Mennonite Furniture Studios American Hardwood Heirloom Furniture

Understand which features You should demand and which ones You should avoid in order to get the best value from Your next quality rocking chair or glider-rocker purchase:

• What To Insist On: – Find out exactly what to look for in a true ‘Heirloom Quality’ Rocking Chair that will beautifully accommodate Your needs, and be easily maintained to last for generations.
• What To Avoid: – Find out how to look for, identify, and avoid common furniture manufacturers cost-cutting steps that will simply not bear the burden of normal use in Your home.

Things To Know When Buying Your Rocking Chair

With modern glues and furniture finishes, there is absolutely no reason why modern seating should not be better than the very best chairs, benches or stools of the past. However, many chairs that you will find in your local furniture chain-store are mass produced to budget and are not built to last. Share some time to note with us some features of a superior chair, bench or stool:

Insist On This – What To Look For When Choosing Your Quality Hardwood Rocking Chair

Furniture Quality And Value: A true “Heirloom Quality” chair, bench, or stool is always a piece of furniture that is both beautiful and functional. Caringly crafted from selected solid hardwood, it will provide far superior value to any of the mass-produced chairs that You’ll find in most furniture stores, and the majority of people are pleasantly surprised at just how affordable an Heirloom Quality chair can be.

Quality Chair Construction: Square Frame or Windsor, a true Heirloom Quality dining chair is judiciously designed and constructed, using time-tested engineering principles, carefully selected premium American hardwoods, and quality materials, to be both strong and durable. Look for leg frames that spread gracefully, for balance, style, and durability, and make sure that the legs are properly trimmed so that the chair sits flat on all 4 legs.

Investigate How Comfortable The Chair Will Be For You: Depending upon your personal preference, some dining chair models may come with wooden seats or with upholstered cushion seats. Additionally, some people prefer straight upright back rests and others prefer slanted backrests or ergonomically shaped back rests that wrap around. You must have good lower back support!

• Wooden Seats should be made of thick hardwood planks, edge glued, and generously dished to ensure your comfort. Although most traditional chairs were originally made with soft pine seats (for ease of working), all of our chairs use solid oak, cherry, or maple seats for added beauty and durability.
• Upholstered Seats must feature cushions that are removable (and replaceable) for ease of cleaning or redecorating. As furniture manufacturers we provide a wide range of fabric colors and textures to assure availability of upholstery to suit almost any taste. Alternatively, You may provide Your own fabric to ensure a perfect match in Your home.
• Arm Chairs should feature well-supported broad, flat arm rests (we use 3 arm posts rather than 2 on Windsor chairs), that must be strong enough to take your full weight during ingress and egress.

With or without upholstery a properly designed dining chair should be supremely relaxing to sit in, and able to comfortably support Your body for hours at a time.

Look For Legacy Carpentry Techniques: Although most Colonial period chairs were originally made with soft pine seats (for ease of working), all of the chairs in our catalog use solid oak, cherry, or maple hardwood seats for added beauty and durability. Look underneath the seat, solid oak or cherry posts and spindles should pass entirely through the wooden seat frame and be secured in place with hickory wedges and quality adhesive, before being sanded flat and finished.

Ask About The Glues Used: Modern technology has allowed the development of tenacious adhesives that allow the wood to move naturally with the seasons while providing joints that are now stronger than the structure of the wood itself.

Look For A Tough Hardened Varnish: Ask about modern catalyzed finishes and clean-room coating techniques. These allow full development of color and luster that emphasize the natural beauty of the wood grain, yet allow full protection against water and spillage of common household chemicals. Today’s heirloom quality chairs are far more durable than the antiques they are modeled on – contributing lasting beauty for future generations to enjoy with the minimum possible upkeep.