Renovating your house these days is not an easy thing to do. Not only does it cost much more than it used to do a few year ago, but also involves the risk of purchasing products that appear high quality from the outside but disintegrate much earlier than their expected life. You can learn about the importance of high quality furniture in your guest room, on this website: www.garrettiron.com
Buying furniture is often at the center of most domestic renovation plans and usually involves the highest risk as well, especially when the furniture is second hand. Inexperienced, and sometimes even experienced, buyers find it difficult to identify the type of furniture that will serve them for a considerable period of time. This is why a large number of furniture buyers often find themselves spending money on repairing their furniture within a year.
However, with a little more knowledge and careful selection, anyone can find furniture that will not only serve them for years to come but also won’t cost them much in the long run.
Here are 10 tips for buying used furniture that serves you for years.
1. Select the Right Wood Type
Solid wood furniture is usually more prone to scratches but it is also the strongest and usually lasts longer than other types of furniture. However, it needs to be handled with care and requires regular maintenance. Another option is to go for a slightly lower quality of wooden furniture that contains a combination of solid wooden layers plus a lighter base. This will also cost you significantly lower than solid wooden furniture and seems to be the best bet.
2. Buy from Older Owners and Smaller Families
Furniture sets usually come under heavy use in most houses. This is why, when purchasing used furniture, you should keep an eye on its original owners as well. Always avoid buying furniture from large families or families with young children. For kids, the living room sofa sets and chairs are usually the most preferred playing areas. So you are likely to find a number of hidden defects in their furniture as well. Instead, prefer older families with fewer young members when buying used furniture. This often saves you from unwanted furniture defects.
3. Have a Close Look at the Drawers and Closets
Closets and drawers are usually the most accurate indicators of the condition of a used furniture set. So you would do well to keep a close eye on them when purchasing used furniture. Open the closets and drawers repeatedly, and see how smoothly they come out. Also make sure the doors are stable in their position while they’re open, and close properly as well. Check the locks and handles, and also have a close look on the base of the drawers to make sure everything is intact.
4. Examine the Sofa Sets Closely
Finding properly used sofa sets can often be very tricky. Therefore, you should examine them very closely. The things to look at while purchasing a used sofa set are the base of the sofa, its legs and the condition of the foam cushions. Make sure the base of the sofa is perfectly intact. Also make sure that the foam of the sitting area is in good condition. A lot of the times, furniture owners do repair work on their furniture before putting it for sale. Therefore categorically ask the owners about any recent repair works on their furniture. Check the condition of the legs of the sofa and make sure there are no cracks in it.
5. Beware of the Hygienic Conditions of the Furniture Owner
The hygienic condition of the house from where you’re purchasing the used furniture should be an absolutely critical part of your decision making. Houses with poor hygienic conditions often have bedbugs, termites and other such insects that can make life very difficult for you.Specially keep an eye on bedbugs. Once the furniture with bed bugs is in your house, it will be extremely difficult to stop them from spreading into other parts of your house. Examine the sofa sets and closets very closely for bedbugs since these are usually their strongholds.
Conclusion
There are a number of factors that can impact your decision while purchasing used furniture. However, the quality of the furniture itself, the way it has been used previously and the living conditions of the original owner are some of the most critical things to consider while making your purchase decision. The right decision can give you high value furniture that will last for years. The wrong decision, however, will force you to purchase furniture again within a few months.
