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Furniture That Lasts
Learn How to Tell Good Quality Upholstery from Poor

Regardless of what style of furniture you are buying, quality construction is key to long life and enjoyable use. Especially for upholstery, it is easy to hide poor construction with attractive but cheap fabrics. Quality upholstery is a good investment. Properly constructed upholstery will give 3-4 times the useful life of cheaply made upholstery, provide years of pleasure, and actually cost less over its lifetime!

You can become an educated consumer, and learn how to find the best quality that meets your budget. For this tip we focus on what you can’t see in upholstery—frame, springs, and cushions.

Frame Construction is truly the foundation for long term quality. Here are the key factors to consider.

The frame must be strong and durable. If not, the upholstery will not last, and will not look good. Before you purchase upholstered furniture, consider these five buying points for frames.

Materials matter. Choose frames with solid, all hardwood construction from materials such as gum, ash, maple, or birch, and make sure the wood is kiln dried before being used. This ensures it doesn’t later shrink, and thereby weaken. Softer woods like pine and fir just don’t have the strength, and can break when your 14 year old son flops down on them! Avoid particleboard. It is strong, but can split, and doesn’t hold glue as well. If the furniture feels lightweight—beware!

Quality joints are strong joints. Good construction uses mortise-and-tenon (where pieces fit together by one sliding into a slotted opening on another) or dovetail (finger-like projections that fit together by overlapping each other) joints that fit tightly together, and are then secured with glue. These joint are meant to last, and won’t loosen over time like screwed or end butted joints. Poor fitting, stapling, or screws are sings of poor quality. Of course, any manufacturer who takes the time to built with quality joints will also be sure to use high quality glues, designed specifically for the hardwoods being used.

Inner Spring Construction is critical for long term comfort and appearance.

Quality upholstery uses steel coiled springs that are hand tied into place to ensure proper dimension, support, and long term durability. Typically high quality construction will proudly note 8 way hand tying, which takes longer to manufacturing, but ensures the springs maintains their shape and position for the life of the furniture. Avoid support structures built with spring bands, zig zag, or wavy spring systems, which are typically one piece because they are much easier (cheaper) to install in the construction process, but will not wear well. Very inexpensive furniture may not have an inner spring support system, but rely on 100% foam filled cushions to provide the support. Much like a quality mattress, the key to comfort and durability is a proper coil spring.

Padding & Cushion Construction affects comfort, durability, and appearance.

The way a frame is padded will affect not only its comfort, but also its durability. Prior to applying the fabric, it is important that the frame be padded so that at no point will the fabric be touching wood of the upholstered furniture. This will prevent untimely fabric wear and also add a subtle softness to the upholstered furniture. In quality construction you will not be able to feel the frame through the padding where you might normally sit or lean on the furniture. Cotton and Poly-Dacron are the most popular frame padding materials.

High quality seat cushions can be either Spring-Down or Blendown cushions. Spring-Down cushions are made of innerspring coils surrounded by foam and wrapped in Dacron. This whole unit is then inserted into a muslin fabric bag of channeled blendown. The springs give the upholstery support, while the blendown gives a luxurious surface feel. Blendown cushions are the softest seat, and use a combination of down and feathers often wrapped around a poly foam core, and then inserted in a muslin fabric bag. This cushion does not retain its shape on its own, it does require occasional fluffing. Back cushions are mostly filled with Dacron fiber and are encased in a bag to help the cushions keep their proper shape. For higher quality upholstery, blendown is often used for a softer, more luxurious feel.

Most quality manufacturers offer a variety of seat and back cushions with descriptions in the catalog or price list. Always take time to read this information prior to placing an order. Most quality manufacturers price upholstery in the cushion they think offers the best seat and back for a particular frame, however you can usually upgrade for an additional cost.

Lower quality cushions that should be avoided are often made of a solid piece of polyurethane foam covered in polyester batting, a single piece of polyurethane foam without batting, or even shredded foam or pellets. A muslin cover is sewn over the cushion; then the decorative cover is zipped in place.

Should I reupholster a piece or buy new?

This is a question that we are asked often. If the piece is question is a beloved or heirloom piece I always suggest it be reupholstered. It also makes sense to reupholster a good condition, high quality piece. However, if the piece is of low quality or value, it does not make sense to reupholster. The fabrics, labor, pick up and delivery costs usually equal or exceed the price of a new piece.