Furniture 101 — How to Recognize Quality Pieces

If you’ve been shopping for new furniture (and it seems like everyone has over the past year, since they’ve been spending so much more time at home!) you may have found that there’s a lot of places that sell it right now.  But it’s important to realize that not all furniture is created equal.  That’s not always obvious at first glance or touch.  It takes some inspection.  Price isn’t necessarily a good indicator of quality either, since many low-end pieces can cost nearly as much as those that are made much better.  To help you recognize a good quality piece of furniture when you see it, we’ve put together a checklist of what to look for:

1.     With case goods (bedroom or dining pieces), joint construction is paramount. You want to see drawers made with dovetailing, a locking-style joint considered to be one of the strongest in the industry. There are two types of dovetailing: a French technique that features a slat cut in the middle of a board where another board slides in; and the English technique that connects two boards with interlocking “teeth.” Drawers made with dovetailing will stand the test of time and daily use far better than drawers that are merely stapled and glued. 

2.     Drawers also should have a good gliding system, so that they pull out smoothly. Many manufacturers are using the Accuride Slide glide system often found in kitchen cabinetry. In older furniture pieces, a wood-on-wood glide is a sign of quality, but modern pieces made with any kind of wood-on-metal glide will allow too much friction so that over time the wood portion of the glide will break down. 

3.     For upholstered furniture, don’t be shy – pull the cushions off and press down on the decking to feel that it’s firm.

 4.     Flip the piece upside down to see as much of the construction as possible. Look for a frame built with the age-old mortise-and-tenon joining system — used for thousands of years — which functions by inserting one end of a piece of wood into a hole in another piece of wood.

5.     Size up the springs. To do this, you’ll probably have to ask questions or do some research on your own. Many manufacturers install a dust cover underneath their upholstered pieces, so you can’t see the springs, but you can find photos and videos online showing how pieces from Mayo, Craftmaster and LaZBoy, to name a few, are made. In our store, we have a display from Flexsteel that shows an unfinished chair, allowing you to see for yourself what’s inside. No matter which brand you are shopping, pay attention to the design, quantity and placement of the springs, because this will determine how well they will hold up over years of use. 

6.     Unzip the covers on the cushions to have a look inside, if possible. You want to see a foam block wrapped in fiber. Multiple layers of padding ensure the most comfortable seating. 

7.     Ask about the foam density of the cushions. Foam density, which determines how long your cushions will last, usually ranges from 1.5 to 2.5, with 1.8 being standard (the number indicates the weight in pounds per one cubic foot of foam). Cushions with a foam density of 1.8 can be expected to last three to five years. But don’t mistake firmness for density.  Cheap foam can be made to feel extra firm, yet have low density, meaning it will break down and lose its shape and resiliency faster, sometimes as quickly as one year.

8.     Consider the fabric or leather. Many of the manufacturers we carry put their fabrics through extensive wearability and rubbing tests to make sure it will continue to look its best after years of use.

Do you have more questions about furniture quality that we didn’t address? Call (636-583-3133) or email us (sales@unionfurnituremo.com). We take pride in the brands of furniture that we sell and welcome more questions about the quality and techniques used to build all of them.