Furniture 101: Buying And Caring For Your Home Furnishings

Finding the perfect chair, sofa, loveseat or table for your home can be quite a task. Whether you have lived in your home for years, or you have just moved in, buying new furniture can take forever. However, when you arm yourself with the following tips, the job can be a lot easier.

If you have small children, you should avoid purchasing furniture with sharp edges. Little ones tend to trip and fall often which can result in a trip to the emergency room if your furniture has sharp edges. Instead, when shopping for sofa tables and end tables look for furniture with routered curved edges.

Don’t allow yourself to fall in love with a piece of furniture until you’ve read the special care instructions. A lot of lovely creations have crazy upkeep that can make having them a complete chore. Make sure washing, stain removal, polishing and preservation are all reasonably accomplished for the lifestyle you lead.

When you are having new furniture delivered to your home, make sure that you check it out before you sign the receipt of delivery. If you sign the form then notice something is wrong with the furniture once it is in the house, you may have a hard time getting the company to repair or replace it.

If you are looking for wooden furniture, you should look at more than just the outside. Check bottom to top, inside and out, including drawers. In a lot of cases, visually inspecting something will allow you to figure out how durable the furniture piece really is. The secondary woods used give you insight into the piece’s quality.

Avoid furniture held together by nails and glue. Look for furniture that has been properly joined at the corners, not simply nailed together. This shows quality of construction and ensures your piece will stand the test of time. They are also more sturdy, and can handle bearing more weight than cheaper methods.

Always make sure to measure the space you’re about to get furniture for. Whatever piece you are shopping for needs to fit in the space you intend to put it in. Taking a guess can lead to disaster. This is of the utmost importance if you are buying an item that can expand into something bigger, such as a sleeper sofa.

Make sure that you verify whether furniture is shipped door-to-door or curbside. This is particularly important if you live on a very high floor. You may have to pay a little more if you want the item delivered directly to your door, but it will be more than worth it when you realize you won’t have to do it yourself.

If you are shopping for an entire room of furniture, ask about quantity discounts. Many stores will offer them. If they are not willing to discount the price, ask if they will throw in small extras, like a lamp or end table, to make the deal a better one.

When buying leather furniture, make sure you get top grain leather. Top grain leather is more expensive but it will last a lot longer. Leather that is not top grain is actually made from compressed fatty tissues. This low quality leather will not look good unless you keep it moist.

Brand named furniture is not always the best way to go. Typically, furniture without a brand name is just as good as brand name furniture. The only difference is the price; brand names mean more money. No matter what kind of furniture you decide to purchase, quality should be your number one priority.

Office Furniture

When shopping for home office furniture, consider how much actual surface area you need. Do you like to have room to spread out papers? Or are you more minimalist, with just a laptop and all-in-one multifunction printer? Length of cords or wireless connections also factor into the size and number of pieces you need.

The more you know about shopping for furniture, the better. By learning more about what to look for, you can avoid many of the headaches that furniture shopping can cause. The preceding information will be of great value to you the next time that you need to find new furniture for your home.