Choosing furniture can be a tremendous task if you don’t know what you’re doing. The same goes with choosing a sofa. The range of style, color, wood type, spring system, fabric choice and differences in quality might confuse some people. And many people buy a sofa solely based on its appearance while overlooking its quality. In order to ensure that you are making the correct choice and paying worth your money for your sofa, here are some tips to get you going.
The Frame
One of the basic component of a sofa is the internal wooden frame or its skeleton, How long a sofa will last, and retain its shape depends largely on the frame, and a high quality sofa will always have a strong, sturdy one.
There are two classification of wood being used in all furniture including sofa which is Hardwood and Softwood.
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Hardwood
Advantages of hardwoods like Narra and Mahogany are high durability and the ability to resist warping and shrinking. They also take different types of finishes and stains well, which enables them to be used in a lot of furniture and cabinetry. These woods also resist moisture and are good for flooring due to their immense strength.
Advantages of hardwoods like Narra and Mahogany are high durability and the ability to resist warping and shrinking. They also take different types of finishes and stains well, which enables them to be used in a lot of furniture and cabinetry. These woods also resist moisture and are good for flooring due to their immense strength.
Some disadvantages of hardwoods are that they change color when exposed to light, and have a distinct fragrance. Some need great amounts of polish, and others are so tough you need to create a starter hole before driving screws in them.
Softwood
Softwoods, like Pinewood and Gmelina, have a uniform texture and a low resistance to decay, which makes them good for furniture, windows and trim. Others work well in machines and are used mainly in construction. They are also easy to carve and can be used for detail work. A disadvantage to using softwoods is that they absorb moisture, so they are not as stable as hardwoods.
Softwoods, like Pinewood and Gmelina, have a uniform texture and a low resistance to decay, which makes them good for furniture, windows and trim. Others work well in machines and are used mainly in construction. They are also easy to carve and can be used for detail work. A disadvantage to using softwoods is that they absorb moisture, so they are not as stable as hardwoods.
The best frame is made out of kiln-dried wood. The process of kiln drying removes huge percentage of moisture from the wood through heating in a huge oven like stove. Moisture content should be about 8-12% enabling it to retain its shape and stability over a long period of time.
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| Corner Sofa Frame |
In a good quality frame, special attention is paid to the joints, which are either nailed, glued, dowelled and screwed. The corners are further strengthened by the addition of reinforcing blocks. These provide extra support.
Generally plywood and particleboard frames are inferior, especially if they are held together with staples. However, additional layers of plywood may help reinforce the frame, so construction matters as much as material. In case you have to choose a sofa with a plywood frame, make sure it has has 12- 13 layers of plywood and not fewer.
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