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Furniture
Buying Guide
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Buying furniture can be a rather
daunting process if not thought
through carefully.
Furniture is a long-term
investment for ones home.
Terefore its essential to make an
informed decision while buying a
piece of furniture.
Compiled together are eight tips
to ease ones furniture shopping
experience.
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Before one buys expensive furniture, itis always good
to assess why one needs a certain piece of furniture? For
example if someone is planning to buy a bed, then one needs
to know who is going to use this bed? Tat will help gauge
what type of bed one needs single bed or double bed, or
if itis for ones kids then buying a bunk bed might be a good
option.
One needs to determine what kind of material one is looking
for? Is one planning to use this for a short-term like 2-3 years
or is one planning to use this bed for 10 years or more? Is
one planning to shif soon? While buying for ones kids,
make sure that the kids can grow with the furniture.
Determine
the Need
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It is important to measure ones space before going furniture
shopping. It is a good idea to take a measuring tape and that
the new furniture will ft into the available space. If there is
furniture in the existing space one needs to think of what one
plans to do with it.
It is necessary to measure the height and width of ones
doorframe to make sure the furniture can be shifed through
the doorway. If it is difcult to shif the furniture inside a
specifc room, one should speak with the sales representative
and fnd out if the furniture can be custom ftted in that
space. Material of ones furniture will depend on where ones
furniture will be placed, i.e. indoor or outdoor.
Determine
the space
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What is ones style? Tere are diferent styles of furniture:
contemporary, minimalistic, modern, antique, retro etc.
Someone might like delicate intricate designs or someone
else might like bold designs? Does one like something unique
and diferent or something standard and simple? What are
ones colour preferences? Light or Dark colours? What kind
of wooden textures does one like? Tese are some of the
questions, one must think before shopping for their ideal
piece of furniture.
If one runs out of ideas, life-style magazines are a good place
to look for inspiration and learn about the latest trends in
furniture design. Tese magazines have good tips on how to
mix and match old and new styles of furniture by giving it a
trendy look.
One needs to have a budget before going to buy furniture. It
is a good idea to compare a couple of furniture stores before
one decides on buying a piece of furniture. One should not
do impulsivebuying. To sum up it is good to keep in mind the
size, style, material preferences while buying ones furniture.
One should invest in high quality furniture if only if one
plans on using it for a long-time e.g. a good dining table,
where as, it is wise to invest in a less expensive piece, maybe
be a small chair for ones kid who might out-grow it in a few
years.
Determine the
design and style
Determine
the Budget
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Tere are two kinds of wood; hard wood such as mahogany,
walnut, maple, oak, cherry, birch, teak and pecan and sof
wood such as pine, redwood and cedar. Hardwood is much
more sturdier than sof wood. It is also heavier and more
durable. Sofwood is easily prone to dents and scratches.
Hardwood is more expensive than sof wood.
Veneer
Veneers are thin slices of wood that are glued onto core
panels such as wood, particle board or medium-density
fberboard or plywood. Tey produce fat panels such as
doors, table tops and panels for cabinets, wooden foors and
parts of furniture. One needs to check the joints of drawers
and tables to see how the table is veneered. Tis will give one
an idea of the quality of veneering.
Judging the
quality of wood
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Bonded
Bonded woods are formed when two or more small wooden
pieces are used to build large pieces or sections of wooden
furniture, e.g. a round table can be made from two pieces of
wood.
Finishes
Materials such as paint, lacquer, oil and wax are used both
to protect furniture surfaces and provide uniform color.
Sometimes fnishes are used to enhance the colour of the
wood grain or even change the colour of the wood grain. It
is important to know what kind of fnishes was used on the
furniture one is planning to buy.
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Tere are two types of furniture, upholstered furniture and
case goods. Upholstered furniture is one which has some
sort of fabric element built with the furniture e.g. couch, or
chairs with cushioning etc. Case furniture does not have any
fabric element in it e.g. book case, desk, tables etc. Tere are
many types of fabrics that are available in the market. Fabrics
can be artifcially made or they can be leather. One needs to
check the seams to make sure they are sewed well. One can
check the cushioning material by pressing it and making sure
one does not feel the frame of the furniture. If one feels the
frame then the cushioning will not hold up for daily use.
Diferent types of leather are also available in the market.
Te best advantage of leather furniture is that its easy to
maintain. One should ask the sales representative how to
maintain and clean the furniture.
One should enquire where the furnitures wood is being
produced. One should make sure that the store is selling
sustainable furniture, and is giving back to the environment
by planting new trees.
Judging the quality
of upholstery
Buying
sustainable furniture
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Its very important one checks with the company if they will
provide afer sales service. Tis should be determined before
one buys the furniture from the store. One should read the
warranty and the terms and conditions before one buys the
piece of furniture.
Warranty and
after sales service 8
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