We’ve all seen that new modern piece of furniture being advertised in the local paper or catalogue with a budget price point that leaves you wondering what the catch is. It may look fantastic but what is the build quality like on these budget priced pieces of home furniture? How are retailers able sell at such a low price point? I’ll tell you what to look out for to ensure you get the most for your hard earned money.

Obviously one major difference between higher priced furniture be it a modern coffee table, entertainment unit or bedroom furniture is the material it is made from. Much lower priced imported furniture is made from chipboard also known as particleboard. So what is chipboard? Chipboard is a cheap man made material manufactured by pressing wood chips together and binding them with synthetic resin. It is cheap to make and is relatively light weight and thus a very popular material for use with budget furniture.

Chipboard is not very tolerable to moisture, if the material was to get wet or positioned in a high humidity environment, warping of the material is very likely. Chipboard is also weaker than other materials such as MDF as it is not as dense. Other common problems with cheaply made chipboard furniture are the connecting joints used to fit and assembly the furniture together. Due to the lower density of chipboard, items such as screws can easily strip out the screw hole and in some cases can rip out if put under enough pressure. These are the sacrifices one makes when purchasing this low quality chipboard furniture.

Another popular material is MDF or Medium Density Fibreboard. MDF offers a number of advantages over chipboard. Whilst MDF is a little more expensive, it is still much cheaper than hardwood for example and thus still a very popular choice for furniture manufactures. Due to its higher density, MDF is stronger than chipboard of the same thickness, screws and connecting joints also fix more securely. MDF is quite smooth because the wood fibres used are fine and uniform. This allows easier application of primer, paint as it applies easily to the smooth surface producing an attractive finish. Unlike chipboard, MDF has a mild reaction to moisture, so it will not warp under high-humidity applications.

Clearly MDF offers several advantages over chipboard and offers much better value for money. Unfortunately, most budget furniture out there is made as cheaply as possible where manufacturers literally try to shave every cent possible off production cost. It can be difficult to find MDF made products in the same price range, but they do exist. Sourcing the better quality MDF made furniture is worth your time and will give you an overall better built product that is stronger, better prone to moisture and easier to assemble/dissemble.

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