How do you recognize quality furniture? Does a high price mean high quality? What is hiding under the varnish? A few tips to avoid being fooled by appearances – however beautiful they may be – when buying furniture in Nairobi.
A good piece of furniture is characterized by its longevity and quality. Difficult to judge when you are not a professional. After all, today there are many inexpensive products that, at first glance, hardly differ from those with a high price tag. More expensive does he systematically mean better, such is the question which cannot be answered in general. However, high-quality, well-made furniture, made in fair conditions and respectful of the environment, does not come at knockdown prices. Conversely, good design at a reasonable price does not necessarily mean bad quality.
This is not measured only by outward appearance. Other criteria such as stability, durability and the origin of the materials used are decisive in the quality assessment. There are also labels that certify compliance with environmental standards, for example.
Here are the points to observe when buying a piece of furniture:
The first impression
Are the surfaces and edges perfect, are they flat and smooth or sharp, do they have any defects (spots, hollows or roughness) )?
Stability, solidity, resistance to tilting
Whether it is a table, a cupboard or a chair, the piece of furniture must in no case lose its stability, even its balance, even when it is moved. The base and the table top must be securely attached to each other. A good chair, for example, will tolerate the person occupying it moving from side to side.
Drawers, doors, shelves
The drawers should open and close without forcing. If they don’t jam when pulled out, the slides are of good quality. In addition, they must be able to withstand loads of up to 30 kg.
Another point of interest: the hinges of the doors. A good hinge opens more than 90 degrees. If the storage unit has doors wider than 60 cm, they must be fitted with at least five hinges to prevent them from sagging in a short time. Another quality criterion: the damping mechanism placed on the inside of the doors.
If the shelves are sized incorrectly, they will flex quickly. For a thickness of 16 mm, the maximum length will be 80 cm and 100 cm for 19 cm of thickness. Solid wood, MDF and multiplex are more robust than the cheaper chipboard.
