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It is important to know something about the way upholstered  furniture is made so that it is possible to ask questions about any pieces being considered. The quality features concealed within the piece determine serviceability, durability, and comfort.
Framework: The basic frame of an upholstered piece must be carefully designed and constructed to withstand stress and strain over a long period of time. A hardwood that is free from imperfections and that has been kiln dried is most desirable. Ash, birch, maple, oak, and gumwood are commonly used. The frame must hold nails and screws securely and any wood that is soft or improperly seasoned will not be satisfactory in this respect.
The joints on good-quality frames are usually double-dowel constructions that employ kiln-dried, grooved pegs. Corners should be reinforced with triangular blocks carefully fitted and fasted with glue screws. Metal plates are something used for strengthening corners.
Springs: On most chairs and sofas, band of webbing are interlaced and tacked to the frame. Woven just is commonly used because it is strong, durable, and resilient. A steel and plastic combination is also used for webbing, and in some constructions plain steel bends from the base. The coil springs in better quality furniture are made of tempered steel and are placed close together. Twelve coils for each seat area is best; there should be no less than eight. In high-quality construction the spring are tied in place with good-grade twine. Proper tying is important in keeping the springs firmly in place and in providing the correct degree of resiliency. It is desirable to have each spring hand-tied eight times. The coils are anchored to the webbing or to steel bands. In some high-quality pieces, the springs are covered with a muslin jacket. Then a piece of good-quality strong fabric is stretched over the springs and tacked to the frame. Heavy burlap is frequently used to support the filling material.
In some of the smaller-scaled upholstered pieces, flat springs of zigzag strips of steel are used instead of coil springs. These springs do not require the support of webbing nor do they have to be tied.
Filling: The material used for upholstery filling is as important as the way the piece is constructed. Well-made furniture will have an ample amount of filling selected and applied so that the piece will retain its shape for a long period of time. Poor quality and workmanship will be evident after a relatively short period of use. The filling will shift, mat, and lump to distort the shape of the piece in a most unattractive manner.
Various filling materials are used for upholstered work, sometimes in combinations. Descriptive information about the filling used should be on a label permanently attached to the piece, but these labels usually do not indicate the grade or quality, which may vary considerably for each type.
Curled hair is a widely used filling because it is durable and resilient. Hair from horses, cattle, and hogs have varying degrees of body and also vary in cost. The most resilient and most expensive comes from the tails of horses. Frequently a mixture of several kinds is used.
Foam rubber has become a popular filling material for several reasons. It is durable, comfortable, and resilient. It retains its shape and is lightweight. Foam rubber may be used as a layer over a spring construction or it may be used alone.
Urethane foam is a test-tube product that has become popular as a filling material. It is resilient and lightweight, and impervious to water, perspiration, and cleaning fluids. Slabs of urethane may be sliced, cut stitched, or glued. Because of its high tensile strength, urethane may be stretched around furniture frames without tearing. Its lightness is a desirable feature for mattress. A twin-sized mattress of urethane foam weighs about eleven pounds as compared to thirty-five pounds for an innerspring matters.
Dacron is a popular filling material made from polyester. It may be used by itself or with foam cores or innerspring constructions. Dacron is resilient, lightweight, odorless, and resistant to moths and mildew.
Rubberized hair or rubberized sisal may be used in medium-and low-costs furniture. The mixture is vulcanized and molded so that it has a fair degree of resiliency.
Cotton felt is sometimes used as a protective covering over springs and other filling materials. On medium-and low-period furniture cotton felt is often used without another more resilient filling.
Moss and shredded fibers are also used in furniture. Palm leaves, coconut husks, and sisal have some degree of resiliency but are usually found only in less expensive pieces.
The filling material is distributed over the surface of the chair. If the standards of workmanship are high, it is packed firmly and held in place to prevent lumping and shifting. This my be done by securing it to a layer of supporting burlap and placing a covering of cotton felt, foam rubber, or rubberized sisal over the filling at the top. On less expensive furniture, the upholstery fabric is the next layer, on better-quality furniture, a firm muslin is used to hold the filling in place and to serve as an interlining for the actual upholstery fabric.
Sometimes the price of an upholstered piece is quoted “in muslin.” The cost of the upholstery fabric you select is then added to the retail price. It was mentioned earlier that some people prefer to buy furniture upholstered in muslin and cover it with removable slipcovers.
Tufting and Buttons: Sometimes the filling and the upholstery fabric are secured by decorative stitching or by buttons. There are advantage and disadvantages to this type of upholstering. The chief advantage is that the filling is less apt to shift out of position. If well done, it may add interest to the piece. However, it is more costly in the initial construction and also more expensive to reupholster when the piece needs recovering. If it is not used with discretion, the furniture may have a gingerbread appearance. Also, this type of upholstered piece is more difficult to keep clean because dust collects in the crevices.
Separate Cushions: Seats and sometimes backs may have separate cushions. When these are reversible, the wear can be distributed. Such chairs and sofas often seem more comfortable than those having “tight” construction in upholstery (without separate cushions).
The consumer is often given a choice of filling for cushions. Down, foam rubber, or spring constructions are used on better quality furniture; inexpensive varieties may use cotton batting, cotton felt, kapok, or other fibers, all of which tend to become lumpy.
Down, the soft underfeathers of a gooses or duck, provides a soft, luxurious filling. For added body, chopped feathers are mixed with the down. A fifty-fifty combination is commonly used. seventy-five per cent down is softer and more expensive; less than 25 percent down has little value so far as comfort is concerned. Many people prefer the luxurious comfort of down cushions, which have the disadvantage of having to be plumped up every time one sits on them. They depress and stay that way until fluffed up again.
Foam rubber cushions require no plumping, but the fabric covering must be firmly woven. Otherwise the covering will lose its shape and wrinkle on the cushion.
Some cushions are made with a spring construction covered with a layer of cotton felt or foam rubber. These are stable and comfortable, although they do not have the soft luxury of down cushions.
Other fillings for separate cushions include cotton, kapok, flax tow, or other fibers. None of theses have the required resiliency for cushions that receive much use. They are found mostly on inexpensive furniture.
The aforesaid factors of furniture construction process affects the quality and cost of the furniture to a great extent but now a days the other factors such brand name, trends and styles also add to the price of the furniture.
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