Sofa frames

[baileyuph]

Frames are important for durability, comfort, and durability of the piece.

Springs are equally important, furniture leaving them off bottoms or backs is giving early problems.  We have a stream of new stuff needing repairs the day purchased.

Elastic webbing in bottoms ........needless to say just makes it cheaper to buy, nothing else.

A quality spring base, cannot be beat by using foam.  Again it is all about price.

Foam quality is so poor in the popular priced stuff is giving problems within a month.  One retailer in my area sold a sofa - love seat combo and a 165 pound person experience the foam softening significantly.  The retailer sent there people out to check the report and found it true, customer wasn't wrong.  The retailer picked the two pieces up and replaced with new and within another three weeks and foam got weaker just like first delivery. 

The retailer got me to go and provide technical analysis -

Conclusion was furniture is built cheaply so it will meet market expectations with respect to price.

Foam is a derivative of oil and we all know what that means, when we fill up a the pump.

Quality furniture as anything can be built, consumer resistance to the correlating prices is more than they can financially handle or mentally understand - bottom line doesn't sell.

Their priority is centered around electronic devices, such as big screens, and like devices.
Furniture by large has become throw away, by necessity.
Doyle

[SteveA]

Doyle
I had to do the webbing of a mid century chair last year and I bought perelli webbing and it was very costly. But I guess you are referring more to the savings in labor ?  Every piece of furniture my wife bought new after we were married is gone because it broke down.  I replaced everything with old pieces for a fraction of what she paid... from estate sales, and they will last another 100 years.
SA

[sofadoc]

AKA "Good Bones"

Sadly, it's usually the "Good Bones" furniture that ends up getting abandoned in my shop..........and I have to haul it to the landfill 3-4 times a year.

While the older frames are higher quality, their style is becoming too dated. People want the new look.

And most people really aren't too terribly concerned about how long their frame will last. Within a few years, they're ready for a whole new style anyway. Like Doyle says, "Furniture has become 'throw-away' by necessity".

What does this say for the future for guys like me? Not much. I used to work almost exclusively for local customers. Now, they bring me work from 100-200 miles away. Usually because the upholsterer in their town died, and nobody took his place.

[byhammerandhand]

The end of every week, this guy comes on SHOUTING about what's on sale this weekend.

http://www.americanfreight.us/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96FTO6EOco0

[MinUph]

It still boggles my mind how China can make this stuff so cheap and ship it here to sell for these prices. I know furniture and even cheap furniture is not cheap to build here. I guess the volume makes it happen.

[baileyuph]

Yes Steve, the webbing does save on labor, by the time springs are bought, clips, and stay wire, plus ties if applicable, well don't forget the bending equipment; add all that up plus the time, elastic webbing is definitely cheaper to build and not being critical it will not hold up like springs done right.

I deliver a much better seat with metal springs and a padded deck over the springs and a high quality foam cushion.  I have customers using those in their 25th year.

That level of foam is very expensive, however.

Yep, China labor Paul, interesting issue.  Been reading on that subject as it applies to their upholstery manufacturing:

 Labor per hour:  $3 a Day! - not per hour (round numbers)
 Specialization:  Highly - as it enhances efficiency, means making all that money they crank the stuff out working in a "division of labor" manner.

Interesting thing about those workers is they are smart and good at what they do.  Guess they aren't spoiled like places we know about (wink).

I know, my efficiency picks up when I have a long run of something where I have the procedure down pat and it works - meaning pieces come together to generate a fine product.

I have some specialty work of that nature, it is a money maker, may sound redundant but I don't complain when counting the numbers and return is really in my favor.  Wink.

Back to sofa frame, nice pictures and that style is in favor now, especially among the younger people, example Millenials!!!

Like Hammer said, use high quality plywood or wood in general.

Doyle

[baileyuph]

What does this say for the future for guys like me? Not much. I used to work almost exclusively for local customers. Now, they bring me work from 100-200 miles away. Usually because the upholsterer in their town died, and nobody took his place.



It is evident that the business is changing.  New people are not coming into the business in large numbers because it is a tough business.  They sense it, takes too long to do something that takes too much time -- they are not accustomed to that rythm.

Diversification keeps my business alive, it certainly isn't what it was years ago (type of work).

Doyle

[sofadoc]

What I don't get is............ if we upholsterers put out poor quality work just to keep the price down, the word would spread like wildfire. We'd be outta business in less than 6 months.

So why do consumers keep going back for more of the cheap Chinese junk? They buy one of those $499 living room suits..........it barely lasts a year.........they go right back out and buy another one.
They even buy it from the same store that screwed them over the first time. I personally know people that are still making payments on furniture that now resides at the city landfill.

If we did that, how much repeat business would we get?

A manager from a local cheap furniture store tells me that he has heated arguments with unhappy customers all the time. A few months later, they come back in and buy something else.

How many "2nd chances" would a dissatisfied customer give an upholsterer?

[MinUph]

What I don't get is............ if we upholsterers put out poor quality work just to keep the price down, the word would spread like wildfire. We'd be outta business in less than 6 months.

So why do consumers keep going back for more of the cheap Chinese junk? They buy one of those $499 living room suits..........it barely lasts a year.........they go right back out and buy another one.
Possibly its all they can afford or at least they think so.

They even buy it from the same store that screwed them over the first time. I personally know people that are still making payments on furniture that now resides at the city landfill.
See above and they don't know any better.

If we did that, how much repeat business would we get?
None. I like to think the people that come to us know better. And are looking for some craftsmanship.

A manager from a local cheap furniture store tells me that he has heated arguments with unhappy customers all the time. A few months later, they come back in and buy something else.
How would you like to that guy? Not me thanks.

How many "2nd chances" would a dissatisfied customer give an upholsterer?
Possibly as many as number one question but I haven't seen that happen.

[sofadoc]

So why do consumers keep going back for more of the cheap Chinese junk? They buy one of those $499 living room suits..........it barely lasts a year.........they go right back out and buy another one.
Possibly its all they can afford or at least they think so.

I fully understand why a young family on a tight budget would buy the cheap furniture. But many of them around here are more well-established people that I have known all my life. And I see them spend their money much more wisely every day. They live in nice homes. They have all the latest and greatest electronics, and they drive $40K cars. But when it comes to the sofa, their brain turns to mush.

I've told this story before, but I once delivered some furniture to a house in the same neighborhood as ex-president George Bush. There was a Rooms-To-Go truck delivering to the house right next door to "W".
Basically, a $3-5 million home buying a throw-away couch.

[byhammerandhand]

You can always make your own, simply, with pocket screws.   Saw this on a vendor's web site today




If you let it sit outside over the summer, it would match your Restoration Hardware decor.


Furniture made to last a lunchtime:

So why do consumers keep going back for more of the cheap Chinese junk? They buy one of those $499 living room suits..........it barely lasts a year.........they go right back out and buy another one.
They even buy it from the same store that screwed them over the first time. I personally know people that are still making payments on furniture that now resides at the city landfill.

[MinUph]

Ya know sofa, My brother and sister-in-law that I love both of them. When we moved to Fl. She told my wife and I about RTG and they thought it was the nuts. We were brought up with this business although my brother never really got into it but goes to show ya what advertizing and slick showrooms can do. My wife and I have tried RTG a couple times and we have to leave when I see the furniture. My wife says I'm the worst to go furniture shopping with LOL. But she appreciates it.

[bobbin]

I grew up in a home with old furniture.  It wasn't derided, it was viewed with reverence because it had "seen" a lot of life!  And the idea of jumping on furniture was never even considered.  I was a little kid and auctions with Mum were part of every weekend.  We packed sandwiches and a drink, and we arrived early with a blanket and some books.  We walked around the preview, talked about what the 1860s sideboard might have overheard about the Civil War/etc., returned to our blanket and waited.  And read when the items were of no interest.  It was great!

I always think about history when I look at "dated" pcs. sitting roadside.  And I think about how fabulous they'd look if only someone had the foresight and moxie to "give them a chance". 

For as far back as I can remember, "buy the best you can afford and take care of it" was the family mantra.  Cheap Chinese junk never made it to my radar screen.  And vistors to our home are always amazed by our "cool stuff". 

[sofadoc]

And the idea of jumping on furniture was never even considered.

I'm convinced that some of the cheap Chinese junk in people's homes nowadays would actually give them several years of good service if they wouldn't jump on it like a family of savage gorillas.

And it would also help if they didn't live on the couch 24/7, only getting up long enough to put new batteries in the remote.

[bobbin]

LOL.  We really, really need a "like" button on this site.  (still laughing)