Tips To Purchasing Reclaimed Wood Furniture, Rustic, Cabin Decor
Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 2010
by Charles Michael
S. C. H
There are many variations in quality, lumber selection and style that should be considered before you purchase a reclaimed barn wood piece of furniture.
If you simply purchase online from a product page without much details or without calling the company first, you may be disappointed in the product that arrives at your door.
For example, I know of one company that claims there product to be reclaimed barnwood yet much of it is new red fir and pine made to look old. For instance, the bed has new wood pickets and side rails. This is fine if they tell you but they don't. The point is not that it has new wood mixed, it is that it is not being stated.
How about the drawers? Are they simply butt nailed #1, rabbit jointed #2 or dovetailed #3? In my experience, dovetail is not a must. A good rabbit joint #2 is plenty strong. However, a butt nailed drawer #1 is certainly amateur and weaker and I have seen it used way too much.
In addition, drawers that are constructed with the bottom simply nailed to the underside is also proven to be weaker. A good drawer should be inset inside the drawer sides #4. I personally like to see drawers corner braced underneath for added strength as well as a center piece so they dont flex. A quality drawer should not easily flex when you push inside of it.
So as you can see, these are things that you will not know by an online image unless they state it in their ads and show enough details.
You should also know if you are getting the cheaper euro glides or the full extension ball bearing glides and in some instances the wood glides.
In conclusion, get to know the product before an instant purchase. If there is only a limited amount of information online in the products ad page then I encourage you to call the company. It is a big purchase and you should be happy with the overall product that arrives. Some products look better online then in person and others images dont do it justice!
Here are some tips in searching for a quality reclaimed wood furniture product whether a coffee table, end table, night stand, armoire, dresser, chest, cabinet console table, etc. Here is also a good to site to reference where you can view some of the mentioned items http://www.iadecor.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Good advice, Charles. It's a really bad idea to buy furniture without seeing and touching it.Thank you. Yes and no on buying without seeing or touching it. Some of the nicest furniture you have no choice but to buy online or purchase outside of your area. The key however, is to know what you are buying. Some companies are more interested in the overall sale then sending out quality. The unfortunate part is that many online sites do not describe the product well and in some instances don't want to because it is an inferior product. So don't be afraid of purchasing online just don't be hasty.
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