Have questions about choosing quality furniture?
Ask the Experts BEFORE you buy!
Q. Does a higher price always mean a greater value?
A. Not necessarily. The best quality does not always come with the highest price tag. Review the following questions and their specific answers. After familiarizing yourself with these basic questions, answers and construction concepts you can increase the certainty that when shopping for furniture you will get what you pay for.
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Q. Are there different types of veneers? Which one is best?
A. There are three basic types of veneers:
1) Wood veneers, which are the best, thereby the most expensive type of veneers. (Accent Furniture uses ONLY wood veneers.)
2) Vinyl/Paper veneers, which are less expensive and less attractive than wood veneers. These veneers use a photographic process to simulate wood grain,
3) Rolled (or "printed") veneers, which means the look of a woodgrain is rolled (printed) directly on the ply or particle board surface. This is the least expensive, and least attractive, type of veneer.
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Q. A lot of manufacturers use wood veneers. Why do some look so much better than others?
A. Veneers can by either plane sliced or rotary cut. Plane sliced veneers are cut lengthwise through the log. This gives a more realistic "Cathedral" effect to the wood, which means it looks more like natural wood grain. Rotary cut veneers are cut around the circumference of the log, like a pencil sharpener. This gives a less desirable, less realistic, jagged grain appearance. Accent Furniture uses ONLY plane sliced veneers.
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Q. What exactly is particle board?
Is it possible to have different grades?
A. Particle board is an engineered composite of glued together sawdust. The more closely compacted the sawdust, the higher the density. Particle board that has not been covered with veneer is very rough to the touch, may "shed" or "flake", and actually looks like what it is. In most cases, veneer must be applied before it is suitable for use in furniture construction. The three different grades of particle board are:
1) Light Density
2) Medium Density or MDF (Medium Density Fiber)
3) High Density of HDF (High Density Fiber)
Besides MDF and HDF, another name for particle board is Engineered Wood. Accent Furniture uses MDF in the construction of some of our more aggressively priced groups.
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Q. Is there any difference between drawer interiors?
Which type of interior is best?
A. Drawers interiors can be made from one of four materials. These are, from best to worst:
1) Solid Wood Interiors
2) Ply Interiors
3) Particle Board with Veneer Interiors
4) Particle Board with No Veneer Interiors
At Accent Furniture we use Solid Wood Interiors on all of our drawers And, unlike other manufacturers, we take the added time to sand and lacquer many of the interiors of our drawers, which makes them "snag-proof" and gives a better appearance.
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Q. How are drawers assembled?
Is one method better than the others?
A. There are three well known methods of drawer construction.
1) English Dovetail
2) French Dovetail
3) Pinned and Glued
Even though all these methods of assembly are effective and functional, as the name implies, pinned and glued is the least precise method of assembling a drawer, though most manufacturers pin and glue the backs of their drawers and use French Dovetail on the front. However, there is more precision and craftsmanship in English Dovetail Construction, which makes it even more desirable than French Dovetail. Accent uses both French and English Dovetail in assembling its furniture.
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Q. I've heard salespeople speak of "dust-proofing".
Does this mean I won't ever need to dust my new furniture?
A. Dust-proofing is not a finish that makes dusting unnecessary, but rather a part of construction. A thin piece of material (anything from ply to cardboard) is added between each drawer, which in addition to preventing sawdust from wood-on-wood glides from falling into the drawer below, it gives the piece much more structural integrity by adding more interior support. This prevents a common furniture problem called "racking". (Dustproofing will also keep your cat from entering your dresser through the top drawer, and demanding to be let out of the bottom drawer!) Accent Furniture uses plywood as its dustproofing method.
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Q. What type of finish is considered the best?
A. Many finishes enhance the aesthetics of a piece of furniture, but in terms of durability the best finishes contain at least the following steps, all of which are included in the finishing process at Accent Furniture. In addition, we sand between each step, which gives our furniture a Maintenance Free Finish
1) Finely sanded raw wood surface to provide a smooth, clean beginning to the finishing process
2) Application of the stain
3) Application of a lacquer sealer to seal in moisture and give added protection to the wood. This reduces the occurrence of splitting and will also prevent further moisture from being absorbed into the wood, which could cause swelling.
4) Sanding to smooth the rough edges and prevent grain raising
5) Lacquer finish to provide a smooth, clean top surface.
6) Application of furniture polish
Once you get your new Accent Furniture home, you can feel confident using any commercially sold furniture polish to keep your new furniture just as beautiful as the day you purchased it. This is not necessarily true with other manufacturers, who allow only a special or specific polish be used.
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Q. Is there a difference between oil based and water based stains and sealers? Which one is better?
A. Oil based stains are considered better because they do not raise the grain of the wood as water based stains will. The finish is much smoother and deeper when using an oil based stain. Oil based sealers and lacquer are clear and transparent, while water based sealers and lacquers tend to be cloudy and opaque. At Accent we use oil based stains and sealers on all of our furniture.
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MICHELLE