Sofa Furniture Buyer’s Guide Blog

I will be moving to TX soon and my wooden furniture will not be able to fit in my apartment. I don’t know how long I will be there, but I am planning on having my items stored in a non-climatized storage unit. I am most worried about my antique wood pieces that will not fit in my apartment.

How can I help keep moisture levels down in my unit? Are there battery opperated dehumidifiers?

What is the best way to store my wooden furniture?

Any suggestions to help eliminate the musty unit smells? How can I keep my furniture from smelling gross?

Any suggestions in general about storing furniture?

Thank you!

Of course it is best to store in a climate controlled unit, but if you can’t you should cover the antiques with a soft cover. I would scatter dryer softener sheets liberally to control the musty smells. The dryer sheets will also repel rodents. When you finally remove the items, make sure you stabilize the pieces in your home for a few months keeping them at a constant relative humidity before using or sitting on them.

Remember these antiques have lasted lots of years in adverse conditions. They will survive for a little while in storage.

I do not know of any battery operated dehumidifiers.

I have a set of microfiber sofas and chairs. Have only had them for about a year and I already feel like I need to scrub them. Is there a product out there that you would recommend? Is it possible to have them professionally deep cleaned? Tips and advice please…

you can have them professionaly cleaned. i try to have mine done at least once a year and i have the microfiber kind too. however it can be pricing and if you do i recommend a well known place not some single guy who does it on the side. but i cost me about i think it was 45 for my love seat and 65 for my couch but they did a great job. or you could go to walmart and buy the bissel proheat carpet shamppoer for like 125 bucks and do it yourself whenever i just got mine like 3 months ago and i absolutley love it i will never pay to have it done again. i hope this helps

We live in an apartment and therefore our living room is very small and it looks quite dark too because of dark furniture and wall color. We would like to paint it and also cover the dark green sofa and armchairs somehow. They are still quite good and therefore my parents dont want to throw them away. They however need to be somehow protected because our dog sleeps there often and they are always dirty:-) Theres also a PC there which i think doesnt look very good but because our apartment is so small it is the only place it can be. So could you please suggest appropriate colours, materials for covering the furniture and just anything that comes into your mind that would make our living room look better?

Paint the walls a light creamy yellow and the ceiling a bright white. This will make the room cheery, bright and very inviting and also make it appear larger. White walls are nice, but show no personality. Paint the woodwork and trim a bright shiny white (if you can paint them).
As for the furniture, go with slipcovers. They make all kinds of sizes and patterns. Easy and much less expensive than having the furniture reupholstered.
If you have wood furniture that you don’t like, sand it and paint it a pretty color. Get a nice armoire for the computer. It will take up less room and hide the computer.
Accent with red – it will make the room pop. Use throw pillows, pictures, knick knacks … I use old books and stack them. I set items on top of them. A great way to display them. Don’t clutter; but do use things to accent.
Good luck! Get a slipcover that will not show the dirt. They can also we machine washed and dryed. Go with a pretty green.

I have an extra room I need to turn into a guest room. The walls are yellow, and the trim/closet doors are white. I have a nice blue/yellow bedspread that matches the wall, but I need add bedroom furniture (headboard, nightstand etc.). What color furniture should I use? (Wood – light, white or black OR maybe metal?)

I’d go with white, for either metal or wood. It will look nice and clean along with the white trim. If you choose to do a natural wood, I’d keep it light.

Remember, even though white will show dirt, dark colors show the DUST!

I prefer a website or links for 2nd hand sofas or other furnitures. I hate looking at newspapers, they usually dont have pictures so you have no clue what they look like. I really wanna get rid of my old sofa and cabinet.
Thanks and 10 points to the best answer.

www.finn.no without a doubt!
You can find anything on there. "Torget" is where you want to start looking. Type Sofa in the search field and limit your search by area in the menu on the side.

http://www.finn.no/finn/bap/result?CATEGORY/MAINCATEGORY=78&keyword=Sofa

It’s probably best if you get someone who understands norwegian to help you if you don’t.

We’ve found furniture that we like but aren’t moving into our new house for about 6-8 months as it is being built. We don’t have any room to put new furniture but don’t want it to be gone/discontinued by the time we need to buy it.

It depends. Some retailers sell "open stock" They order furniture, often by the container load, and sell it when it comes in. When it’s gone, it’s gone and they may or may not order more of the same or even keep the same manufacturer.

Others sell a manufacturer’s line and will have display models and inventory or order things just like it as sold. They will continue to sell as long as the manufacturer makes that model and/or they have some in inventory.

Others are "made to order" particularly upholstered furniture. You pick out the style and the fabric (sometimes from 1000s of options). As long as the fabric is available (average lifespan 3-5 years) they will make it for you.

The other thing to do is just ask the retailer. They may know if the style is being discontinued soon. If so, you can buy it and have them hold it for you until you are ready. This may involve a storage or warehousing charge. Or you can put down a deposit and have them let you know if this is happening during the time you’re waiting.

i purchased insurance to cover accidental damage, my cousin burnt the sofa with hair straightners but the insurance company wouldnt pay coz its neglect. what excuse can i use to claim new sofas?

Well, you aren’t going to be able to find a "new excuse" for a claim. This incident is already carved in stone in your file, and if you come up with a new "excuse," you are going to be red-flagged as trying insurance fraud — which could cancel your policy or increase your rates. Insurance companies can be real ba$tards.

Bear in mind insurance companies don’t want to hand out claim money, so it is likely you got an auto-reject. Stand firm that your cousin ACCIDENTALLY burned the sofa with chemicals — she ocould not control the drip, she didn’t realize it, etc. — but she did not NEGLECTFULLY do it. Nor did you not neglectfully do it. Neglect implies doing something on purpose, or having knowledge sufficient to realize it was neglect. Does your cousin live with you and does she part of the insurance claim? If she was just visiting, then it was not your neglect, and you consider it an accident. Get a statement from your cousin. You may have to push the issue a few times. However, whatever you do, do not try and clam another reason — or excuse — to get new sofas, or that will be really, really bad news, and any claim for your sofas will be labeled an insurance scam.

If it comes down to the insurance company not giving in, and not worth an attorney, get some nice slip covers and start shopping for a new insurance company.

I am a college student and im moving into an apartment. I am living in the living room and thinking of turning it into a room. I have ideas for what to use for my walls (cubicle partitions) and i have a basic layout of a room. What are some good ideas of saving space? and whats a good way of making a door since i dont have real walls. I was thinking of using a shower curtain or something liek that for my door.

I’ll TRY to help you here.

Wall partitions are great. They’re like a free-standing, fake wall. I’ve seen two types: a small, tri-fold one used for a small section, or a really nice, big-sized one that will cover almost an entire wall! That’s nice, because you could divide the room in half.
Another choice would be to have a sleeper couch that you turn into your bed only at night. If you can spring for it, consider a computer armoire, so you can close the doors during the day, but use it as a desk. If not, find a different type of fol-away desk.
I HOPE this is what you were asking. However you do it, I’m glad you’re thinking about doing this. If you’re that cramped, it’s best to have a way to make it a living area during the day and a bedroom at night. Hopefully it won’t be too long before you can have your own bedroom!

I’m moving into a new apartment in a couple of weeks, and I’m going to go buy a bunch of new furniture. But I’m not too sure as to what color furniture (sofa, tables, dinette, etc.) I should get. What will go good with an apartment with walls that are white, and carpet that is sort of a "dirty" white, but white nonetheless.

Right now I’m thinking the obvious black but what do you think?

Since white is a neautral color any color will go with it . That is why most rentals walls are painted white . Choose furniture that reflect your personnality. Do you like modern or country??? The main thing is that you get furniture that you like and that you are comfortable with. . Have a fun time shopping and congrats on your move.

We’re in a rented house and my cat won’t stop scratching the sofas! She has also opted to rip the wallpaper, making a huge problem for us! Does anyone have any ideas as to how we can stop her?

One thing is absolutely certain. You will never stop a cat from scratching but you can divert his claws from your sofa, furnishings or carpet to something more appropriate. It is relatively easy to stop your cat scratching your furniture. First you must buy or make him a scratching post.Whenever you see your cat scratching the furniture tell him NO… or AH-AH in a firm voice, then gently pick him up and take him to the scratching post. Do this is a very gentle way so as not to scare him. Place his paws on the scratching post and simulate scratching. Praise him and tell him ‘Good Kitty’ and stroke him to make it an enjoyable pleasant experience. You will have to be diligent at first and try to catch him in the act of scratching your furniture. Never punish him for scratching inappropriately but praise him well when he does the right thing. It’s all about reward and pleasant experiences.

Good Luck!