| 1. |
Look at the overall tailoring,
are the seams even, does the piping line up? |
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| 2. |
Check the quality of the frame by feeling
the thickness of the board on the side of the sofa and the bottom.
It should be 1 1/2” thick and no less. |
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| 3. |
Sofas over $900 should have a five legged
frame. Slide your foot under the skirt in the center and see
if it does. |
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| 4. |
Pick up a seat cushion and see if there is
any weight to it. Heavier cushions are an indication of higher
density and higher quality. |
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| 5. |
Ask the sales person what type of springing
system the sofa has. Sinuous wire springs are the standard.
They are also called No Sag and Zigger springs. Above $900 you
should be getting eight way hand tied coils. These have four
times more steel and independent suspension. The lowest quality
suspension in a sofa is webbing which has no springs but instead
is rigged like a lawn chair. If the sales person doesn’t
know or hesitates, go to another store. |
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| 6. |
Check for padding under the fabric in the
corners of the sofa. Quality sofas have a foam or felt pad to
protect the fabric from the frame. Rub your hand on the back
corner and feel for the pad. |
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| 7. |
On sofas with skirts, look under the skirt
to see how the legs are attached. Quality sofas have legs that
are built into the frame. |
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| 8. |
On patterned fabrics (stripes, plaids &
florals ) check to see if the sofa is matched on the sides and
back skirts. It should be matched from $499 up. Any sofa above
$900 should be flow matched which means the fabric flows up
the sofa like wall paper and flows over the back and down to
the back skirt. The pattern starts on one segment and continues
on the next. To confirm flow matching look for a seam in the
center of the back. |
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| 9. |
Be careful when buying leather. Ask for “Top Grain” leather instead of “Splits”.
To confirm that a sofa is all leather and not part vinyl, look
under the sofa at the back of the leather...if it is vinyl it
will have a white gauze backing. |
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| 10. |
Make sure the product is warranted by a reputable
manufacturer and not the retailer. A number of retailers in
the Chicago area warrant the product but hidden in the small
type are the words “only to the original address”.
If you move next door or next block your warranty is null and
void. |
