How to Build Quality House Furniture
Having beautiful, hand crafted furniture can turn a house into a home. Quality furniture is more than just looks; it includes the frame, springs and cushions. Most of the quality of upholstered furniture is hidden beneath the fabric. By using quality construction and materials, one can build quality house furniture.
- Build a structurally-sound frame. The base of good quality furniture will always start with its frame.
- Choose hard, tight grained wood. In order to build long lasting furniture you must start with high quality wood. Plywood, particle board and soft woods are not sturdy enough to support the joints that high quality furniture requires. The tight graining of hard woods such as oak, alder and maple allows for pegs, screws and nails to be set securely so they won't come loose over time.
- Assemble the wood into a rigid frame. To create a rigid frame you will need to use joints, dowels or blocking. This will strengthen and support the frame.
- Decide on a spring system. Once the frame is constructed, a spring system is needed to support the seating area. Sinuous springs or drop-in-springs are the most common; both types attach to the frame to support the seating area. Eight-way hand-tied springs have a wide range of movement because they move up and down and side to side. In order to make these springs, one has to individually tie heavy gauge coils front to back, side to side and diagonally (eight ways). This provides the highest level of quality, comfort and durability.
- Choose padding for the arm rests. The arm rests should feel substantial and comfortable. It should be soft, ample padding of high-density foam and/or polyester.
- Choose tightly-woven fabrics for the cover as they will wear longer than loosely-woven natural fibers.