Northwest Native Designs
Choosing Upholstered Furniture

With upholstered furniture, Kathy Davis-Wall of Lexington Furniture Industries says it can be hard to see what is underneath the fabric. "The hidden items make your upholstered furniture comfortable today and in the future. It takes many steps and a lot of time to make a quality piece of upholstered furniture."

In choosing upholstered furniture, she recommends considering the following:

  • Frames made of five-quarter, kiln dried hardwood, machined to follow the contours of the furniture
  • Major joints reinforced with corner blocks that are glued and sewed to the frame
  • All joints snugly fitted, glued, screwed and double doweled for lasting rigidity
  • Individual steel-coil springs connected to each other with twine using the industry standard of being eight-way hand tied
  • Steel bands, in addition to coil springs, to provide extra support for seating areas
  • Webbing and spring covers that are non-absorbent and odor-free
  • Layers of fire-retardant polyester fiber under the seat deck
  • Edges that are rolled to provide a firm shape
  • Cushions with high-density, top quality polyurethane foam as the core
  • The back of the furniture with a woven polypropylene base support to the coil springs
  • Cotton or polyester fibers layered around foam for the ultimate back comfort

Excerpted from Perucci Ferraiuolo, South County Journal, Kent, WA, November 30, 1996, by permission of author.