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Why new furniture doesn’t last long

washingtonpost.com

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Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#71

Post by xnx »

no_wizard wrote: post #22
j7ake wrote: post #12

At ikeas price point you don’t even need to move the fueniture, just give it away and buy the exact same one in the new location.

I didn't spend $1000 on a couch set to just get rid of it if I move in a year or two though. I realize some folks on HN have lots of disposable income, however even for higher earners its a waste of money at that point, I don't feel like it should be accepted practice to throw out furniture out with every move, particularly if you move a few times in a short time span.

Assuming that you're able to sell it for something ($400?), it can make more sense to do that rather than deal with loading, unloading and the moving expense.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#72

Post by freitzkriesler2 »

richbell wrote: post #34
suoduandao3 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

used furniture is a good compromise there, though it's harder to get a consistent style when going that route. Part of Ikea furniture's appeal is also that it looks like other Ikea furniture.

Dealing with bed bugs and other pests has made me apprehensive about purchasing used furniture. It's a shame because you can usually find great deals on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, Kijiji etc.

Solution to this is to leave it in a quarantine room for up to 5 months (if you have the space).

Though and I say this anecdotally, when I moved back to the States I ended up refurnishing most of my house using street finds. We're talking like 10 different furniture finds include a futon frame (we bought a new mattress). Only 1 of those was upolsteres but was in great condition.

No bed bugs, I got lucky.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#73

Post by sheepybloke »

lbwtaylor wrote: post #40
stetrain wrote: post #4

My biggest issue is that, like so many markets, there is a "missing middle" created by this downward price pressure. For the most part if you want a piece of furniture (ie a nightstand), there are two categories. Either you buy the Amazon/Wayfair version made of pressboard for $100-$200, or you can find a solid wood heirloom version for $2,000+. The domestic plywood or cheaper solid wood options are no longer mass pr…

And part of the problem is that it is so hard to tell if the middle priced goods are worth it. For example: - is it real wood but cheaply finished so the wood wears quickly and needs refinishing quickly. Seen this problem so often at priced places like crate & barrel. - how do you tell good quality veneer from bad? - showcase pieces of higher quality than what's delivered to your house. Room & board with their real w…

Exactly. I've been looking for bookshelves and wanted something that wasn't just Ikea's Billy. The price jump to something from Pottery Barn is 3-4x the Ikea price, but from the quality you see at the showroom, it should be closer to 1.5-2x the price. I also feel a bit jaded from the mid-tier furniture showrooms, which offer Wayfair quality at 2x the price. I just want something that will survive a move while not having to look at payment plan!

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#74

Post by jaclaz »

atty wrote: post #39
geodel wrote: post #7

Further, I read somewhere even solid wood available is no longer as good today as 50 years ago.

Is this something that would cause a noticeable difference in quality, or more of an academic one?

There are two aspects of the "difference":

1) The timber that was once a locally (or nearby) grown tree might nowadays be - while the same or very similar species - originating from some other country (with different climate/humidity/etc.) and thus be different at a structural level.

2) The timber was once seasoned over several months or even years time (again locally), while most nowadays is artificially seasoned very quickly (usually in a kiln or autoclave for a few days)

While you cannot do much for #1, except of course choosing the best batch you can find, the #2 (which is actually what makes the larger differences in stability and also strength over time) can sometimes be avoided by buying the wood before it is seasoned and season it yourself naturally (of course you need the space and time needed, for furniture or making of windows/doors seasoning for a couple of years is not uncommon).

The difference between artificially seasoned wood and naturally seasoned is essentially that the latter is more "stable", i.e. it will tend to crack and/or bend/deform much less.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#75

Post by ajford »

I feel like so many posts that look down on flat-packed/budget furniture overlook the fact that so many people are in a position where "buy it for life" isn't a desired feature.

We're seeing job markets where loyalty doesn't pay and the best way to get a pay bump is to switch employers. We're seeing people live check to check, and so many are renting as opposed to buying.

If I don't have a permanent home, why do I want permanent furniture? When I entered the workforce, my dad gave me a bunch of BIFL-type solid furniture he purchased with my mom before she passed. I ended up eventually selling it all off because it cost me extra to have it moved into and out of any appt that wasn't on ground floor. Often to the point where I could replace it with an IKEA piece for less than the heavy item surcharge.

Or times where I moved into a smaller appt for budget reasons and just didn't have space for some pieces. I once rented a storage locker for a year just to keep furniture I couldn't fit but didn't want to let go because it was solid wood and "had value".

I now use Ikea furniture for everything, and figure if I'm lucky I'll eventually be able to own property/a house and then it'd make sense to own something more durable.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#76

Post by atty »

jaclaz wrote: post #74
atty wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is this something that would cause a noticeable difference in quality, or more of an academic one?

There are two aspects of the "difference": 1) The timber that was once a locally (or nearby) grown tree might nowadays be - while the same or very similar species - originating from some other country (with different climate/humidity/etc.) and thus be different at a structural level. 2) The timber was once seasoned over several months or even years time (again locally), while most nowadays is artificially seasoned ve…

Awesome, thank you for the info!

Edit: not awesome that wood is lower quality of course, the awesome was for the explanation.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#77

Post by LastTrain »

MrBuddyCasino wrote: post #62
stetrain wrote: post #4

My biggest issue is that, like so many markets, there is a "missing middle" created by this downward price pressure. For the most part if you want a piece of furniture (ie a nightstand), there are two categories. Either you buy the Amazon/Wayfair version made of pressboard for $100-$200, or you can find a solid wood heirloom version for $2,000+. The domestic plywood or cheaper solid wood options are no longer mass pr…

> There's very little in between, even if I'm willing to pay a bit more for something a bit nicer. Same has happened in clothing. To get something other than cheap crap made out of synthetic fibers, you now have to go premium. Are people really less discerning than they used to be? Has the average purchasing power declined? Or is the problem that people don't want to commit to something that lasts for years, because…

People used to spend a lot more, per item, on clothing. The real culprit in this case is that we have become accustomed to things being cheap.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#78

Post by LastTrain »

angry_moose wrote: post #41

We actually expected our West Elm sofa to be well built - it wasn't cheap and their reputation wasn't complete garbage yet when we purchased it. After about 18 months the whole thing collapsed, just out of warranty believe it or not. When I started taking it apart to see if it was fixable I found that the entire damn thing was built out of stapled-together 1/2" OSB (oriented strand board...garbage "plywood") and all…

That is pretty cheap for a sofa. Here is what spending a similar amount in 1970 would have gotten you:

https://christmas.musetechnical.com/ShowCatalogPage/1970-Sea...

That would have been regarded a a cheap sofa at the time, and would have set you back $379. Average salary now vs then is 5x so equivalent price would be $1895. Your sofa probably looks nicer but the Sears one has a proper hardwood frame.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#79

Post by philsnow »

suoduandao3 wrote: post #21
stetrain wrote: post #4

My biggest issue is that, like so many markets, there is a "missing middle" created by this downward price pressure. For the most part if you want a piece of furniture (ie a nightstand), there are two categories. Either you buy the Amazon/Wayfair version made of pressboard for $100-$200, or you can find a solid wood heirloom version for $2,000+. The domestic plywood or cheaper solid wood options are no longer mass pr…

used furniture is a good compromise there, though it's harder to get a consistent style when going that route. Part of Ikea furniture's appeal is also that it looks like other Ikea furniture.

I live on the west coast, and sometimes visit family in the Midwest. The quality and quantity of used furniture available over there is so much better.

I attribute this to much of California only becoming as densely populated as it is (which is to say, not) after around the 1950s. While there are families who have lived here for five or more generations, they’re by far the exception rather than the norm. The overwhelming majority of people who are here have comparatively shallow roots, didn’t bring furniture with them when they came here, and even if they have access to good furniture from elsewhere, it’s cheap and good enough to go to ikea.

Re: Why new furniture doesn’t last long

#80

Post by yowzadave »

freitzkriesler2 wrote: post #72
richbell wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dealing with bed bugs and other pests has made me apprehensive about purchasing used furniture. It's a shame because you can usually find great deals on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, Kijiji etc.

Solution to this is to leave it in a quarantine room for up to 5 months (if you have the space). Though and I say this anecdotally, when I moved back to the States I ended up refurnishing most of my house using street finds. We're talking like 10 different furniture finds include a futon frame (we bought a new mattress). Only 1 of those was upolsteres but was in great condition. No bed bugs, I got lucky.

Where is it a cost-saving solution to pay for a quarantine room that will be unused for other purposes for up to 5 months, all so you can save a few hundred dollars by buying used furniture?
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