It’s no secret that a high-quality oak piece of furniture is going to last for years – but this type of wood is not only durable and functional, it is also very aesthetically pleasing and can be incorporated into various different interior settings with ease.
That being said though, there definitely are some things that you need to be aware of before buying if you want to ensure that you are going to make a well-informed purchase that you will be satisfied with. That is why, in this article, we are going to help you understand which questions you need to ask when buying, as well as what should you look for when buying oak furniture.
What about the price?
When it comes to prices and furniture, unfortunately, high price isn’t always a clear sign that you are going to get something that’s extremely durable and high-quality, and in some cases, high prices can indeed stem just from the fact that the brand in question is prestige. In the same manner, you might overlook buying a really good piece of oak furniture just because you were skeptical of how low the price was. Sometimes, you get just as much as you invested in a piece.
So, how should you assess the prices then? As experts on oak furniture over at https://www.onlyoakfurniture.co.uk explain, you want to look for furniture crafted by highly-skilled, experienced and dedicated carpenters. Another thing that you should do so is to compare the prices of the item that you want to buy, as well as reading the reviews of the store in question. In the following text, we are going to be suggesting some further tells when it comes to oak furniture quality.
Things to look for when assessing the quality
Drawers
On pieces that have drawers, take a closer look at how they are hung. If you happen to see that they are tilted and wonky, the probability is high that the quality of the manufacturer is pretty poor. High-quality furniture, on the other hand, has a sense of weight, scale, as well as of solidity to it. Also, drawers should work extremely smoothly and not bind in any way when extended. When it comes to their interiors, they should be smooth to the touch, as well as sanded and sealed.
You should be quite vigilant when it comes to the substitution of oak with a lesser species of wood for the drawers. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, you are risking not to notice that some fiberboard that has a finish similar to oak is masking the fact that you aren’t getting what you’re paying for.
The back panel
When it comes to high-quality oak furniture, you are going to want to look for wooden back panels. Lesser quality items tend to have either cardboard or fireboard as a back panel, which is way more prone to damage.
What about the finish?
When it comes to finishes, you should look for furniture pieces that actually have quite a deep, clear finish, you don’t necessarily need to look for a more traditional high gloss. In fact, whether the finish is sheen or matte by itself has pretty much nothing to do with the overall quality of the finish. Instead, you want to ask if the finish is resistant to water, heat, and most household chemicals as well as to what degree.
Assessing stability
If you are buying a dining table, or pretty much anything out there that’s expected to have a high level of stability, it’s vital that you put your hands on the piece and try to move it a bit. If you happen to notice lots of wiggling, be careful. The first option is that the legs are not properly secured, and the second most probable one is that the leg assembly is poorly designed or made.
Ask about the warranty
Considering the fact that oak furniture is quite expensive, it’s vital that you find out the warranty arrangement before finalizing the purchase. In most cases, a large percentage of lower end manufacturer’s warranties on oak furniture is only going to cover splitting and cracking for one year after the purchase. Better the manufacturers, longer the warranty – five-year warranties aren’t a rarity with better manufacturers. When it comes to top-tier manufacturers, you should know that some of them will even offer you a lifetime guarantee, so, it may be an investment now – but it will surely come in handy in a decade or two.
Pro tip – make sure that it’s clarified whether you are going to get a manufacturer’s warranty or a retailer’s warranty instead, since the manufacturer’s warranty is always a safer option. Also, check for hidden sentences with extremely small fonts at the bottom of the contract, since in some cases, the warranty is void if you move.
In the end, it all boils down to taking time in order to do your research so that you can base your assessment on the furniture in question on facts and knowledge. It may be a bit time exhausting, but it really goes a long way – and you will surely end up buying oak furniture that is going to serve you for years to come.