Sofa is an inalienable part of the interior of every flat or office. And if you have to decide which sofa to buy, you should take it seriously. At first, you should decide for what function you will use it. It can be used instead of the bed or it can be a place for rest and watching TV. Another important issue is the quality of sofa. The opinion that only Italian furniture is good is wrong. The basis for quality estimation is following parts of the construction – sofa frame, upholstery and stuff. Producers use different materials, and the final sofa price of course depends on it.
Sizes and style
Of course you will choose sofa style and design according to your likes and dislikes. Sofas with wooden frame and classic upholstery will suit to every room. Of course you can choose a sofa in the latest modern Hi-Tech brand. It is important that the sofa harmonizes with the interior.
Before choosing a sofa you should decide whether you need two- or three-seater sofa. Two-seater will be rather narrow if you are not alone. In such case three-seater or different combinations of two-seater are recommended. Of course the sofa sizes should suit your room, so that you won’t have to think where to put it. Looking for a best design, don’t forget about sofa parameters. If it will have low back without support for your head and back, then any beauty will replace the comfort.
The choice of the sofas is very rich. But if you know more about your future purchase, then it will be much easier to choose one of them.
Choice of sofa frame
In the production of sofas 3 types of frames are used: wooden, metal and a combination of wooden timbers and particle boards. So you can choose a sofa according to your requirements to durability, mass and the price.
Sofas with wooden frame ideally supplement any room, especially the one decorated in classical style. They create an additional feeling of comfort and cosiness. The frame material can be from different wood. Producers, who make the frames from conifer, produce cheap furniture of low quality. The most durable will be a frame made of oak, nut-tree, beech or ash-tree. Birchen frame may also be used for the sofa. Such construction will be cheaper, but will be also durable. Mahogany can be used only in elite expensive furniture.
No matter what kind of wood is used for a frame, there should be no knots on it. It should be properly dried. There are cases when moisture from wood is noticed on the upholstery. Of course it is unacceptable. Properly dried wood won’t creak during the whole operation life.
Ideally smooth surface testify the high production quality. Parts should be well glued together, and the main frame components should be bolt together. If in the frame screws are used, then the sofa can become shaky.
Metal frame was used only for chairs, but now it is also used for sofas. Such frame will make the furniture look extraordinary; it is used in the Hi-tech style rooms. Metal frame furniture is easily repaired, it is an additional advantage, if you decided to choose it. You can choose any upholstery or change it. Metal frame can be of any color or profile. Of course such frame will be refractory, which can be important for offices. The most reliable and long living are considered to be metal frames with welded components.
Fame made of combination of wooden timbers and particle boards. It has the same qualities as the wooden frames. But it should be considered that particle boards should be covered with special paint, to protect from harmful gums excretion. There are models with a frame made only of particle boards. They are much cheaper.
Sofa stuff
The main sofa stuff is foam-rubber and spring cartridge. The sofa should be soft and elastic, with different thickness of the surface, so that you’ll feel comfortable on it. Before the purchase, you should know that the stuff in the seat, back and arms should have different firmness. The firmest stuff should, of course, be in the seat.
The cheapest stuff variant is the pieces of foam-rubber. But you won’t save money on such sofa, because in few years it will roll over and you’ll have to buy a new one. At least there should be a whole piece of foam-rubber. Such sofa will keep its form for about 4 years. Nowadays polyurethane is sometimes used instead of foam-rubber. It will prolong the term of life, because it stays elastic for a longer time. Sofas are also filled with more expensive and elastic stuff - latex.
The best choice will be the sofa with several stuff layers. Lower layer is made of firm polyurethane, to make the sofa elastic; and the upper layer is made of softer and thinner polyurethane. Such combination creates an additional feeling of comfort. All this is covered with synthetic fiber. It is not typical for cheap models. The most popular fiber is synthipon, but the best one is considered to be hollofiber – it perfectly reestablishes its primary form after deformation and is durable. You should know, that the sofa price increases with the use of synthetic fibers.
Spring cartridges are used for orthopedic reasons (the spine burden is minimal). The quantity of spring cartridges on one square meter can considerably differ. It will affect not only the level of comfort, but the total cost. The quality of springs is also very important. It will be difficult to change them in case of the breakage. So sometimes it is better to buy a sofa only with qualitative polyurethane or latex filling stuff without springs.
It is recommended to buy a sofa with an upholstery zipper. This trifle allows not only to see the inside stuff, but also to change the old upholstery.
Sofa upholstery
While choosing the upholstery, pay attention to the upholstery material. The sofa comfort and term of life will depend on the quality of upholstery. The most expensive and elite was always considered to be leather furniture. But nowadays there are hi-tech fabrics that are of the same quality and price.
The presence of teflon impregnation is recommended for fabric upholstery. It protects upholstery from moisture, which trickles down from the sofa, without getting inside. Naturally, such impregnation creates a special protection from dust and mud. The cost of fabrics with Teflon impregnation is much higher. So you are to make a choice – low price or high practicality.
Teflon can be also used as a sputtering on the fabric. It will cost less and won’t be much worse by the protective characteristics. Unfortunately, it is impossible to notice a visual difference of Teflon fabric, so you’ll have to trust the seller.
The most expensive fabric is shenille. It is very soft and practical in use, it is considered to be as elite as leather, besides it is warn and nice to touch.
Gobelin isn’t so elegant, but it looks quite beautiful. It consists mainly from the synthetic fiber polyester. It is practical and wearproof. This fabric has a large variety of colors and patterns. That’s why it will be easy to choose one, that will suit your interior.
Flock consists the same fibers as gobelin. The only difference is in the soft covering, which needs careful maintenance. If you clean the flock upholster carefully, it will serve you for many years. But sometimes abrasion is inevitable.
If you want to choose an elegant sofa, then jacquard will perfectly suit for upholster. This fabric is also expensive, but the pattern complexity will make your interior stylish. But notice, that only dry clean can be used.
Not long ago a new fabric has appeared – microfiber. Microfiber upholster is qualitative and practical. Teflon covering is characteristic for microfiber. Along with water and dust resistance, this fabric has a good durability. Sofa with such upholster won’t fade.
Before choosing a specific sofa, ask, if there is an upholster passport. Only qualitative furniture has such passport. In the passport there will be all useful fabric characteristics and advice about taking care.
You should select the leather sofa with full responsibility either. First, the leather itself should be of high quality or it can become used off quickly. Second, the paint should be of high quality or your sofa will have rubbed spots soon. There are models with replaceable cushions. These models will cost you more because of the greater leather outlay but they are also more practical because these cushions could be replaced if necessary. Leather sofas are not the cheap ones that is why the developers do not economize the materials but the give you the highest quality. For example, even the back sides of sofas are covered with the material of the same quality as of the front ones. Air permeability is a very useful quality of the sofa it will let your body “breath” when it touches the covering. All this information is specified in the passport so you can select a truly high quality sofa.
Mechanisms of sofas’ transformation
If you want a sofa to use it as a bed then you will surely need a transforming one. The quantity of different options is huge but we’ll describe the basics. The simplest mechanism is book-sofa. In such sofas the seat is rolled forward and the back takes its place. Under the seat is usually a place for storing pillows, blankets and other stuff. But this way of transformation requires a specific room between the sofa and the wall or you will have to move it permanently. It can be very uncomfortable if the back of the sofa is quite high and if you have to move the sofa on the parquet. That’s why this mechanism is slowly replaced by the others. As a sort of this mechanism there is a one called “eurobook” or “click-clack”. This mechanism is convenient because it has several positions for the back. It is useful if you want to half lay or half sit on your sofa.
«Roll out» mechanism is the most reliable one. The construction is made of three parts. The sofa is transformed by rolling out as it is specified by the name of the mechanism. When you pull the front side forward it rolls out and drags two other parts of the construction behind. Though the mechanism uses rollers the soft floor still can be damaged. So the rubberized rollers are recommended. The case for pillows in such models is in the front side. Important note: these models are suitable only for quite large rooms, because in the transformed state the length of such sofa can reach two and a half meters. But the place for sleeping is large and comfortable.
Selecting a sofa with ”French transformation” mechanism is better if you don’t intend to transform it very often. To do it you will have to remove all the cushions and elbow-rests then pull forward the seat consisting of two parts with stems. This variant is not suitable for everyday use and is better for accepting guests. More reliable mechanism is called “Sedaflex”.
The sofa with the “accordion” mechanism is very simple to use. The transformed sofa looks much like a sofa with “roll out” mechanism. The difference is that in the “accordion” mechanism the back is laid upside-down. To transform the sofa you should pull up the seat a little before it clicks then pull it forward manually. The mechanism is reliable and even children can use it but it requires a lot of space for transformation. And the case for pillows is not always large enough.
Information about different materials will help you in selecting a sofa with acceptable combination of price and quality. But the feeling of comfort is individual so don’t be shy and try to explore your future sofa right in the store. Imagine that your are using the sofa at home and only then you will be able to tell whether you feel comfortable on it or not. Then you will have the precious pleasure while watching TV or reading a book on your sofa.
The choice is yours and we wish you a good purchase and good times on your sofa!