When buying a sofa, it can be hard to know what to look out for. Sofa prices vary widely. You'll often find two similar looking sofas with thousands of dollars of price difference.
Are the seat cushions removable?
Many manufacturers make sofas with non removable seat cushions. If you are looking to get 5 + years out of your next sofa, non-removable seat cushion covers are almost always a deal breaker for us, for these 2 reasons.
1.The better option of the two fixed seat cushion style sofas are those with separate foam pieces, sitting on top of a springed frame, and sewn in at the back.
2.The worse option has either pocket springs mixed into the foam and frame of the sofa, or horizontal springs underneath a mix of foam and frame in the sofa. They both have the same issue: cleaning, fabric wear and foam softening. The latter of the two has these issues, in addition to most of the time poor build quality.
What issues come with fixed seat cushions: If a stain happens on a fixed seat cushion, it's much harder to clean than a regular cushion. You will need to buy or rent a hot water extractor, but it may still be more difficult to fix the issue than with a removable cushion cover if the stain involves a big spill. Spills often soak through to the polly batting/ foam underneath, every time the extractor passes over it, the stain from underneath that has just become wet again will soak back up to the upholstery at the top, making it show again.
Are the back cushions removable?
If the back cushions are not removable, it will have similar issues to a sofa with non removable seat cushions. However, fixed back cushion sofas on average have better build quality that fixed seat cushion sofas.
Is it a trundle bed?
Trundle bed sofas (the bed slides/ rolls out from underneath the sofa) have notoriously short lifespans. With trundle beds, the proof is in the warranty. Check the frame warranty before purchasing, and don't expect it to last much longer that the warranty guarantees it for.
Are the seat cushions reversible?
When you are looking at a sofa, check the underside of the seat cushion to see if it is the same upholstery as the top or not. Even some high end brands sometimes make one sided seat cushions. Know that seat cushion covers with one sided upholstery will last about half as long as their double sided counterparts. Also, seat cushion covers fully covered in upholstery tend to hold up better in the washing machines. If you can score a sofa with two sided seat cushion covers, it's a big bonus for longevity. If you have kids that like to make a mess, reversible seat cushion covers sofas are great because you can flip the cushions over when guests come, giving your sofa a clean look.
Are the back cushions reversible?
If the back cushions are not reversible, they will have similar issues to a sofa with non reversible seat cushions. You won't be able to flip the cushion over if it gets stained badly or riped. Also, it will have a higher chance of getting damaged in the washing machine.
What kind of warranty was it sold with from factory?
This is generally a good indication of how long the sofa will last. Keep in mind, lower end sofas that have 1 - 3 year warranties really do often last as long as their warranty!
Hopefully this guide helped. Best of luck looking for your new sofa! To view our hand selected collection of pre-owned sofa’s, check out “Our Collection.”