How to Find and Buy the Best Sofas

First i want to say thanks for this forum and how much i wish you had a store in my area! i could really use some information and advice on a fabric sofa.

I recently purchased a Stickley sofa, fabric, and have had nothing but trouble with the cores. Upon delivery one core was crushed and did not rebound; and the pillow had the zipper sewn in crooked. They sent replacement cores (8 weeks later) that did not fit the covers so the local store where i made the purchase said they could make cores much better than stickley had provided.

Their inspector said the cores compressing was his number one problem and that no one made a good core these days; Stickley included (although their customer service manager said otherwise). He further said they optioned out the cores and you never knew where it was coming from or how it would fit.

The store delivered the cores they made in-house and they are one piece of hard foam, with batting on the top and bottom with a gauze cover; not cloth. I could have made this; not quite what i would expect for a $3,300 sofa, but maybe I'm wrong. I was also told to make sure the core was covered in cloth as a sign of a good core.

I'm perplexed since i thought Stickley was a top brand, but after this experience i am not sure what to do next. The store has offered to get one more set of replacement cores, but they said it will be the same as before, or i can get a refund. I can wait a couple of weeks and talk to the local rep when he returns from his mission trip, but don't know that will help with this situation.

Am i wrong to expect a core to be made better than a piece of foam with batting on the top and bottom? Shouldn't a brand new sofa have a core that does not compress after one week?

If i chose the refund route, what brand can i go to for a better sofa? It's not like there are lot of folks jumping around, i live alone and work full time and have no pets or kids; just want something well made that will have a comfortable cushion that doesn't compress after one week.

Any thoughts, information or suggestions would be appreciated.

I am really surprised to hear that a company like Stickley would use cushions that compress within a week. It is a common practice for upholstered furniture manufacturers to buy their cushion cores from foam suppliers and some suppliers are more consistent in their quality than others.

The cushion core you describe is a standard foam core which can be either good or bad depending upon the quality, thickness and specifications of the foam used. At a minimum it should have been a high resilience foam. If I were you I would send a polite email to the President of Stickley describing your problem and expressing your disappointment in the quality of their furniture. Mention that the inspector told you that this is a common problem with Stickley furniture. The President may be unaware of that and will not ignore it.

Keep in mind that Stickley's President is much more likely to be willing to spend money to correct your problem if he feels it is possible to change you from a disappointed customer into a very happy one who will appreciate his efforts and let others know that Stickley was willing to do whatever was necessary to make things right. If he feels you will be angry no matter what he does and will say negative things about his company he is far less likely to work with you.

I am sure Stickley makes more expensive "upgraded" cushions and if you approach this correctly, without showing anger and without making threats, there is a good chance they will give you a set of upgraded cushions at no charge. Depending upon the cost of your fabric you may have to send them your seat covers so that they can properly fit the new cores. If the fabric is not too expensive they may make you a new set of cushions with the fabric covers included.

The inspector's statement that you can't find a good foam core these days is incorrect. It is true that the price of foam has been increasing rapidly recently but if the manufacturer is willing to pay the price they can still buy excellent quality cushions.

It is not surprising that the "homemade" cores from your local dealer did not have a cloth covering. Cloth coverings add $10 - $15 to the manufacturing cost of each seat cushion and they are strictly cosmetic for a foam core cushion. The reason high quality sofa manufacturers use non-woven cloth covers on foam cushions is that they can afford to charge an additional $50 retail for this cosmetic addition to their furniture. For a company selling less expensive sofas lowering the price by $50 is usually considered more important than improving the "look" of the cushion. For upgraded cushions using down and feathers a down-proof cloth covering is essential, otherwise the feathers will fly out of the cushions.

I agree with Jeff, take it to the boss. I am surprised to hear about the quality issue. After looking at almost every make and mftr for a sofa we visited a Stickley dealer in the DC area and found their sofas to be one of the most comfortable I have ever sat on. I thought the cores were firm yet plush and the stitch detailing was superb (I even opened up the zippers to inspect). Unfortunatly, we just didn't find a model that suited our style. I am wondering if maybe what they put in the showrooms is different than what they deliver...?

All companies sub-contract their cushion cores, there are specialized businesses that make them for virtually all manufacturers. A good core is truly engineered, and not merely cut out of a chunk of foam.

You don't say what the makeup of the cores is in the piece? If these are down - or down-content cores than you WILL get compression with each use, and that's not a defect. Most fabric pieces that are high line will have down content cores and you can expect then to compress somewhat depending on the core makeup. That's where you want to look first - rather than assuming you have defective cushion cores. You may very well have a high end down/feather type of core in the piece that is performing perfectly but it just wasn't what you expected. So the first part of the detective work is to find out exactly what you have. Are they using a Marshall Unit? Or is it something like a 60/40 Down/Goose Feather cushion? Or is it closed cell Qualux foam with a Down & Feather sleeve on top? Or is is supposed to be 100 % poly/dac? All these will perform differently. Before you can really do much more in the way of an analysis you have to figure out what you have.

The only assumption I make from your initial post is the store personnel are idiots for trying to give you a 'better' core with a block of cut foam and tell you its better than what comes from the Stickley factory. That's nonsense, pure and simple. I'd suggest you work only with the Stickley factory direct (customer Service dept) to get the right answer and resolution.

I'm getting 60/40 down enveloped Qualux cushion cores on a fabric sofa. Any recommended density for the Qualux?

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Originally Posted by Gabardine

I'm getting 60/40 down enveloped Qualux cushion cores on a fabric sofa. Any recommended density for the Qualux?

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I'd not spec that density unless you don't like the standards, that's best left up to the engineers that design the cores.