17 CASE GOODS AND UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE AND ITS CONSTRUCTION

V. Yasodha

INTRODUCTION

In this topic I am going to explain you about the case goods and upholstered furniture. Both the terms are used to indicate the furniture but there is a distinct difference between these two types. The difference is in their methods of construction. We use the term Case goods to refer various types non-upholstered furniture pieces which we used to store our belongings and for other activities whereas Upholstered furniture are constructed with cushions and pads in their seating and back to add comfort when we using them.

So, it is essential to know the construction details of these furniture which will help you to make proper choice of furniture for interiors.

The Objectives of this lesson is:

1. To know the meaning and functions of case goods
2. To understand the features of upholstered furniture
3. To know about the construction techniques of upholstered furniture

First we will discuss about the characteristic features of case goods.

The term case goods refer to furniture that is not upholstered, and is usually made of wood or metal. The examples of case goods are dressers, table, chests, and other storage pieces. Its quality plays a very important role in fixing the price of furniture. Case goods are also made with a variety of materials, including wicker, stainless steel, wrought iron, plastic, glass, and laminates.

It is impossible to know all the details about case goods like what are the materials used and methods involved in the construction of both inside and outside of the furniture. Some of the distinctive quality will be visible. For example, a smooth and glossy finish or the protective coat will invite us to touch. But many times the structural details of case goods are hidden by intricate design and elaborate decoration.

Most of the qualities and benefits of well made furniture could not be visible and not noticed. High quality case goods can easily be identified by the way it was produced and the parts are assembled.

There are many factors that affect the beauty and utility of quality case goods. They are

• Sound construction, which is the most important aspect you have to consider while making a purchase of any piece of furniture. This structural integrity is determined by the types of joints and the techniques used in joining the various parts of furniture firmly and securely. Joints used in case good construction are mortise and tenon, corner joint or dovetail joint . Sometimes the parts of case goods should be nailed or glued together to impart greater strength.
• Corner joints are used at the points where there is much strain and stress in furniture. Corner joints provide strength to the seat corners and protect the dowel pins from breaking under stress. Mitered joint, lap joint, lock joint are the varieties of corner joints

• Dovetail joints are used in drawer construction and it ensures drawers of table or chest should glide smoothly on heavy-duty glide rails, without strucking. The drawers should be adequately tight and should not sway or move from side to side.

• Bracing is provided in tables to increase strength. Stretchers are also attached to the legs of tables or chair with mortise and tenon joint.

Other techniques in furniture construction

The style and quality of any particular furniture will determine how many steps are necessary from its production till its end. Naturally , the more labour involved the higher the cost and it gets reflected in the retail price. There are a few points that should be discussed because they influence the quality and cost.

In addition to joints, there are also other features one must consider when buying a case good.

In case of furniture item designed for storage, like cupboard or wardrobe, the back and the interior of the drawers show the quality of workmanship.

Drawers – The quality of wooden furniture was determined by the types of wood and joints used for making drawers. The presence of dust proof panels between each set of drawers is another sign of quality. These panels are protecting the contents of the drawers by preventing the entry of dust particles through air circulation. The problem of case goods made of wood is difficult to open the sticky drawers, especially in high humidity atmosphere. But, this problem is overcome by high quality metal glides whichfacilitate easy  opening  and   closing   of   drawers.

Finishes

When examining a piece of case good, you must see how the furniture is finished. Well finished and finely sanded inside and outside of drawers will enhance easy gliding and durability. Drawer interiors should not have any burrs or splits, so that they are smooth to the touch.

Next, we will pass on to the topic

UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE AND ITS CONSTRUCTION

Now I am going to elaborate the meaning, features and construction details of Upholstered furniture.

Upholstered furniture is a recent development in furniture construction. It has been considered as a symbol of luxury, style and status of people. Upholstered furniture can impart a sense of beauty to the interiors in which it is placed.

What is Upholstered furniture?

Upholstered furniture, also known as upholstery, is a type of furniture stuffed with cushions or pads of resilient materials inside and covered by attractive fabric or leather.

The term upholstery also refers to the materials and techniques used in the covering and stuffing of furniture. It offers high degree of comfort and luxury that is why it is preferred by people worldwide. Whether it is a sofa, a chair, or a bed, upholstered furniture is comfortable and stylish.

Now we will look into the salient features of upholstered furniture.

•  It is more stylish and comfortable than non- upholstered furniture.
• It gives highly decorative and luxurious look to the rooms.
• They are durable and long lasting if covered by good quality fabrics or leather.
• It makes a sense of royalty and uniqueness to the interiors.
• Upholstered furniture covered with fabrics comes in a variety of colour and pattern. Hence it is possible to create different colour harmonies like related and contrasting.
• It becomes the center of attraction in a well balanced interior arrangement.
• It gives a good support to the back and body and also relieves back ache and strain.
• Care and maintenance is easy for some upholstered furniture.

Next, we are going to discuss about the steps involved in the construction of upholstered furniture

The durability of upholstered furniture depends upon materials used and methods involved in its construction. You have to give more importance to the materials used in different parts because there is a lot of opportunity for hiding the quality of materials under attractive upholstery fabric.

There are many other features one should consider before going to purchase an upholstered piece. They are good workmanship, construction of several parts and quality of material beneath the outside covering. The main parts of an upholstered furniture to be examined are frame, seat, welting, seam, webbing, springs, stuffing/filling, fabrics and other accessories such as tacks, nails and pins.

Frame

The frame is an important part of any upholstered piece is the frame, since it carries the weight and determines the shape. The frame should be securely joined for strength and support. It must be constructed to withstand stress and strain over a long period of time. A hard wood frame is an excellent choice. The wood should be free from imperfections and kiln-dried properly to prevent termite attack and get a durable frame. Oak, teak, maple etc, are commonly used because these woods are strong and can be glued and finished well. In case of cheap furniture items less expensive wood is being used. Wood should also hold nails and screws securely. The frame should also be strengthened by corner block of hard word. Besides this, the joints like ‘dowel’ and ‘mortise and tenon’ make the best furniture. The legs should be made with one piece of wood, and free from cracks and joints.

Seat

The seat is the base for fixing springs. The seat should be comfortable in any furniture. Generally, loose cushions are used on most of the seating furniture of today.Coir, and cotton material make poor cushions and generally synthetic foams make a more comfortable seat.

Welting

Welting is a length of fabric, usually tubular in shape, used to strengthen and hide seams on upholstery, slip-covers and bedspreads. Welting is frequently used on the seams of upholstered furniture items for added strength and durability. It should have a neatly fitted corner.

Seam

Seams should be well-finished, smooth, even and strong. A firm, clean finish with no projecting ends, shows good workmanship. In cheap quality furniture seams start coming out after a short period of time.

Wooden slats are used in some cases as the base. The webbing is done across the frame. The underside is covered with jute or canvas to give neat appearance

Webbing

                  Illustration 1. Stretching Webbing

Illustration 2. Interlacing Webbing

Seat is made of textile webbing or steel webbing. It is the base for all traditional upholstery and stretched across the seat frame. In the case of chairs and sofas, webbing is closely interlaced. Springs are attached to webbing and to the frame securely. Webbing attached to the frame provides support for the spring and other stuffing materials. The size of the frame and the weight to be supported determine the quantity of webbing to be used. Seats require more webbing than backs.

Springs

Coil springs made from strong steel wires are generally used in good quality furniture and are used closely to each-other. Springs are fastened securely to the webbing. A high grade chair may have as many as coils, but 9 or 12 are more common. For the greatest strength, springs should be tied in eight directions. A layer of canvas is placed over the springs to hold them in place.

The type of spring also varies. They are larger on big seats. Correctly tied springs add strength and hold them in proper place. The spring should have enough elasticity so  that it comes out when pressure is released. Galvanized Steel springs make better furniture as compared to aluminum or iron springs. Flat zigzag springs often are found in lightweight chairs; they have somewhat less resilience and strength than coil springs.

Filling or Stuffing

A filling or stuffing material is needed for comfort. The filling is placed over the canvas cover of springs and is covered with a pad of cotton or foam rubber to give smooth surface for lining and covering. The filling is either made of animal hair, vegetable fibers or synthetic materials. Horse hair or feathers were used in earlier days. Horse hair is most resilient but expensive. It is sometimes mixed with other animal hairs.

Dacron fiber filling is popular in moderate priced furniture; it is resilient, no allergic iture. Layers of cotton felt, or a thin layer of foam rubber between the filling and a firm muslin cover, give a chair or sofa firmness

Vegetable fillings include coconut fibers, cotton or any other vegetable fibers. Urethane foam and rubber foam are widely used today. Many people prefer solid foam-rubber con-struction. Foam rubber makes neat corners and retains its shape. Cushion covers tend to creep on foam rubber, but this feature may be overcome by reversing the cushions regularly. Upholstered foam-rubber chairs should be shampooed and not dry-cleaned, because dry-cleaning fluids cause rubber to become sticky. Heat will also harm foam rubber. Down-filled cushions are comfortable, but they must be kept fluffed up to look attractive. A combination of feathers and down will outlast all-down cushions.

Well-made furniture has ample amount of filling selected, so that it will retain its shape for a long period of time whereas poor workmanship will be evident after a relatively short period- that is the filling will shift and shape gets distorted. If the workmanship is good, the filling material is distributed evenly over the surface of the furniture item, packed firmly and held in place to prevent shifting.

Muslin

A layer of muslin is added and covered with the final upholstery fabric. It is used to cover the underside of the seat.

Fabric

The upholstery fabric should be durable, wrinkle proof, stain proof, and not affected by moths and insects. The furniture that will receive hard use should be covered with a fabric that resists both soil and wear. Closely woven fabric is a good choice for the upholstered furniture that will receive hard wear. The weave should be firm so that threads do not pull out. It should be durable also and according to purpose or use. The colour and pattern depends upon the theme of general decoration. Plain colours go well with patterned floors and patterned materials shows well against plain floors. The colours should be attractive as the upholstered sofas are main furniture items in drawing room. It should be pleasant to touch also.

Furniture upholstery fabrics include cotton, denim, tapestries, plastics, pile fabrics, bro-cade, and damask. Nubby effects and threads floating on top catch on nails, rings, and rough objects. Smooth solid-color upholstery is difficult to clean. Figured fabrics, textured weaves, and brocaded effects in nylon, cotton, rayon, and blends treated for soil resistance and stain proof stay fresh looking. Now a days, leather and rexin are also used to cover the fabric. Velvets, blended fabrics and polyester materials are also popularly used in these days. Each one of them has its own merits and demerits and the buyer should analyse these before opting for any one of them.

Braiding

Tacks and the raw edges of fabric on chairs are concealed under banding. Bands of the covered fabric may be laid over the tack heads and fixed with decorative nails.

Tacks, nails and pins

Tacks made of steel should always be used for upholstery. Fine tacks have small heads. Decorative nail heads are used to conceal raw edges.

CONCLUSION

As we have already discussed, Furniture, whether it is case good or upholstered furniture, plays a significant role in providing comfort to do our major activities. In addition to being functional, the furniture item should also meet the aesthetic needs of the people. So, you have to analyze very carefully, the factors that affecting beauty and utility of furniture. I hope that, the features and construction details of furniture, Which we discussed in this topic, will help you to make a complete examination of a furniture before buying it and it is a must for every consumer and decorator.