How do you determine whether a piece of furniture is good? Quality furniture is comfortable and durable. We can determine the integrity of good furniture by observing four elements- the frames, the springs, the cushions and the upholstery fabric.
High quality frames are made of seasoned hardwood, kiln dried to resist warping. Dowels and corner blocks are used to join the frame which are then screwed and glued together. Legs should be an extensions of the frame and not attached with screws.
Springs systems in upholstered furniture are either hand-tied coils or sagless constructions. Normally, eight way hand tied springs are of the best construction technique. These funnel like coils are tied with twine to each of the eight adjacent coils and attached to a heavy duty webbing with steel clips underneath.This construction technique gives an even comfort and prevents the seat from any form of damages no matter how heavy the sitter may be. Good quality webbing is tightly woven and can be reinforced by steel straps under each row of springs.
Sagless springs are S-shaped, flat wavy bands of steel that are fastened to the front rail and run front to back a few inches apart. These springs have a firmer feel than coil springs and are often used in contemporary pieces which are lower to the floor.
Cushions are as important as good frames. A good frame os padded with cotton or polydacron so that the upholstery fabric never touches the wood.
Upholstery come in different grades. Grading is determined by the quality of the materials, the amount of fabric needed for a good match of the pattern and the source of the pattern design. Durability of the upholstery is an important factor to consider. Tightly woven fabrics wear better than printed fabrics. Also, different natural and synthetic fibers offer different looks and textures as well as cleanability and wearability performance.
