UY STYLE A y’s ide to Buying Upholstery (NAPSA)—More mentoday are active in home decorating, says the American Furniture Manufacturers Association. However, for many men, furniture stores are unfamiliar territory. As a man, you rely on familiar brand names to guide your decision making for other major purchases, such as cars and electron- ics, but upholstered furniture may not be as familiar to you. Here are some guidelines for furnishing your home: Put furniture through its paces. Lift one corner of the sofa and see if the frame feels sturdy. Press gently outward on arms and make note if there is any “give.” Frames are made of kiln-dried hardwood, hardwood plywood, softwood plywood or strand board —materials noted for holding pegs, screws, staples and nails securely in place for a long time. Find out what materials are used in the frame and ask how joints and stress points—such as the arms—arereinforced. Find out whatit’s madeof. Some stores have a “cutaway” to show you exactly what’s “under the hood” of an upholstered piece, but you'll often have to ask a sales associate. Eight-way hand-tied coil spring construction, in which each coil spring is placed in the seat by hand and tied into place with twine, was once considered the hallmark of quality upholstery. Today, other construction techniques, including new steel spring configurations, offer equal comfort and durability. Try it out. You wouldn’t buy a car without test-driving it; don’t buy a sofa, chair or recliner without sitting in it, slouching in it or reclining in it, at least for a few minutes. Regardless of the quality or construction—or cost—of the oe The Michael Weiss collection from Vanguard Furniture offers men handsome choicesforliving rooms. cushions, the only way you can tell if it’s going to feel comfortable to you is to sit in it. Get a second opinion. Optimally, this will be the opinion of someone else who will be using the furniture, such as your wife. In any case, you may want to seek a secondset of eyes before making a particular piece the cornerstone of your living room. Options for the color, pattern and texture of your upholstery are virtually unlimited, and once you have narrowed your choices, a second opinion may help you visualize how it will look in your home. Think safety. For fire safety reasons, make sure your new upholstery has a gold UFAC tag, which tells you the piece was manufactured according to fire safety standards developed by the Upholstered Furniture Action Council. These standards reduce the likelihood of upholstered furniture catchingfire. Learn about selecting furniture at www.findyourfurniture.com.
