Furniture is a big investment, so make sure to follow specific guidelines when purchasing furniture. Below are some tips and guidelines to make sure you have a great furniture buying experience.

Size . Make sure it will fit in your home or apartment. Measure your room and be conscious of the traffic that will be going in and out of the room. Lay out your furniture so that you don't have to walk around it. Take a measurement tape with you while shopping.

Buy what you need. Don't be impulsive. Furniture is bulky, expensive and very hard to get rid of if you have buyer's remorse.

Develop a buying plan. Set a budget for each room or piece. If you are on a budget, invest in one quality piece for each room, such as a sofa or dining room table and go from there.

Keep records of what you bought in case problems develop.

 

Buying Casegoods

Casegoods refers to wood products such as dining table, chairs, beds etc. Here are a few common terms that will be useful to know when buying casegoods.

Solid --solid means that all exposed surfaces are made of solid wood without veneer.

Genuine --when used with a named wood, for example, mahogany, means that all exposed surface are made of mahogany.

Combination -more than one type of wood is used in exposed parts of the furniture.

All-wood construction means all exposed parts are made of wood.

Veneer refers to a material consisting of thin wood layers bonded to each other with an adhesive. Veneer is not necessarily a bad thing. Many times wood with the most beautiful grain pattern is selected for the outermost layer or veneer, of a wood piece.

Hardwood refers to wood from trees that lose their leaves each year. Oak, pecan, walnut, birch, maple, cherry, mahogany are some of the common ones.

Softwoods are evergreens, such as pine, cedar, cyprus, spruce, fir and redwood.

Buying Upholstery Furniture

Upholstered furniture such as sofas and chairs are often the most-used furniture in your home. Since they will get a lot of use, make sure you buy them for comfort and durability. Here are a few tips:

Don't just sit on the sofa or chair. Bounce on it. The frame should be sturdy enough so you can bounce on it. Wood frames are most common. The best ones are made of kiln-dried hardwood. The frame should have corner blocks that are cut to fit, screwed and glued to position.

The legs should be made of interlocking pieces and joined to the frame with the same construction as the rest of the joints. If they are simply screwed into the frame or screwed into the metal part of the frame, it's an indication of poor quality.

Check the padding on the arm and the top of the sofa. If you can feel the frame, this means that the pieces are of poor construction.

Look at the seams and welting. Is it neat and even? Do the patterns match? These are good indications of quality.

How the spring is reinforced is very important. The best way is 8-hand tie construction, as each cord is anchored securely to the frame in eight different directions, allowing the spring to be held in the proper position.

Good luck! Remember the most important thing in buying new furniture is to make sure it suits your taste. Buy something that you will feel proud to display in your home for years to come.

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