Shopping for furniture can be a really fun thing to do. You want a good value. At the same time, you want to find furniture that will reflect your personality and which will provide you with a comfortable living environment. Read the following article for some helpful tips in shopping for furniture.
Always look on the underside of used furniture to ensure stability. A lot of the time, some furniture may look like it’s in great condition when it really isn’t. Older furniture can sometimes run into dry rot and rust issues.
Learn to recognize different quality of woods. Some furniture is made from solid wood, which is a lot more expensive and fragile. Veneers are basically made from a low quality wood base covered in layers of real wood. The cheapest wood furniture you will find is made from resin, plastic and wood scraps.
Ask friends and relatives for recommendations. Everyone has bought furniture at one time or another, so it’s important that you check with people you know, who can give you a place to start. That way, you can hit the ground running and make your search go more efficiently, getting your furniture much quicker.
Open and jiggle any drawers in a piece of furniture before purchasing. You want to know how well those drawers are fitting into the furniture. If they move when jiggled, that’s not a good sign. The furniture may have been poorly built. The same goes if you feel any tension when pulling a drawer out. It should slide out smoothly.
Watch out for furniture that is poorly made. To ensure that you are purchasing a sofa that will withstand the punishment your family can do to your sofa turn the sofa upside down and look at the structure of the sofa. Poorly made furniture will be made using 1×1’s instead of 2×2.
If you want to make a truly environmental statement, buy furniture made with recycled wood. This not only saves trees, but often the wood pieces are available in sizes and widths not possible from managed or young forests. This means you get unique furniture that is as good for your style as it is for the Earth. Wood is often recycled from old buildings and structures, remnants from historical logging periods, landfill scraps and even retired orchard trees.
Most of the time, furniture can be negotiated in price. Though a sales person obviously wants to sell an item for as much as possible, they are usually willing to compromise. So, if you see something you like but it is too pricy, offer a cheaper price. If they are not willing to compromise, tell them you will do business elsewhere.
Your furniture is an investment in your quality of life. You want to get the best deal, but you want to get something that you really love. Review the tips in this article before you go out and shop for furniture. With careful planning, you can furnish your home in exactly the way you like at a price you can afford.