Wendell's Furniture

Cushions and Springs:

All Sofas and Loveseats have some sort of spring system under them as well as cushions to sit on. Some are designed to utilize both these systems into one fixed cushion type of a seat. As you shop you will here names like "No-Sag" "Drop-in Coil Spring" and "Eight-way hand tied" when it comes to most spring systems. No-Sag springs are what you find in most promotional to medium-end frames. These are springs that actually span the seat base of the frame from front to back and are one continual scrunched-up "S" that is bowed-up and supported from the sides to keep them from moving and separating.

The downfall of "No-sags" is that sometimes manufacturers use too few of these near the ends of the piece.....and it causes the end to wear-out prematurely. This is because people tend to lean on arms of Sofas and Loveseats when sitting on them and this means that more springing is needed to keep the seat from sinking at the end. Just be sure that their is sufficient springing throughout the seating area of any upholstered piece. Drop-in coils are just that, an actual coil-spring seating unit that is placed in each respective seating area of a Sofa (3 units) or Loveseat (2 units). These are usually about 7-9"s deep and are basically an all steel grid of coil-springs with a heavy border around it for stability. They are mounted to the frame with screws and are very durable and quite comfortable as well. Drop-in units are great as long as they are wide enough for the actual seating area. If not, then you may experience the same types of problems near the arms as you would with too-few No-sag springs.

An offshoot of the Drop-in coil is the Manufactured drop-in coils which are actually manufactured to the specifications of the actual frame they are to be placed in. These type of springs rarely have problems near the arms of the piece because there are usually more than enough springs to cover the whole seating area. Eight-way hand tied coils are just that....coil spring bases just like the Drop-ins that are actually hand-tied instead of being held together with wire clips. These are some of the most premium spring bases on the market today and are usually found in more expensive frames.

Because of the human interaction with tying the coils together, the flex of the springs can be manipulated to just the right comfort level allowing you the maximum comfort from the frame. DO NOT BE FOOLED by just sitting on a Sofa or Loveseat! Cushions can be very deceiving......FIND OUT what type of springs you are actually sitting on......Now, on to Cushions...

Cushions:

Cushions for upholstered furniture are not all created equally! Many manufacturers cut corners when it comes to the type of cushion-core they install in their products. But on the other hand there are many manufacturers that utilize the best quality and highest standards in the manufacturing of their upholstered furniture. What I'm really getting at, once again, is: Make sure you know what you are buying…this way you will have a better experience when buying your new furniture.

The first thing you want to know about the cushions in the furniture you are looking at is: What are the cushions made of and how are they manufactured. The cheapest upholstered furniture usually just simply has a cut chunk of foam in each cushion cover. These are going to break down very quickly, no matter what density the foam is. Lots of salespeople seem caught up on foam density (1.8(softer) or 2.25(firmer) are the most common weights you hear thrown out by salespeople) 2.25 density foam came about because of fire laws in California….but many lower-end manufacturers feel that by changing their already totally adequate 1.8 density foam to 2.25 that they will get longer life out of the frames they sell, thus saving them any future warranty work. Usually the core wears down just as quickly with either density…..because that is all that is cushioning you above the spring system. Remember that firmer cushions do not always mean they are going to last longer.

Most medium priced upholstery cushions are a combination of foam cores and Dacron wrapping that is put around the core to help it feel softer and to help it last longer. Many manufacturers have also utilized two densities of foam that are sandwiched with the firmer inside of two softer pieces, then Dacron is wrapped around the core to help with the softness. Once again it is a good idea to ask how the cushions are manufactured before you buy the piece.

The better cushions have springs built right into the core, with foam fit around it on the sides and then either Dacron or some other form of fiber wrapping is attached to the core to make it extra-plush! Many better cushions have down or silk wrapped into the outer layer before it is put inside the cushion cover. You will pay more for this type of cushion, but you will also, more than likely, have a piece of very comfortable furniture that will last for years to come.
The last thing about cushions I want to touch on is warranty. Be sure to ask how long the cushions are warranted against pre-mature breaking-down and how the problem will be handled if you ever should need to use the warranty. The more you now about these situations now, the easier it is for you to focus on buying what you want for your home.

Copyright 2006, Wendell's Furniture