5 Ways To Identify Quality Furniture

I know that it has been awhile since we have posted a blog post! We are officially back and will be sharing many things related to our newly completed projects. In the meantime, let’s get to it!

Do you ever wonder how you can tell if a piece of furniture is good quality? Worth the price? Or you’re out and about at your local furniture store and stumble upon this awesome chest of drawers, but don’t know if you should pull the trigger and purchase? Let me help you with that. Furniture that is constructed well will last. Quality + Craftsmanship = Optimal Performance! (This is what we all look for when investing in a piece of furniture right?!) I am going to share my 5 ways to identify quality furniture with you right now as well as not so great characteristics to look out for.

1. Joint Construction

   This is one of the ways to determine if a piece of furniture has quality construction. Dovetail and mortise and tenon joints are the best quality constructed joints for wood furniture. Even better when there are screwed corner blocks as well.

Dovetail joint

This is an example of a corner block or corner joint.

Mortise and tenon joint.

If you see any of these types of joints in the furniture that you are considering, these are all great signs of quality furniture construction!

What you DO NOT want to see at the joints:

-Nails

-Visible Glue

-Staples

2. Type of Wood

Check the manufacturers label to see what material or wood species the frame is made out of. There are types of wood that you should be aware of and they all have pros and cons. For chairs and furniture pieces that do not have large door panels, solid wood is fantastic.

• Solid Wood

  • Hardwood- strongest and most durable

  • Softwood- may have knots compromising durability, more durable than engineered, but not as durable as hardwood

  • Engineered- cost effective, less durability, look for 11-13 layer frames versus 5-7 layer frames

    • PROS: naturally strong and durable

    • CONS: large panels can be affected by weather elements and climate that can cause wood to warp

• Plied Wood

  • PROS: strong, flexible, lightweight

  • CONS: typically contains formaldehyde which is a carcinogen

• Wood Vaneer

  • PROS: can be stronger than solid wood

  • CONS: can scratch

3. Foam and Cushion Material

With upholstered furniture, I encourage you to look for cushions that have zippered cushions. If they do, unzip and inspect the cushions. What do they consist of? Look for:

• Foam cushions that are wrapped in either a polyester or down wrap with down proof ticking! (This keeps all of the material, in this case feathers in place and inside the cushion).

• Density. Too soft of a cushion may lead to faster cushion breakdown and poor ergonomic positioning with use

• Higher Density = firmer feel

4. Give it a Wiggle

This may sound obvious, but this you can do before you even do any of the things listed above! Give the piece of furniture a little wiggle, sit on it, pull out a drawer, whatever makes sense with how you would use the piece, do that. If it creaks or feels wobbly, that means construction is either no good or compromised.

Well, there you have it. I hope that these tips helped and let me know if you were able to apply them at your next shopping trip!

XX,

Christie