Today, wooden furniture is no longer what it used to be. Solid wood is now considered a luxury item, and the market is now flooded with laminated wood, or wood-patterned wallpaper on top of chipboard furniture, to give it that “wood look.” Some of them are better than others, but for the most part, they are not as strong as solid wood, nor are they as pretty.
A few years ago, I ordered a very large desk and sideboard combination from a national chain store that sells office furniture. It looked good online and in person, so I bought it. Little did I know, and the seller forgot to mention, that for $1000 I would get a bunch of heavy boxes mostly laminated chipboard, with two solid wood parts, desk top and booth top. The rest was all “wood look”. Having never dealt with this before, I was more concerned with putting together a very large desk than with materials. I had to hire a friend to do it, because the shop wanted an extra $700 if I wanted them to come put it together for me.
For three days, my friend Kevin glued, drilled, and pounded nails to make my desk. In the end, the unit looked great and I was very happy. However, as time passed, it became obvious that any nick or nick could mar the laminated chipboard sides and shelves. The move was a nightmare, because everything was messed up by the movers, just in the daily handling. Where do you go out and buy matching strips of “wood look” paper to cover up damaged areas, without making it look cheap and tacky? I’m not good with this kind of thing, so now the whole desktop is saved until I figure it all out. In the meantime, I went and bought a solid mahogany desk for more money, which was worth every penny I paid. The lesson for me is to buy real wood in the first place, or go without. This way, your hard-earned money is not wasted on something that is less durable and difficult to fix.
A friend gave me a shelving unit when I moved to Florida, she no longer wanted it as she was moving north. She seemed new, but I soon realized that she also had her own problems. She was formica on particle board and couldn’t support the weight of my books. She started to fold in the middle so I gave it to someone else. Again, I bought a large hardwood bookcase and it can hold all my books and then some.
In short, it’s best to save and buy real wood whenever possible. In this way, perhaps the entire phase of furniture manufacturing with “wood look” laminated chipboard or paper cover will fall by the wayside due to lack of public interest. Look at the charming Victorian furniture and the hand-carved furniture from other countries. I usually buy American products, but not if they are not well made. My current desk was imported from India and is solid mahogany with dovetail joints and hand carved details. It is well made and strong. With shipping, I paid $1200 for it, and it was worth every penny. Choose quality items and they will last a long time. Don’t fall for the allure of furniture that is not well made but looks attractive. Shop around and compare to be sure. You’ll be glad you did.
