UPHOLSTERED FABRIC FURNITURE CONSUMER GUIDE Presented by Factory Direct Furniture We make the furniture how you want it made by fellow Australians & using the best products available. We use timber from sustainable forests, our cushion support system is the absolute best on offer & our cushioning is top end premium foam bacterially treated & endorsed by the Asthma Foundation. You can choose the fabric and colour and we are happy to discuss your options. There is no compromise on quality and on warranty. PHONE: (07) 3865 9113 www.factorydirectfurniture.com.au
Contents About Factory Direct Furniture... 03 Not Your Average Retailer... 04 Tips for Buying Furniture... 05 The Frame... 05 The Support System for the Cushioning... 05 The Cushioning... 06 The Fabric... 07 Some Basic Thoughts on Fabrics... 07 A Few Basic Hints... 07 When Buying a Lounge from Us... 09 Our Frames... 09 The Support System... 09 Cushioning... 09 Our Fabrics... 09 Retail Pricing Trick... 10 Other Information You Should Consider... 11 Understanding Warranties... 12 Top Questions to Ask When Selecting Furniture... 13 Furniture Buyer s Checklist... 14 02 Factory Direct Furniture Consumer Guide www.factorydirectfurniture.com.au (07) 3865 9113
03 About Factory Direct Furniture Factory Direct Furniture (FDF) was born in 2000, to be the retail arm for Uptown Furniture (another subsidiary of Dyman Foams). Kevin Feldman, the managing director, is a life member of the Funiture Industry Association. FDF is a proud member of the Queensland Furniture Industry Association. We abide willingly by their code of conduct. We do not compromise on quality and yet, because we don t have the big retailer s overheads, we can deliver a genuine cost saving for a better product. FDF is a lounge and sofa manufacturer that sells direct to the public. We make it on-site in our factory. We offer the best quality possible at FAIR prices with NO middle man or retail add on s. FDF is a manufacturing outlet direct to you, not a normal retailer. Because of this, normal retailers do not make their own furniture, whether buying from a local manufacturer or importing, add 100% to the supplier s price (and in a lot of cases more than 100%) to arrive at their prices to you. For instance a $1,000 dollar lounge from me, brought through a retailer, would cost you up to $2,199 (or more). From FDF you pay close to the price the retailer would pay for the manufacturer before their margin is added. It is worth noting that even the up to 50% off sales that retailers try to snow you with are dearer than factory direct prices for the same product. In a lot of cases the retailer loads up their original selling price so that they can offer the huge discounts at a later date. We personally don t believe that many of the discounts are genuine but even if they are then our opinion is that factory direct prices offer more value for the same product anyway. The extra benefits of buying from FDF (apart from cutting out the retail margin) are that you can you choose the fabric you want, the colour you want, the cushioning you want (soft, medium, firm) and the feet you want. On top of all that choice we will build your lounge in any combination you require... chair, 2 seater, 2.5 seater, 3 seater, settees with chaises, with sofa beds, as corners, corners with chaises, etc, etc plus ottomans and scatters. We are NOT a retailer in the general sense. We are a MANUFACTURER who sells direct to the public.
NOT YOUR AVERAGE RETAILER 1. We are different from other outlets because what you see in our store and on our website is only a sample of what we do or what we can do. In a retail store what you see is what you get but with us you can buy what you see OR you can make changes. If you see a corner suite you like but want a 2 or 3 seater instead of the corner we can do this. If you like a design but the seating is too soft or too hard we can change the feel. If you like a design but the colour doesn t suit we can change the fabric. If you like the design but it doesn t quite fit the space you have we can make the lounge bigger or smaller. 2. We can change the width of the arms, we can offer a range of different feet on any lounge, we can offer foam OR fibre backs and we can scotch guard for extra protection. 3. We can put a sofa bed in most designs even corners. We can do all designs with or without a chaise. 4. We can make each chaise fixed or reversible. We can colour coordinate so that the scatters or ottoman can match in with your curtains or floor. 5. We can do this because we MAKE IT. Our products are made in the very factory you are standing in OR, if not, they are made in other Queensland factories by fellow Queenslanders. (We mention this because we sell some lounges made by other manufacturers to support them.) 04 Factory Direct Furniture Consumer Guide www.factorydirectfurniture.com.au (07) 3865 9113
CONSUMER GUIDE Tips for Buying Furniture THE FRAME If the quality of the frame is poor the lounge cannot be anything but poor. Avoid chipboard in load bearing areas, make sure that the bracing timbers are at least 50 mm thick, make sure that the frame is glued AND nailed, make sure that all corners are braced and ensure that the arm tops aren t made of cardboard. THE SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE CUSHIONING If webbing is used we believe it should be Black Cat webbing. This will support the cushioning and will not sag regardless of the usage. Avoid stretchy weak webbing and avoid hessian bag style webbing in load bearing areas. If Black Cat webbing is used it will almost certainly mean that the frame is made from solid timber and not chipboard and has been constructed correctly. For Black Cat webbing to be fitted, a tension machine is used and any inferior frame would shatter under the tension. This is why cheap frames use inferior webbing instead of Black Cat. Black Cat webbing carries a 10 year warranty. 05
CONSUMER GUIDE THE CUSHIONING Particularly on the seating, as most (80%) of a persons weight is downwards when using a lounge and only 20% is carried by the back cushioning, high density foams MUST be used if you are wanting the lounge to last and still be comfortable in years to come. The Australian standard (although not compulsory) is 30kg per cubic metre foam. For real peace of mind the cushioning should be heavier than 30kg. Foam of 30kg and heavier is premium quality foam. All foam softens over time. The lower the density, the sooner it softens and loses shape. Foams of 30kg density or above soften less over time and maintain their shape better. This preserves the look and comfort of your lounge. To learn more visit our suppliers website www.dymanfoams.com.au 06
The Fabric One of the tricks you need to look out for is that one way to make a cheap/low cost lounge is to compromise on the quality of the fabric. Choose your fabrics well. Look at the rating supplied by the manufacturer and their recommendation for how and where it is to be used. Enquire as to what the fabric is made from. Enquire also how it is to be cared for. SOME BASIC THOUGHTS ON FABRICS People often ask us to explain the difference in fabrics why is one type of fabric $10 per metre (or less) and another $40 per metre (or more)? It is an important question because the cost of the fabric has a huge influence on BOTH the price and longevity of the lounge. Obviously the answer to the price difference is quality... but what determines quality? There are many things that come into play when assessing the quality of fabric things such as the amount of yarn used, the type of yarn used, the quality of workmanship of the dye house used, the type of dye used, the weaving pattern, the type of backing used, the feel of the fabric and the look of the fabric. There are so many things that should be considered if you are not an expert it may become confusing. How do you make sure that the money you are investing in your lounge is being invested wisely? A FEW BASIC HINTS 1. Determine who the fabric supplier is. Are they reputable? This becomes easy to answer if the lounge is made in Australia. Suppliers such as Warwick Fabrics, Profile Fabrics and other Australian based suppliers are reputable Companies that stand behind the products they sell. These suppliers work with local manufacturers to make sure that you can buy with confidence and ensure the fabrics used are suitable for the purpose intended. 07
08 A FEW BASIC HINTS CONTINUED 2. It is important to know that different fabrics are needed in different use situations... it is not a one size fits all scenario. Fabrics that come in from overseas already upholstered on lounges carry risk. This is because the overseas manufacturer chooses the fabric without knowing the end customers requirement for the lounge. Generally this leads to them selecting the cheapest fabric and so the risk to the end customer (you) increases. How do they know who will buy the lounge and what the daily usage will be for that lounge? The answer is that they don t know. So hint number two... have a full understanding of the amount of use your new lounge will get and choose the fabric best suited it is really important to do so. The following is a simple explanation that may assist you to select the fabric best suited to your needs... Fabric can be put into one of 4 basic categories. Light Domestic (Not being used every day say as a decorative piece) General Domestic (basic daily usage say an older couple s home) Heavy Domestic (medium daily usage say a 1 2 child family lounge) Commercial (high daily usage say in units or office areas or large family situation) 3. Polyesters, or other man made fibres, are stronger, last longer and are more easily cleaned. 4. Local fabric suppliers and local manufacturers support their products. For peace of mind buy Australian made products the benefits are REAL. We would also recommend that scotch guarding of the fabric be done as accidents happen and scotch guarding is another defense. For more information on fabrics please visit our supplier s websites at www.warwick.com.au and www.profilefabrics.com.au
When Buying a Lounge from Us OUR FRAMES Our frames are commerical grade frames. All joins are nailed AND glued and all corners are braced. Where importers use 25mm timber we use 50mm. Where they put cardboard on the arms we use timber. Our frames are built so that we don t get them back. All of our timber for our frames comes from sustainable forests. THE SUPPORT SYSTEM We use the best webbing on the market Black Cat 10 year warranty webbing. It is guaranteed not to stretch, sag or break. CUSHIONING Our cushioning is made from high quality 35 density premium foam. The Australian standard (although rarely enforced) is 30 density. This means our foams are significantly above the required standard and, as a consequence, will last longer and be more comfortable than most furniture. If the cushioning is not high density it CANNOT and WILL NOT last. Our foams are made in the most envionrmentally safe factories in the world and are endorsed by the Asthma Foundation. Where fibre is used we use high quality siliconised fibre sewn in covers with pockets to avoid sagging. We offer a 10 year warranty on our foam cushioning. OUR FABRICS We do not use or sell any fabrics under $10 per metre as you will most likely get problems in that cheaper range. 09
RETAIL PRICING TRICK Many retailers use cheap fabric to advertise a cheap price. Fabric can make a huge difference to the cost of a lounge and a major difference to the quality. A 2 seater, for example, requires approximately 10 metres of fabric in its construction. So if the lounge has $2 fabric the cost to the manufacturer for the fabric is $20. If, on the other hand, the fabric is $25 per metre then the cost to the manufacturer in the construction is $250...a whopping difference of $230 at COST (and somewhere near $400 to $500 at retail level). Imagine the difference on a corner suite where the metreage is nearer to 30 metres up to $1,500 difference at retail. Discount retailers often supply lounges in cheap and low quality fabric and then advertise a cheap price. They then tell you what a wonderful deal you will get from their store. I doubt it. Generally you get exactly what you pay for. If it is cheap in price it is usually cheap in quality as well. Ensure that any lounge you are looking at has at least a reasonable fabric suitable for purpose. Get the fabric type and search it on the Internet. You don t want to spend good money on something that looks awful after a few months. From Factory Direct Furniture you will get a quality product built of the best materials by Queensland tradesmen and women. 10
Other Information You Should Consider Apart from the critical 4 areas of a lounge you need to also think about warranty. Most warranties require you to return the item to the retail store at your own cost, have them assess it, and if there is something wrong with it, incur more cost for the delivery of the replacement. We offer a warranty whereby we come to you at OUR cost and fix the lounge at OUR expense if the fault is ours. Our workers are trained and professional and work in a clean and sanitised disease free environment. No products are contaminated with formaldehyde. Our Company is a proud member of Furniture Industry Association and abides by their Code of Conduct and we are accountable at all times for everything we do. Dyman Foams is our parent company which provides the onsite manufacturing and our foam. We are members of and support our local Community. ALL THIS AND FACTORY DIRECT NO MIDDLE MAN BUY LOCAL BUY DIRECT. SAY GOODBYE TO PROBLEMS. ENJOY PEACE OF MIND. For more info please visit www.factorydirectfurniture.com.au or call (07) 3865 9113. 11
12 Understanding Warranties It is very important to get a full understanding of the warranty that applies to your furniture purchase. Be aware that your warranty will vary across the same piece of furniture for example the frame will have a 5 year or 10 year warranty but the fabric will only have a 1 year warranty. Rarely will any fabric carry a warranty longer than 1 year. Many (most) warranties require the goods to be returned to the store of purchase at the buyers cost for an assessment to be made on any fault. If it is assessed as a fault covered by the warranty then the lounge will be repaired or replaced under the warranty but the delivery back to your home will be at the buyers cost (again). If the fault falls outside the scope of warranty you will have to arrange repair yourself and deliver the item to the repairer. Whilst all of this is happening you will have to do without your furniture and this could be for months (depending on the scope of repair work required). To get a good understanding of the warranty that applies to the furniture item you are buying ask the following questions... What warranty applies to the frame how long is it and what does it cover? What is the warranty on the cushion support system? What is the warranty on the cushioning? What is the warranty on the arms? What is the warranty on the fabric? Tell me about the repair process... do I have to return the item to the store? Who pays for the transport for repair/replacement work? How long does repair work take? As the sales staff of many furniture retail stores change quite often it is best to get the answers to the above in writing and signed. Too many times people have gone back to stores and the sales person has left. It becomes a difficult process then to prove what was said to the purchaser by the sales person on behalf of the store. If the store is reluctant (or won t) provide a signed statement of warranty answering the above questions then we would recommend being very cautious about purchasing the product.
Top Questions to Ask When Selecting Furniture 1. Is the frame glued as well as nailed? 2. Do the arm frames have cardboard on their tops? 3. Are the corners and joins braced? 4. What is the warranty on the frame? 5. What webbing/support system is used under the seat cushioning? 6. What is the density (weight) of the seat cushioning? (It needs to be more than 30kgs to have any chance of lasting). 7. What is the warranty on the seating foam? 8. What is warranty on all the other foam in the lounge? (i.e. the arms, the backs, etc) 9. What category does the fabric fall into? (refer page 8 of this guide) 10. What warranty is given on the fabric? 11. If something goes wrong with the lounge what is the repair procedure? 12. If the lounge has to be returned for repair who pays for the transportation to and fro? 13
Furniture Buyer s Checklist Before you purchase your lounge, for peace of mind, be comfortable to answer YES to all of the following... The frame is made of solid timber The frame has been glued and nailed on all joins. The frame is strong enough to stand on. The support system is Black Cat webbing or has the same warranty as Black Cat webbing. The foam cushioning is above 30kg density per cubic metre. The fabric on the lounge is suitable for the daily usage you will apply to the lounge. If there is a fault with any of the raw materials used or with the workmanship, will full replacement or repair warranties apply. 14