Why Quality Matters When it comes to Office Furniture

Despite the influx of different furniture trends, new materials and production methods, traditional wooden, high quality furniture items are still the more popular choice for the professional setting. Quality should be a key consideration when opting for new office furniture, as not only does good quality secure you a valuable, long-term investment, your investment will most likely deliver the best in functionality and design. It may take more time to carefully consider furniture in line with the desired look, feel and practicality of your workplace and business needs; however, being less impulsive and favouring good quality will ensure that your chosen executive or office pieces will best enhance productivity, efficiency, your company reputation and brand, and easily fit in with business change.

The Advantages of Quality Wooden Furniture

When designing a new office layout or updating the working environment, furniture plays a major role in the space’s overall appeal and reflection of your company, for both clients and staff. Although furniture is often an afterthought and cheap wooden based furniture is readily available, this will not provide you with the best value for money and you may have to replace items more frequently than anticipated. Getting higher quality wooden tables, desks, chairs and storage furniture, is a long-lasting office solution and the items will often stay in great condition for years and years. Cheaper wooden imitations, made from particleboard and laminate, are more lightweight and less durable and resilient than authentic versions. Equally a lower quality piece, though cheaper to purchase, does look cheaper and will often lack the impressive, luxury appeal that sets high quality wooden furniture apart.
In the workplace where every detail contributes to perceptions of your business and its success, having expensive looking and attractive wooden furniture will offer the best environment and impression of your business as a whole. You can still find a variety of interesting styles and finishes with higher quality furniture, made in a more sustainable way than mass produced cheaper alternatives.

Checking for Quality

All wood is not equal, so it’s worth checking the quality of selected pieces before you buy. An indication of quality in a piece of furniture in general, is its weight and thickness — the heavier it is, the better the quality. However high quality veneered items are often more practical in an office setting though they may be lighter than solid wood. Good quality furniture will use hard wood from trees such as oak, maple, mahogany, walnut, cherry and birch.
Checking the sides and edges will also help you determine the quality of the piece. You should not be able to see any glue on the outside, and the joints should be secured with dowels or screws, never staples. When opening drawers or looking at the sides of tables, cheaper particleboard will lack the distinctive grain that is found in higher quality furniture.

Finishes are also a strong indicator of the quality of a wooden furniture item; it’s the good quality items that will be properly sanded, stained, and finished. Check that the wood surface is smooth and that there are no scratches across it. If it’s not sanded properly, it won’t stain evenly. Staining a quality wooden piece can add character and will enhance the look of the item, however it needs to be done evenly on the sides, ends and underside without dark patches. If the item has a high-gloss finish, it should be silky smooth without any bubbles or specks of dust.

Ultimately, cost will give you a good idea of the quality of the piece. Check the place of manufacture and make sure you are going through a retailer that you trust. It’s much better to look for manufacturers that deal with handmade or bespoke pieces, as not only will they provide the highest quality pieces, their materials and processes will comply with environmental and industry regulations, which can give you more assurance.

ACT Furniture is a British manufacturer and supplier of high quality wooden office furniture, specialising in sustainable handmade, bespoke wooden pieces to enhance your working environment and business. To find out more about our services or to discuss your office furniture requirements, please call us on 01902 490273 or email sales@actfurniture.com.