Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 28

Thread: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    cagoo Guest

    Default Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Hi There,

    We are in the process of buying a new sectional sofa for our living room (never purchased a sofa before). We have two young girls (6 and 2), so we expect a good amount of stress will be put on them. We are trying to find a sofa that will not fall apart in two years but also know that with two young kids, likely not the best time to spend 7-10K on a sofa. Our budget range is between $3K-4.5K and have looked at a couple manufacturers:

    1) Thomasville - Mercer Sectional (http://www.thomasville.com/Furniture...Sectional.aspx)
    2) Harden 7901 Series (http://www.hardenfurniture.com/Furni...al-Series.aspx)
    3) Sam Moore Ricky Sectional (http://www.sammoore.com/index.cfm/up...ries-sectional)

    Absolutely loved the look of the Thomasville and the comfort was good. A bit concerned about the fact that it is engineered hardwood and not solid and then sinuous vs. 8 way hand tied. Not to mention the current bankruptcy of the company. However, at 40% off the sectional starts at $3800 down from $6300.

    Harden had the best seat comfort, but didn't see the exact sectional in the store so hard to say if we would like it as much as the look of Thomasville. Also, comes in at $6100 without any discount, but I do think I can get some discount applied or even wait to there is a sale that brings it down to a comparable price range.

    Sam Moore was really comfortable as well. Seemed to be solid construction - Solid kiln dried wood, 8 way hand tied, etc. but simliliar to Harden, didn't see the actual sectional in the store. Sam Moore is 35% off and comes in at the lowest starting point, around $3600.

    Any feedback on these three brands would be greatly appreciated. Also feedback on some of the quality concerns for Thomasville and the engineered hardwood vs. solid and the sinuous vs. 8 way would be helpful too.

    Finally, just a general question....Macy's has a nice looking Jonathan Louis for $1700...obviously not even comparable in quality, but with two kids should I get a toss away sectional and then change in 5 years...or will this sofa look horrible in 1 - 2 years?

    Thanks for all the help!

  2. #2
    hglaber Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Be careful about those "% off" tags. Many of them are a trap, and the fact that you noted them means you are eyeballing the bait.

    Most people (me included) aren't furniture experts so we subconsciously look for an easy way to compare the quality of what we're buying, and retailers are only too glad to give you a big, red, simple one. If they have a sofa they can sell for $3000, and the guy across town also has one that sells for $3000, they just might be able to land the sale if their $3000 is MARKED DOWN FROM $6300!!! instead of the MARKED DOWN FROM $5000!!!! of the guy across town. But those "original" prices are made up. The price it what it sells for, not what it was "marked down" from. They are both $3000 sofas. One might be better, but you'll only find out if that is true using info like found in this forum, not on a slasher tag.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,887

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Sam Moore is a division of Hooker Furniture and none of the Hooker affiliates use solid wood construction, they are all plywood-based (including their flagship Bradington-Young brand). And Sam Moore is not 8-way hand-tied, it sinuous springs. You might find a little bit of solid wood in their frames, but by and by they are plywood (engineered hardwood).

    Thomasville is in bankruptcy with no buyers for the company or any of the FBI brands at this time - they have been trying to sell them off but getting no buyers. Don't order anything, buy a floor model but don't expect any kind of warranty service. FBI brands include:

    Broyhill
    Hickory
    Thomasville
    La Barge
    Maitland-Smith
    Pearson
    Lane
    Drexel Heritage
    Lane Venture
    Henredon
    Lane Furniture

    Don't fall into the MSRP trap with slasher tags. The 'suggested retails' in this industry are 3x that of wholesale for dealers that actually use the MSRP book. 40 % to 50% off MSRP is where the heavy discounters live every day, selling a $ 6,000 piece for $ 3,000 to $ 3,600. That's not really any great clearance bargain, that's a regular sales price for stores that aggressively price.

    One other point I like to suggest - the BEST piece of furniture in the house should be the one you use the most often. You can do with an inexpensive bedroom chair or settee, or even formal living room - they get very light use. But the TV / Family Room sofa is the one that takes the beating. Spend the money for quality there and you will be rewarded with a piece that performs just as well 10 years from now as the day you brought it home. Its false economy to buy cheap because of kids in the house, etc, on the most oft used upholstery. You want strong furniture that doesn't sag and is nice to sit in to watch a movie, etc. Only well-made, generally higher priced pieces can take the dishout of daily living...good luck in your quest.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  4. #4
    cagoo Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    Sam Moore is a division of Hooker Furniture and none of the Hooker affiliates use solid wood construction, they are all plywood-based (including their flagship Bradington-Young brand). And Sam Moore is not 8-way hand-tied, it sinuous springs. You might find a little bit of solid wood in their frames, but by and by they are plywood (engineered hardwood).

    Thomasville is in bankruptcy with no buyers for the company or any of the FBI brands at this time - they have been trying to sell them off but getting no buyers. Don't order anything, buy a floor model but don't expect any kind of warranty service. FBI brands include:

    Broyhill
    Hickory
    Thomasville
    La Barge
    Maitland-Smith
    Pearson
    Lane
    Drexel Heritage
    Lane Venture
    Henredon
    Lane Furniture

    Don't fall into the MSRP trap with slasher tags. The 'suggested retails' in this industry are 3x that of wholesale for dealers that actually use the MSRP book. 40 % to 50% off MSRP is where the heavy discounters live every day, selling a $ 6,000 piece for $ 3,000 to $ 3,600. That's not really any great clearance bargain, that's a regular sales price for stores that aggressively price.

    One other point I like to suggest - the BEST piece of furniture in the house should be the one you use the most often. You can do with an inexpensive bedroom chair or settee, or even formal living room - they get very light use. But the TV / Family Room sofa is the one that takes the beating. Spend the money for quality there and you will be rewarded with a piece that performs just as well 10 years from now as the day you brought it home. Its false economy to buy cheap because of kids in the house, etc, on the most oft used upholstery. You want strong furniture that doesn't sag and is nice to sit in to watch a movie, etc. Only well-made, generally higher priced pieces can take the dishout of daily living...good luck in your quest.

    Hi Duane,

    Thanks for the feedback. This is a great help. Definitely not falling for the MSRP slasher tags. We actually have a copy of the dealer pricing for one of the manufacturers so I can easily see that the price provided is marked up 100% (no this wasn't provided by the dealer ). So a couple of follow-on questions:

    1) What is a good margin for a dealer? I know they need to make money and support their family, but let's just say I want to pay a margin for them to have a minivan not a Lexus.
    2) Realistically I can't afford a $10K sectional, no matter how good the quality and no matter how long it will last me. So with the idea of the sectional that has a corner wedge and then two love seat sections (total length on each side seems to avg. about 106-113"), what is your guesstimate for a fair price on a medium range sectional...what would you be willing to pay and can you actually get a good solid sectional for $4000 - $4500?
    3) In the $4000-$4500 range, who would be the best sofa mfgs that you would recommend?

    Again, thanks for all the help!

  5. #5
    Shelly Hays Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Hello! I have the same question as this fellow on the sectional question. I am looking to purchase a new sectional and have been researching for days...almost bought an engineered hardwood with sinuous springs but am holding out for a kiln dried -eight way hand tied sectional. Problem is I just don't know which brand to buy without going over 8,000. Looked at
    Sherrill, Smith Brothers of Berne, Taylor King, Hickory White....my head is gonna explode with all this information. What are your recommendations? Thanks so much!!

  6. #6
    Stacey52164 Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    How do you feel about Taylor king? I want 2 sofas with a corner piece. 24 grad fabric. What should I expect to pay

  7. #7
    Ci2Eye Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    Thomasville is in bankruptcy with no buyers for the company or any of the FBI brands at this time - they have been trying to sell them off but getting no buyers. Don't order anything, buy a floor model but don't expect any kind of warranty service. FBI brands include:

    Broyhill
    Hickory
    Thomasville
    La Barge
    Maitland-Smith
    Pearson
    Lane
    Drexel Heritage
    Lane Venture
    Henredon
    Lane Furniture
    Actually, my understanding is that KPS Capital Partners acquired Furniture Brands International's assets late last year and has renamed the company Heritage Home Group, LLC.

    Heritage Home Group now includes the Broyhill, Thomasville, Lane, Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Pearson, Hickory Chair, Lane Venture, Maitland-Smith and La Barge brands.

    I purchased a small custom chair for a bedroom from Thomasville last fall only a few days before their former parent company (FBI) entered into bankruptcy. Upon hearing of their filing, I was concerned that I may never receive my chair and could lose my deposit. Much to my surprise, however, it arrived very quickly and was made exactly as I ordered and very nicely tailored. Although I was concerned, the purchase experience turned out to be among the best I've had.

    Having said all that, I also would recommend 8-way hand tied and hardwood framed furniture for a living room setting and would echo others' comments to that effect. A small and largely decorative chair for a bedroom obviously does not experience the same rigorous usage as most living room furniture.
    Last edited by Ci2Eye; 02-16-2014 at 01:02 AM.

  8. #8
    Sylver Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    While this particular thread may be quite old, I found the information very valuable for making an informed decision about quality & cost.

    Duane, do you have any experience with Stylus Sofas, http://stylussofas.com/, based out of Vancouver, BC? They have dealers across both Canada and the US.

    Not the instock, but the made to order? Are the custom orders produced in China?

    Thank you!
    Syl
    Last edited by Sylver; 05-18-2016 at 01:03 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,887

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    cagoo:

    Well, you really don't want to put yourself in the position of trying to tell a dealer what you feel he should be making in profit on a piece by computing what you think is a fair margin. That sets up an adversarial relationship and you're not going to gain any traction on that one. If you know the MSRP on an item in a particular grade, suffice to say that 40 to 50% off that MSRP every day means you're getting a decent deal from any brick and mortar operation. You don't have to pay $ 10K for a good unit, but you will have to pay $ 5K. For example, using my store pricing as an example you can buy th Bradington Young 224 sectional in the leather as shown on their website for $ 4,507 as you see it, plus shipping costs to where ever you live (probably $ 400 to $ 600 depending on location). Now you have a solid, USA-made piece in leather that will outlast any fabric covered piece by a factor of 4, has down cushions, 8-way springs and will give you 25 + years of high quality decent use if you keep your leather clean and conditioned. Now those are the prices from my store, you might shop locally and find they want $ 8,999 for the same piece so pricing can vary wildly.

    Sorry, the forum software won't let me post a link at this time in this thread - you'll have to navigate it manually to see the sectional. From time to time our forum goes funky and needs a server re-boot.....

    Shelly:

    There are so few makers using solid wood construction & 8-ways these days that its going to be a pretty short list. Hancock & Moore, Leathercraft, Baker, Stickley, Taylor King, Sherill. Everyone else to my knowledge had moved to the plywood construction (there may be others, I may not know of them). You will stuggle a little on the price point in leather, but that's do-able in fabric for sure.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  10. #10
    ISUFan22 Guest

    Default Re: Sectional Help - Who to Choose

    Quote Originally Posted by drcollie View Post
    There are so few makers using solid wood construction & 8-ways these days that its going to be a pretty short list. Hancock & Moore, Leathercraft, Baker, Stickley, Taylor King, Sherill. Everyone else to my knowledge had moved to the plywood construction (there may be others, I may not know of them). You will stuggle a little on the price point in leather, but that's do-able in fabric for sure.
    To add - Smith Brothers frames are also kiln-dried maple hardwood.

Similar Threads

  1. Please help to choose leather
    By Seashell12 in forum The Lobby
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 09-18-2013, 12:37 PM
  2. Which B-Y leather would you choose?
    By 4boyz in forum Leather Upholstery
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 11-02-2012, 08:13 PM
  3. Please help me choose H&M leather!
    By Joan in forum Leather Upholstery
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 03-25-2010, 09:57 PM
  4. Help Me Choose My H & M Leather
    By Chad Champlin in forum Leather Upholstery
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 02-24-2010, 04:21 PM
  5. what wood should I choose?
    By eft in forum Wood Case Goods, and Chairs
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-24-2009, 12:44 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •