It is undoubtedly a happy thing for newlyweds to choose furniture for their loving home. There is a lot of knowledge in furniture selection. We have summarized four tips for purchasing furniture, hoping to help newlyweds pick out suitable and cost-effective furniture.
Tip 1: For different types of furniture, the surface materials vary greatly. For example, the legs of tables, chairs and cabinets require hard miscellaneous wood, which is sturdy and load-bearing, while other materials can be used for internal materials; the thickness of the legs of a large wardrobe needs to reach 2.5 cm. Too thick will look clumsy, while too thin will easily bend and deform; cabinets for kitchens and bathrooms cannot be made of fiberboard, and should be made of three-ply plywood, because fiberboard will expand and get damaged when exposed to water; dining tables need to be water-resistant.
If you find wood with insect holes and wood powder falling off, it indicates that the drying treatment is very inadequate. After checking the surface, you also need to open the cabinet door and drawer to check whether the internal material is decayed. You can pinch it with your fingernail—if your nail can pinch in, it means the internal material is decayed. After opening the cabinet door, smell it with your nose. If it smells pungent, irritates your eyes and makes you tear, it means the formaldehyde content in the adhesive is too high, which is harmful to human health.
Special note: Currently common furniture on the market is mainly divided into solid wood furniture and panel furniture. At present, pure solid wood furniture is not mainstream because its price is not very affordable.
1. Solid wood veneer furniture: The main components of this furniture are solid wood (such as table and chair legs), and the base material of large areas is also artificial board. Only a layer of 1mm thick wood veneer is pasted on the surface of the artificial board, and then painted. Its visual and tactile effects are very similar to solid wood, and it is not easy for ordinary consumers to identify. Most furniture that looks like solid wood on the market today uses this process, so you need to pay attention to distinguishing it.
2. Panel furniture: This type of furniture is the mainstream in the current market. It is easy to process, has low material and manufacturing costs, good environmental performance, and relatively affordable prices. The so-called "panel" refers to artificial board, and there are many types of artificial boards. The main ones used in furniture are particleboard, fiberboard and plywood. When the surface of artificial board is pasted with melamine paper, it becomes "melamine board"; when pasted with phenolic impregnated paper, it becomes the well-known "fireproof board"...... It should be noted that this medium-density fiberboard is not suitable for making cabinet bodies.
Tip 2: Check whether the four feet of the furniture are level. You can know whether the four feet of the furniture are level by putting the furniture on flat ground and shaking it a little. Some furniture only have three legs touching the ground, so their stability will not be good. You also need to check whether the tabletop is flat. It should not be arched or sag. If the tabletop bulges, the glass panel placed on it will rotate; if the tabletop is concave, the glass panel will break when pressed. In addition, you also need to check the cabinet door. The gap of the drawer should not be too large, and it should be strictly horizontal and vertical. The cabinet door should not sag.
Tip 3: Check whether the furniture structure is firm. For small pieces of furniture, such as chairs, stools, coat racks, etc., you can drag them on the cement floor and drop them gently when selecting. If the sound is crisp, it means the quality is very good; if the sound is hoarse, with crackling noises, it means the mortise joint is not tight enough and the structure is not firm.
For a table, you can shake it with your hands to check whether it is stable. For a sofa, you can sit on it. If it creaks and shakes when you move on it, it is only assembled with nails and will not last long.
Special note: The legs of square tables, long tables, chairs and other furniture need to be equipped with 4 triangular clips to play a fixing role. When selecting, you can turn the table and chair over to check, and you can touch the upholstery of an upholstered chair with your hand.
Tip 4: Check whether the splicing gap of veneer furniture is tight. Whether it is pasted with wood veneer, PVC or pre-painted paper, you need to pay attention to whether the veneer is pasted flat, and whether there are bulges, bubbles, or loose splicing gaps.
The inspection can only be done clearly under sufficient light. Ash wood veneer furniture is easily damaged and can generally only be used for two years. For wood veneer, sliced veneer is better than rotary-cut veneer. The way to distinguish the two is to look at the wood grain. The grain of sliced veneer is straight and dense, while the grain of rotary-cut veneer is curved and sparse. For particleboard veneer furniture, the part that touches the ground must be edge-sealed. If it is not edge-sealed, the board will absorb moisture, expand and eventually get damaged.