Tips for Buying Furniture

When buying furniture for your home, the very first step is in measuring. Measure the room(s) you are buying the furniture for, as well as all doorways that you will be bringing the furniture through when getting it home. Will the piece(s) fit the size of the room comfortably with extra room for traffic to flow freely? Will the piece(s) fit through the doorways, down hallways and possibly around corners?

One of the reasons why this topic came to mind, is that when my daughter bought her first home, she didn't give enough consideration to the size of her home when purchasing her furniture. It was a comedy of errors, to say the least, when it came time to both bring the furniture into the house and move it out again when she purchased a new home.

You can easily avoid the problems and frustration that we had if you follow some easy guidelines:

Measure Your Home and Furniture

A lot of people don't give this much consideration, but if you live in a smaller type dwelling or an apartment, this could present a very big problem once you get the furniture home. Not all doorways and stairwells are standard sized. You may find that you cannot get that queen or king sized mattress or box spring through the door or stairway, or around corners.

That fashionable overstuffed leather sofa might be a very tight squeeze causing you to remove part of your door jam just to get it into the living room or den(*Remember, box springs and sofas do not bend. They are NOT flexible). Take a measuring tape to the store with you and measure any piece of furniture you are about to purchase. This will save you the headache of falling in love with a certain piece that, you soon discover, will just not fit into your dimensions.

Map Out A Plan

A good idea might be to map out a plan of your room with proper measurements (length, width and height) prior to going to the store, so that you have a precise idea of what will and will not work in your room or home.

Durability of the Furniture

Of course, durability is a must to consider. Many people are on a tight budget and cannot afford to buy new pieces of furniture every couple of years. How long do you suspect this furniture will have to last? Do you have rambunctious children and/or pets? Will this create a lot of added wear and tear on the upholstery?

You might have to pay a higher price for good quality fabric, but this might pay off in the long run. If the upholstery can last a few extra years, you've already saved yourself the cost of a brand new piece of furniture within the next five or ten years. Having a piece of furniture reupholstered can cost almost as much as buying a brand new piece.

Decor

Your present decor is also something to give some thought to, unless you plan on painting and decorating your room around your new piece of furniture. If you are not, does this piece follow along well with your existing decor, including the color of your walls? A good tip would be to take a color sample with you to the store and compare before you decide to purchase.

Weight of the Furniture

A lot of today's furniture is quite heavy. This might also be something to consider depending on your home and the piece of furniture you want to purchase. Are your floors (and floor joists) sturdy enough to accommodate the new furniture? Also, when it comes time to cleaning underneath or behind, will the weight pose a problem?

If you happen to live in an apartment, are there specific qualifications for the weight of your combined furniture? Often times, apartments might not be as well constructed as a single home dwelling.

When keeping these few tips in mind, hunting around for furniture can be a more pleasant experience.