Whenever you buy your home you look around the neighborhood to make sure they Have all the basic necessary things you’ll be needing from time to time, yet you buy sofas by paying thousands of bucks without thinking twice about the piece it is made from. The quality of frame used, the suspension, the cushioning, and the upholstery of the sofa are what will make it live longer than those sofas which start wearing and tearing in months. If you check the sofas in the showrooms and if the squeaks or creaks that say the frame or the suspension of the sofa are not installed properly, it might wear your sofa sooner than what the seller has committed.
The best way to distinguish the components on the basis of their quality from their cheaper ones, from average priced sofa to luxurious ones, here is covered some topics which might help you understand the structure of the sofa better and help you get yourself the best one which lasts longer.
THE FRAME
Everything starts with the frame of the sofa, even when you talk with experts or the ones who are selling these sofas they talk about the frame of these sofas, the wood used to make these sofas plays a vital role plus how they are joined together is important as it decides how long these sofas will be durable and even the cost of the sofa will be depended on the frame it is made of.
Slow-growing woods like maple, alder, poplar, teak, and walnut are expensive but they last longer than the fast-growing woods like pine and Douglas, the slow-growing woods are better at holding nails, glues, and holds together for a longer period. The strongest and most expensive sofas frames are made by traditional technique and the pieces of wood are connected precisely with routed tabs (tenons).
You’ll find cheaper sofa frames that are made of screws, staples, glues, velvet sofa fabric and extra wooden pieces to make them stop from wobbling. If the frame has too many staples it may weaken the wooden frame and show poor craftsmanship.
THE SUSPENSION
Let us call the frame the skeleton of the sofa, the springs used in the sofa will be ligaments, as cushions might give you the shape you want in your sofa, but the actual comfort and softness of sofas come from the spring and they help in not flattening the cushions. Sinuous springs are the most common springs used in the regular priced sofas, these springs are vertically-S shaped wired that are made of heavy gauge steel, whereas horizontal tie rods are used in shifting and everything is secured with clips and fasteners.
While you are in search of a good suspension try sitting and shifting on the sofa and keep your ears open for squeaks and creaks, if you hear any sound it indicates the springs are not installed in a proper manner or have any loose spring.
Webbing is more affordable than a spring-based system at the cost of comfort and bounce which the spring-based suspension offers. Webbing is more suitable for chairs or arms chairs but on a larger scale such as sofas, the strap of webbing may not be durable as sinuous springs.
THE CUSHIONING
Cushioning of your sofa depends on how you want your sofa to be, do you want it comfy enough for you to drown in it, or do you want a firm seat, after knowing what kind of cushioning you prefer you can then choose from below four options what kind you want to be installed in your sofa.
- Poly- Wrapped foam
The sofas these days have seat and back cushions which are filled with resiliency foam which results in a supporting feel and the retaining depends over time. A poly-wrap that is wrapped tightly around the foam results in no maintenance cushion which doesn’t require fluffing.
- Goose/duck down
If you check the filling of many expensive sofas you’ll find this soft filling. 100 % down or a blend of down-wrapped around the foam with proof ticking. Make sure you check the ratio of feathers in the filling so that you don’t pay for 100% filling and get a blended one. You should totally avoid this if you are allergic to feathers.
- Innerspring Core
The cushions are installed directly into the frame which makes them fixed and that can’t be removed. You can keep your ears open for the squeaks when you try these cushions as they should not make the sound as they are installed directly in the frame. And even any uncomfortable place that might show improper spring installment.
- Memory foam
If you are planning to get sleeper sofas these cushions are good for you, as they are not suitable for everyone, the denser the foam the more durable it will be. The firmness of cushions is not what makes the sofas durable, it’s the density that determines the durability of the sofa.
Read More: Types Of Sofa: That are used in Home
THE UPHOLSTERY
Don’t choose a sofa just by the fabric the sofa is made of, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter at all as the upholstery is what you’ll be feeling and seeing every day. If cared for and maintained properly these can last years. Both the types of fibers be it natural or synthetic have their own features, natural fabrics look amazing in brighter colors and tones whereas synthetic fabrics are smoother in feel. Both the fabric’s durability will depend upon the weave, stain-resistant, and thread counts are what all matter in the durability.
THE LEGS
Sofa legs should be made of wood as if made of metal or steel that might scrape your flooring. The height of the legs and the space between the floor and frame are important too, you have to make sure that all the legs and feet are screwed properly with the frame, check by wiggling, pulling, and twisting it. Avoid those sofas which have legs installed right into the frame with screws, they get loose over time. Find those sofas which have hanger bolts in T- nuts that can be easily replaced and adjusted.
