How to Buy Traditional Living Room Furniture That Will Last

Choose a sofa or living room set fabric that constitutes your needs. Leather sofas are the most durable, yet most expensive. These are ideal for people with children and pets that shed due to their ability to be cleaned easy and not stain. An alternative to leather is microfiber, which is a suede-like material composed of tiny fibers of polyester woven together. This material also has superb durability.

Examine the framework of your living room set. Hardwoods work the best because they can stand up to a lot of weight and don't crack very easily. Ask if the wood is kiln-dried also. The process of kiln-drying removes all the moisture from the wood, preventing it from cracking easily. Maple and oak are the strongest. Avoid particle woods because they will not last long under heavy use.

Look for furniture that has been glued, screwed or doweled together. Furniture that is simply stapled will not hold up as well. Typically frames used with maple or oak woods will not be stapled. Corner blocks are another positive feature of a durable frame.

Shop for solid wood tables and accessories. Again, particle wood will not last very long. Particle woods are covered with a thin layer of wood that will chip or peel over time. Cheaper woods such as pine woods are OK for accessory-type pieces that won't undergo heavy weight from users.