The furniture business rakes in over 65 billion dollars each year according to the American Furniture Manufacturer’s Association. Yet, even with all that buying going on most people don’t know the quality of the furniture or its country of origin. It doesn’t take much to do more thorough furniture shopping. Case in point: Buying a new sofa.

There are around 350 sofa manufacturers in the U.S. providing products to every state in union, but are you getting the best buy for your bucks. There are four elements that make up a sofa: the frame, the spring system, the cushions and the tailoring. First thing to consider is the sofa’s frame. If you are buying a frame that is made of hardwood ask if that wood is kiln-dried. This process takes the moisture out of the wood which means it’s going to last longer because humidity in your home won’t be able to do any damage. If the sofa salesman has no idea what you’re talking about, go shop somewhere else.

Next up, count how many legs are on the sofa. The more expensive a sofa, the more legs it should have. Anything over $1,000 should have at least a fifth leg as a center support. Also note that legs which are built into a frame are going to be more durable than legs screwed onto a frame.

To examine the cushion, you’ll obviously want to sit down to get a feel. But also pick up that cushion. The heavier the cushion, the better the quality. Here you’ll also be checking out the spring system. Most sofas incorporate the S-type of springs but that should run from the front to the back of the piece. You should definitely feel the springs when you push down on the cushion. Once again, your sofa salesperson should be able to walk you through the spring system or else they don’t know what they are selling and you shouldn’t be buying from them.

For the tailoring, you want to examine how the pieces of the covering are stitched together. If there is piping does it line up? With a printed sofa, the patterns should match from one piece to the next. If you are buying a leather sofa ask if this is top-grain leather. If you hear the words, “leather match or leather-like” then you’re not really buying leather. Top grain is the best type of leather to have.

Finally, you’ll also want to find out what the warranty on the sofa is. It should be a least one year from the manufacturer to insure there won’t be any cracking or splitting. The better the quality, the longer the warranty.

Before your new sofa arrives, you’ll have to make room by getting rid of the hold one. You can get this done by hiring a  professional Cincinnati furniture hauling team like Junk King to cart away the old sofa. At the same time, these hauling professionals can also pick up any other large or bulk item you’ve wanted to get rid of. Make the most of your junk hauling appointment!

Simpy call 1-800 995 JUNK or book a free on site estimate online.