Buying furniture for your home can be loads of fun or a nightmare. It all depends on how much you understand about the process, including what to look for and the possible pitfalls to avoid. This article will clue you in on what you need to know to make wise furniture buying choices.
If you are in desperate need of furniture but cannot afford it, thing about renting it. Many rental companies, like Rent-A-Center or Aaron’s, allow you to rent sofas, beds, chairs, and other furniture without having to pay up front. Instead, you can pay weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Once you are done paying it off, the furniture is yours.
Always check the inner composition of furniture and don’t be fooled by a pretty surface or veneer. Inspect the frame and the joints and test out drawers or moving pieces. You can get the best idea of how good the furniture is when you inspect it. Sometimes called the secondary woods, these surfaces will tell you a lot about the construction quality and aging of the piece.
When buying furniture, quality is important. Custom furniture makers will not use nails and glue to join wood corners and ends together. They will use a process known as wood joinery. This produces a high quality joint that will be sturdier and will take more weight. Nails and glue construction will not deliver a solid quality product.
Look at secondhand stores. They have an ever changing inventory of items. You may find furniture that is in good condition at these stores. Usually smaller furniture can be found, but sometimes you may find couches or beds.
Visit furniture consignment stores when you want gently used furniture at a great price. A lot of furniture in these places were used to stage model homes. After the models are sold, the furniture usually end up in consignment centers. If you look hard enough, you can sometimes find high-end furniture at a very affordable price.
Learn how to
via properly clean up a spill on your microfiber furniture. To start with, blot the spill with absorbent paper towels. Wash the area using a mild soap solution. Make sure to rinse it off and pat it dry. Finally, use a dry brush to brush the area in the same direction as the nap.
Never make rash furniture buying decisions. These are big ticket items you’re talking about here. They are pricey to buy, and a real pain to return once they are in your home. Look into all of your options before making this big decision. It’ll save you a lot of hassle.
Measure your rooms before you buy, including the doorways into the room. This step is especially crucial if you are shopping for a large piece of furniture such as a sofa. There is nothing worse that getting your brand new piece of furniture home, only to find you can’t get it into your living room, or that it blocks a walkway when placed in the spot you planned.
Before buying a piece of furniture, try removing the drawers. Touch the inside of the drawers to see if it feels rough. Low quality furniture usually feels very rough. The better pieces of furniture also have dust panels between drawers. Do not hesitate to ask for a lower price if you do not see dust panels or finds that the wood inside the drawers is rough.
Make sure you know how much storage space you really need when you are selecting a piece of furniture. If you are buying an end table, a wall unit, a chest or some other item with storage features, you want to make sure it has adequate space. You do not want to lug home that new piece of furniture only to find you cannot fit everything into it.
It’s a good idea to talk to friends and family about places to buy furniture from and places to avoid. Their experiences can help steer to you away from dealing with a store that will ignore you after it has made the sale. Customer service after the sale can be vital so be sure you are comfortable with the store that you buy from.
Use caution when choosing the colors. The color that you like one day may not be the color that you enjoy the next. You do not want to have to change furniture every time your tastes change. Neutral colors will make it easy for you to change the color of the room without having to invest in new furniture.
You now have the tools in hand to enhance your future shopping experiences. You need to keep this advice in mind when you are looking for furniture. Go furniture shopping soon, so you will be able to remember these tips.