Ashley has a fair amount of their furniture made in North Carolina. It's obviously not at the same quality level as something like a Stickley, but if you want US-made furniture from a mainstream brand, they're a good choice.
Why are most sofas so bad?
651–660 of 762 posts
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#652When my grandma passed away I took the sofa because I was a poor student in need of a sofa.
After about 10 years of daily use I started to notice some of the cushions sagging. Asked the family when she bought the couch and it predates my birth by about 10 years. Talk about quality.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#653Earlier quoted context omitted.
I ended up doing MDF tops for my workbench (1" MDF over 3/4 plywood), and finished them with shelac for a protected, low-friction surface. It is still vulnerable to water damage, but not as bad as unfinished, and as a spoil layer it's not bad. It has plusses and minuses.
If you ever need to replace that MDF, try this: https://epoxytops.com/phenolic-resin-countertops/ I'm using it for my next workbench top.
I think that's similar to what my kitchen worktop is made of. It's great, but cutting it at all is a big job. It's incredibly hard.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#654Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Particleboard is absolutely useless, MDF is mostly useless except using as a guaranteed flat surface on top of something to support it Unless there is a drop of moisture, then you throw it all away. It’s so depressingly wasteful.
Unless there is a drop of moisture, then you throw it all away. You might not want to set foot in your kitchen or bathroom then. Generally speaking cabinets (in the US) use particleboard frames. Higher end stuff will use plywood. I went with IKEA's Sektion cabinets to replace some forty year old particleboard cabinets that warped after years of water damage from a burst pipe. They came with a twenty-five year warrant…
Those are normally coated in melamine, even the edges, hence the ability to use them in a wet area. Ironically standard worktops are only coated on the top, so those can take damage.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#655Last time I bought a couch, a new one, it set me back $6,000. It took me the better part of eight months to find it. Solid wood. Proper joinery. Thick padding. Pig skin leather. We kept it for 20 years before giving it to some friends who had it reupholstered where I expect it will last another 20 years. I used to have some expensive, but ultimately crap, book cases. Book cases are not designed by people who own a lo…
Holy moly, 24 bookcases - that's more than my local library. What are your reading habits?
My media consumption habits went off a cliff since the pandemic due to life circumstances. I am slowly picking up the pace again. I have read around 3,500 books, not all of which I keep on the shelves. A nearly complete list with reviews of many of them are on one of my personal blogs.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#656Everything is bad these days, not just the sofas. 1. The new switches I bought broke before the old ones, which are over 20 years old. 2. LED bulbs last less than incandescent bulbs, even with a 20-year warranty. 3. The new cell phone's screen breaks very easily, it's not like the old Nokia's. And nowadays something expensive is no longer guaranteed to last. This is why I value old things so much: I have an old chair…
My experience is completely the opposite.
Nokia phones weren't as durable as you remember. A Nokia phone would hardy last 2 years with limited use, either the battery or power connector would die quickly. iPhones get way more usage than Nokias and they easily last 3 years.
Also I've literally never had a LED bulb die on me.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#657Earlier quoted context omitted.
>> it set me back $6,000. The issue is that most modern households in the U.S. can not hack that kind of pricetag for a sofa / couch. Hell, I could never spend that kind of jack on a couch, even if I literally saved up for it (which would take years)... it is just far too much of a percentage of my income for one furniture item. So, how do we solve that issue (e.g. its good, but if it is 10% of your gross annual inco…
We need to raise the living wage, and the living standard of our people. But that's a separate discussion. The couch was not 10% of my gross annual income.
If you simply raise wages, then the people that make the furniture will also have their wages raised - which will increase the cost even further - it doesn't solve this problem and may even make it worse.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#658Soon the cheapest Ikea sofa I could find in 2015 (about 200 $) has lasted me a decade. Sure, the cover worn is worn out and covered with another textile for that reason, but it's still usable. I can sit on it and watch my TV, which is even older. Easiest way to find happiness in material quality of life is to lower one's standards.
I agree, cheap taste in things is a blessing in disguise.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#659You can geek out on quality furniture at myfurnitureforum.com if you're so inclined.
Re: Why are most sofas so bad?
#660The article goes on about the quality of manufacturing, which is very fair, but something that bugs me, and it seems to apply to cheap sofas as well as very expensive ones. Why are so many of them just plain uncomfortable? I'm looking for one I want right now, and I have to go around a furniture shop and try each out and I reckon, maybe 1/4 of them are suitable for a place you might enjoy sitting in. The high end fur…
> Champions of form over function. Sofas have many different functions. The plush sofa you sink deep into for TV at the end of the day has a different function than the firm sofa your dinner guests sit on the front of while sipping cocktails, etc Many of the sofas you were looking at were probably designed for a different function than you were seeking.
What exactly is the difference in function?