When buying a new piece of furniture, one always has to make many choices - style, color, material, shape and size. A less obvious decision is to gauge whether a piece is good quality or not, and if it is worth the price. To help you through this difficult decision, here are some things to look out for.
1. Wood or not? First identify if the piece you are looking at is made of hard wood or a wood composite that has been veneered to look like wood. You can do this by looking at the edges. Often when using composite, they cover all sides with long grain veneer. You can check by carefully looking at the wood grain, does it match on the top and the side? Are they continuous? Can you see the end grain?
2. Look at the joints. The joinery can tell you a lot about the quality of the piece you are looking at. In general terms, the less hardware, screws, nuts, bolts, etc. you see, the better. The highest quality pieces will use traditional woodworking joinery such as mortise and tenon or dove tail joints. These should be precise, with no wood filler and no glue spilling out of the crevices. You can easily check the joints by taking a look at the underside, the inside, and the back of the piece.
3. Back and bottom. If you don´t have access to the bottom or back side of a piece, I have also found that checking the front, sides and bottoms of drawers can give you a pretty good indication of the overall quality of the piece. Are the sides and front connected with joinery or are they just nailed or stapled together? Tap the bottom panel a few times, feel its strength. Solid wood or sturdy plywood are ideal. If you see a very flimsy board or something that looks or feels like cardboard, you should be wary.
4. Is it sturdy? What is the overall strength of the piece? Are the legs sturdy or are they a bit shaky? Will it be even shakier when it's full or when someone sits on it?
5. The devil is in the details. Do the drawers fit perfectly into their slots? Is it difficult to move them in and out? Are all the surfaces smooth and sanded? Including the interior surfaces of drawers?
6. Finish. Is it smooth and even? Is it splotchy or does it have areas that are thicker or darker? Does it feel like plastic or is it sticky?
7. Hardware. And finally, take a look at the hardware. Are the hinges good quality? Do they open and close smoothly?
(Images: 1. Shutterstock, 2. Efit-costarica)
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the last word in #3 should be 'wary', not 'weary'. otherwise, very helpful article. thanks!
Well made wood furniture will have waxed wooden runners, not metal. Also look for corner blocks at joints.
Better quality dressers/ bureaus/ chests will have have cedar lined drawers, or the bottom and/or sides will be made of cedar.
Look at the back -- it should be screwed in and flush with, or slightly recessed from the sides. The idea is that youl shouldn't see the back panel when looking at the piece from the side.
Restoration Hardware's case goods are exceptionally well made. Go into the store and pull out a drawer to see the guts. Crate and Barrel offers a step down, but still very well made furniture. Compare these to poorer quality at other stores, and then you'll have a good sense about what to look for at thrift stores & garage sales.
oh, and then there's the creme de la creme, IMO: Marie Yee. Her case goods are made without screws or nails. I have a cabinet from her Mondo line and it's exceptional in quality and craftsmanship.
I loved this article! It is a holistic and balanced way of choosing your furniture with less stress.. and we all know that stress kills.. Thanks!
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