition. Finally, on the low end of the spectrum is reconstituted leather, and, as the name implies, it is a composite material made from leather fibers (waste material) that are held together with latex binders. Improved binders have led to improvements in reconstituted leather, but they are still an inferior product. They tend to be thick and stiff and very uniform looking. When judging a piece of leather furniture, look at it, feel it and ask questions!
7. There are many types of fabrics on the market, but one indication of the quality of any fabric is given by Martindale or some other double-rub test. A machine literally rubs the fabric back and forth, counting the rubs, until there is a break. This information is on the back of the fabric samples. 6,000 would be a poor rating and 60,000 would be an excellent one. Microfibers are very popular because of the look, feel and their ability to resist staining. They are so named because they are made of very very tiny fibers.
8. If you are testing a chair or recliner for comfort, be aware that this may take some time. Bring a book if you like. There may be a difference between initial comfort and comfort after half an hour.
9. If you are looking for a sofa, think about how it will be used. If is for a “couch potato” you may want a lower arm that can serve as a pillow. 10. Don’t be shy! Ask your salesperson if you have questions.
10. Notice the smell of a store. Do you want your house to smell like the store?
11. Here's a warning about a potential problem with swivel bar stools and counter stools with metal backs: they can chip granite countertops! A good salesperson will be aware of this and will warn you if you are interested in buying such a product. On the subject of bar stools, there is a relatively new, higher version referred to as "spectator height". These are used at some of the higher pass-through windows between kitchens and other rooms.
1. Visit a store’s website before you go there in order to see if your style and the store’s are compatible.
2. If you have a floor plan, take it! If not, it is very helpful to have measurements. There is no point taking time to find out about a piece if it won’t even fit.
3. Plan ahead time-wise as much as possible…it gives you more options. Lead times for special orders can take 4 to 6 months.
4. If a piece of furniture has drawers, examine the drawer glides. Metal glides are generally superior to wood. Does the drawer have full extension (pull out all the way)? Is it wobbly when pulled out? Does it close snugly? The latest and greatest drawer glides (and also the most expensive) are self-closing for the last inch or so.
5. With case goods (dressers, beds, bookcases, wall units) the prices vary greatly depending largely on the finish and the ease of production, especially the amount of hand labor involved. Finishes are sometimes hard to tell apart, but solid wood can usually be recognized by looking at the end of a plank to see if you see the end grain. Veneers generally have a more uniform look than solids, or perhaps a repeating pattern. Typically solid wood is more expensive than veneered, but not necessarily better. This is a matter of personal taste. A less expensive finish would be melamine, also referred to as “paper”. A photograph is taken (usually) of real wood. This photo is then impregnated with melamine resin combined with formaldehyde. Another finish is stained or lacquered MDF (medium density fiberboard). MDF edges, unlike other composite furniture boards, can be milled into different shapes. Because MDF is made with a lot of glue, it has a relatively high formaldehyde content.
6. A discussion about leather furniture must begin with an explanation of some of the terms used in the business: top grain, split, pure aniline, corrected, protected, bi-cast and reconstituted. Most leather used in furniture comes from the hides of cattle. These hides are much thicker than the leather that you see on the furniture, because the hides are literally sliced into thinner, more workable pieces. Thus top grain refers to the slice that was on the top, or outside of the hide, and splits are the inner slices. Top grain is structurally superior to, and more expensive than a split. Splits can be used on the backs and sides of some pieces to reduce the price, and if properly backed, this will not affect the quality. Bi-cast leather is made from a split by coating it with a type of polyurethane. These leathers are shiny and very uniform looking. Corrected leathers are usually top grains that have been processed, mechanically and/or chemically to remove scars and variation in grain. They generally have an artificial grain stamped or embossed on them. Protected leathers have some sort of surface protection to prevent staining. The great majority of leathers you will encounter while shopping for leather furniture in the United States are protected. What is given up with these leathers is some of the softness to the touch. Pure aniline hides are simply top grain hides that have been dyed all the way through. They have no “surface treatment” or protection and are thus more vulnerable to staining than the protected leathers. They have a great feel to them and darker colors are recommended. Some of the finest leathers in the world are sold under the brand name Elmo. These are pure aniline hides that come from Scandinavian cattle. They are fortunate to have an environment that is free of insect pests (like botflies) that damage the hides. Also, barbed wire is not used, so the hides are in excellent condition. Finally, on the low end of the spectrum is reconstituted leather, and, as the name implies, it is a composite material made from leather fibers (waste material) that are held together with latex binders. Improved binders have led to improvements in reconstituted leather, but they are still an inferior product. They tend to be thick and stiff and very uniform looking. When judging a piece of leather furniture, look at it, feel it and ask questions!
7. There are many types of fabrics on the market, but one indication of the quality of any fabric is given by Martindale or some other double-rub test. A machine literally rubs the fabric back and forth, counting the rubs, until there is a break. This information is on the back of the fabric samples. 6,000 would be a poor rating and 60,000 would be an excellent one. Microfibers are very popular because of the look, feel and their ability to resist staining. They are so named because they are made of very very tiny fibers.
8. If you are testing a chair or recliner for comfort, be aware that this may take some time. Bring a book if you like. There may be a difference between initial comfort and comfort after half an hour.
9. If you are looking for a sofa, think about how it will be used. If is for a “couch potato” you may want a lower arm that can serve as a pillow. 10. Don’t be shy! Ask your salesperson if you have questions.
10. Notice the smell of a store. Do you want your house to smell like the store?
11. Here's a warning about a potential problem with swivel bar stools and counter stools with metal backs: they can chip granite countertops! A good salesperson will be aware of this and will warn you if you are interested in buying such a product. On the subject of bar stools, there is a relatively new, higher version referred to as "spectator height". These are used at some of the higher pass-through windows between kitchens and other rooms.
Labels: "drawer glides", "floor plan", "top grain", aniline, bi-cast, corrected, finish, furniture, hints, leather, reconstituted, shopping, split
posted by Donny Andrews at
3:59 PM
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