Is Ethan Allen high-quality furniture?
Tom McWilliams
I have several rooms full of Ethan Allen furniture, including lots of wood and
upholstered pieces. Quality is quite good in general, although there have been some
definite disappointments with the wood pieces, such as a nightstand door that wasn't
properly glued (came apart) and in some cases handles and latches that weren't mounted
straight. So I'm on the fence regarding whether this stuff is worth the price.
The good news..... if a piece is flawed and you don't find it acceptable, they'll get
you another one. However, you're gonna have to wait for it.
Don't know if that helps or not... good luck with your decision!
Tom in 112 degree Phoenix
a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
>will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
>We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
>I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
>Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
>fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
>woodworking experience.
>
>Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
>
>Thanks!
>Elizabeth Canning
>a-el...@microsoft.com
>
>-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
ra...@joesbar.cc.vt.edu
unid...@mindspring.com wrote:
: furniture companies and in no way comparable to any of the producers
: you say you shopped before you bought from TEU - a much better company
: that has it's headquarters and manufacturing facility in Virginia,
: especially if you are looking for "Colonial" or "Country" style
: furniture would be Pulaski Furniture located in Pulaski, Virginia.
OK folks, I'm going to break my self-imposed net-news silence on this
subject. (hope I don't get too much spam e-mail as a result)
If you want real nice heirloom quality furniture you really ought to
look a Suter's of Virginia in Harrisonburg, Va. They also have a showroom
in Richmond, Va. and a web site at http://www.suters.com.
They make solid cherry, mahogony, and walnut pieces in Chippendale,
Hepplewhite, and Queen Anne styles. It's all very simple, but extremely
well made. The don't use glue-ups for anything except table tops. For
example, I have one of their cannonball beds with 4 inch diameter posts
that are turned from a single piece of wood. It's really hard to describe
just how well made and finished this stuff is. I was in their showroom
yesterday trying to decide on a possible Christmas present for my wife.
I would have to order sometime in September to get delivery in December.
I was just looking at the web site and it looks like they are just getting
it set up, so there don't seem to be pictures of all the pieces yet. You
really can't get a sense of the quality without going to one of their show
rooms and *looking* closely at how the pieces are made. They have a few
upholstered pieces too, but not many.
--
*****************************************************************************
* Bill Ranck +1-540-231-3951 ra...@vt.edu *
* Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Computing Center *
*****************************************************************************
sha...@mail.webspam.net
Star Spangled wrote:
>
> You didn't mention what sort of pieces you are considering.
> I have been in the furniture business for over 25 years and have
> seen good and bad at any store I have run into. If you are looking at
> dinning room, and other types of finished wood furniture be sure you
> know it is made from WOOD.
You are probably referring to the "photofinish" made popular by manufacturers
such as Broyhill. Etan Allen makes nothing with this type of construction. The
use of high pressure laminates (like formica) on a table top is NOT
inappropiate, although it does not have the charm of wood.
> Anything else will not repair well if at
> all. I know you may think "well it won't get damaged" don't plan on
> it.
> As for Upholstered pieces, this becomes almost impossible to tell
> unless you know the line from experience. What is important in
> Upholstery, is what is under the fabric, frame and filling.
The filling is more important than the frame. The filling could be the less
expensive forms of padding (often poly-dacron and the like) which could loose
their resilience in time.
Frames are not so much of a problem. That's why many manufacturers will give
lifetime warranties on the frame construction, even from the companies
producing the "affordable" lines like Rowe, Broyhill, Sherrill, Hickory-Frye, etc.
> A well
> built frame will be made from hardwood, double doweled joints, NO
> Staples in things like corner blocks etc. Screws are fine.
Aren't dowels just a cheap and shoddy way of doing a moris and tenon joint?
Almost all frames are double-doweled. It is a keen selling point, but since
they are ubiquitious throughout the frame industry it is really moot.
As for corner blocks, they are there to help support the fact that you have
joined two pieces of wood, using dowels. The blocks alleviate some of the
tension put on these joints. The function of the staples is ONLY to set the
blocks while the glue cures. Screws do the same thing. Staples, once again do
not cause structural problems for most end users of the upholstery. Once agin,
that's why manufacturers show no reluctance to garuantee their frames.
Bookeeping departments make these decisions at the suggestions of the
marketing and sales departments, after consutlting with the design and
engeneering departments to make sure that the offer is not going to cost them
money. Then, the factory representaives sell these features to the stores who
turn around and hawk them to you.
> If you can
> look at the frame on display, not a display made for just that
> purpose, but a real frame. Be sure all joints are tight and no gaps
> are showing in the joints.
Any frame made for display is likely to be representative of the frame that
will be the skelatin of your upholstered furniture. It is rare that there
would be a conspiracy to deceive the customers by the manufacturer. Most of
the fraud occurs on the showroom floor by the sales staff who know very little
about the product they are trying to convince you to own.
> Nothing but wood in a upholstered piece. As
> for filling these puffy things you see in show rooms are really great
> sellers, but won't stand up to anyone sitting on them for more than 6
> months. Warrantee is a big help.
Absolutely.
I am sorry to use the technique of disecting a post so that I do not have to
come up with an original on my own. I did want to amplify on some things, and
add a different perspective on some things. I see furniture from the inside
out. Since most of what I repair is NEW furniture, I see quite a bit of the
new furniture gizzards and innards.
--
Daniel
To send me an e-mail, write me at "shafner at webspan dot mail dot net",
leaving out the quotation marks, and substituting the proper symbols.
/ `-' ) ,,,
| IU U||||||||[:::]
\_.-.( '''
Roger Blake
Thomas A. Gauldin wrote:
>
> This may earn me some flames, but I see no real problem with even the
> "highest quality" furniture using plywoods. Just as the highest
> quality products now use modern adhesives and fastening techniques,
> why should the material itself be assumed better when solid than
> manufactured?
This is not a flame. One problem with plywood is that if the veneer
gets damaged its much harder to mend than solid wood. I can see that
for mass production, manufacturing tolerances, the stability of large
surfaces dictates use of modern sheet goods. Of these, I suppose plywood
is best. However, I would much prefer that my surface of my kitchen or
dining table was solid wood.
Victor Kan
>>>>> "Roger" == Roger Blake <roger...@sprintmail.com> writes:
Roger> This is not a flame. One problem with plywood is that if the
Roger> veneer gets damaged its much harder to mend than solid wood.
I would think that this is true only for specific types of minor
damage. But what do I know--I haven't made, much less repaired, much
furniture, plywood or solid wood.
If the damage to a surface or edge is minor enough that sanding or
planing is sufficient and acceptable to "erase" the damage in solid
wood, then a thin face veneer might get worn through in the same
repair scenario.
However, I have successfully face planed the surface of 9-ply 3/4"
hardwood plywood. So the face veneers on plywood aren't necessarily
down to melamine proportions (yet).
You just have to make sure the mouth of your hand plane is nice and
tight, and the cutter sharp. The Devil you say--hand planing
plywood!?!! Don't worry, Galoots. It was a new, Record SP-4 that I
put through this atrocity.
If the damage is large enough that you need to use a wood filler,
epoxy or a dutchman-type fix, I would think that solid wood and
plywood would be similar (the plywood might be harder to clean up with
a chisel in the prep stage).
Alwyznanny
I'd like to share some experiences of other furniture manufacturers with
this group and maybe save someone some heartache and $$$.
My husband and i made some major purchases of furniture from various
manufacturers as follows:
Dining room table and chairs: Nichols and Stone(the oldest American
manufacurer of furniture) Birch spoon foot table. Legs white wash stained
table surface. Excellent construction. Stained surfaces good quality.
Painted quality control could be improved. Priced a little too high for
the lack of quality in painted items. Select stained furniture. I rate
it Good.
Bedroom set: Broyhill Premier collection. Oak wood parchment stain.
Mixed wood and veneers. The are rated as very good fr construction and
price. Drawers dove tailed. I am satisifed with the price and quality.
This is one of their "top" lines keep this in mind. I rate it Very Good!
Lexington Pine Cupboard Hutch. Many quality flaws. Hinges were reversed
on the base unit...could not open the doors. Doors out of alignment.
Glass was suppose to be marbled. One door glass was clear the other was
marbled. Many scratches to surface AFTER staining...could be our
furniture stores fault. Manufacturer made two attempts to send correct
glass unsucessfully. We just had the glass delivered by the store taken
from their "sample" model. It has taken 5 months to resolve all the
problems. I would not recommend Lexington unless you buy the floor
model. I rate them a Consumer Nightmare!
Hooker Entertainment unit. Cherry wood cherry finish. EXCELLENT quality.
Finish superb. Price excellent for the end product. Suprememe
construction. I rate them as Superior for price and Quality!
Any more purchases we make will either be the Floor model or ordering
Hooker Furniture.
Look at Hooker to see if they compare in price.
Lots of luck!
Ri...@mnsinc.com
On Tue, 15 Jul 1997 12:24:59 -0700, Tim Gillespie <noj...@mail.for.me>
wrote:
>I agree whole-heartedly. The *only* furniture I will buy is EA. It is
>more expensive, but well worth it. It is always solid wood, excellent
>joinery, excellent finish and clearly made with pride.
Just be careful. This holds with major furniture pieces. They have
started to sell accent pieces that are made for them and carry their
name. These pieces are of nowhere near the quality construction I
have come to expect.
Rick Marinelli
ri...@mnsinc.com
Richard M Manderscheid
About hand-planing plywood to repair,
True, 9-ply you could plane. The top veneer is pretty thick, in
most cases. However, the MDF core plywoods that several furniture
manufacturers use, has the thinnest veneer I have ever seen. I have not
seen a whole lot of veneer, ubt have seen a _whole_ lot of hardwood
plywood. Until last year I sold the stuff.
In hardwood plywood, the core is more important than the grade of
the face. A "C" face is fine with a good core.
justa few thoughts,
-Rick Manderscheid
sha...@mail.webspam.net
Why do you suppose that plywood would be the best substrate? Manufacturers of
cabinets and furniture stopped using plywood long ago in favor of particle
board and medium density fiber board. Both of those substrates are much more
stable than plywood. For the purposes of laying down a veneer, they can be
machined to be much smoother than plywood ever could be. Veneers telegraph all
the lumps and imperfections that are found in the substrate (it's like
wallpapering over a poorly prepared plaster wall).
Why is veneer harder to repair? Either you patch in a new piece, or work with
what you have. With a little artwork, the history of your damage is rewritten.
Most people lose sight of the fact that veneer is THIN WOOD. Even the paper
thin (1/64") veneers can be repaired and refinished (it is true that there is
a much greater chance of sanding through to your substrate if you are trying
to correct wear and tear). As a legitimate process that has more than 3000
years of history to it, it ought to command much more respect than it does.
There is a canard that one must set up a dichotomy between veneering and solid
wood construction. The two are apples and oranges. They are often used
together in most modern furniture. Many veneers are even put on over a solid
wood core, not because the manufacturer has something to hide. This is done
because you can do decorative things with veneer (marquetry, fancy inlay,
repeating grain patterns, diamonds, reverse diamonds, edgebanding, etc.) much
better than you can with thicker "solid" pieces of the same wood.
--
Daniel
To send an e-mail, write me at "shafner at webspan dot net", taking out the
quotation marks and inserting the appropriate symbols.
Edward
Liz,
We have 2 "real" furniture pieces. I have also built several
pieces. Here is what I have to relate:
I have always believed EA to be the highest quality furniture
commercially built. We have an EA piece and it is exquisite. The
jointery is excellent, the drawers fit very good, and the finish is
perfect. It is a "single" dresser and cost about $1000 on sale.
We also have a Hendredon piece. It is a massive dresser,
over 4 feet high and cost about $2600. Very nice, but the jointery is
not as good. One of the drawers rides on the front facing, not its track
which consists of plastic "glides". One of the doors didn't close so I
had to shim its hindges.
As an amateur woodworker I know how hard it is to get a really
good piece of furniture on the floor. I spent 2 hours looking through
the EA showroom. I had the salseman turn pieces over so I could look at
the quality. If I could build furniture this good, I would quit my day
job.
a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>
> My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
> will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
> We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
> I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
> Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
> fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
> woodworking experience.
>
T Austin
I have a friend who got furnature form EA (or one of the other "high-end"
places. She paid in tyhe neighborhood of $6,000 or so for a dining table
and chairs (6 or 8) and a hutch. It was the floor model, so it had a few
dings, but nothing terrible.
I hate the style, but doesn't matter here. I think it was "well made" by
EA standards. It was better than the stuff at Penny's, Sears, etc. It had
more chipboard that I would like in my dining room table (none for me,
thanks). That might contribute to the "solid feel" Chipboard and medium
density fiberboard are *very* heavy.
A week later, I stopped at a small furnature shop in Portland and saw
really nice (but not custom) peices made from real wood. The design was
one I liked, and they obviously cared about the wquality of the wood,
construction and finish. As a woodworker, I was impressed.
Their prices were lower (but not much) than the $6k my friend paid.
Also, try and find a custom woodworker in your town. See their work, it
may cost less that you think.
Look around, I think you can do better than EA and have peices that match
your style. Wouldn't it be nice to not have the same table as the
neighbors?
Tackett
In article <8689192...@dejanews.com>, a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
> My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
> will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
> We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
> I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
> Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
> fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
> woodworking experience.
>
> Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
>
> Thanks!
> Elizabeth Canning
> a-el...@microsoft.com
>
> -------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
--
You know what to do with my email address.
a-el...@microsoft.com
Jack Sanders
We own two sofas from Ethan Allen. The living room sofa is 15 yars
old; it looks and feels new. Granted, it doesn't get everyday use,
but it is in exquisite condition. The family room sofa (fold out bed)
is about 12 years old, and is heavily used every day by three young
children and two adults. The cussions are a little flat (but not
much), and the fabric is slightly stretched, but it is still
attractive and very comfortable. This stuff is great! My wife wants
new living room furniture, and I'm reluctant just because the sofa is
in such great shape.
Edward <ehs...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>Liz,
> We have 2 "real" furniture pieces. I have also built several
>pieces. Here is what I have to relate:
> I have always believed EA to be the highest quality furniture
>commercially built. We have an EA piece and it is exquisite. The
>jointery is excellent, the drawers fit very good, and the finish is
>perfect. It is a "single" dresser and cost about $1000 on sale.
> We also have a Hendredon piece. It is a massive dresser,
>over 4 feet high and cost about $2600. Very nice, but the jointery is
>not as good. One of the drawers rides on the front facing, not its track
>which consists of plastic "glides". One of the doors didn't close so I
>had to shim its hindges.
> As an amateur woodworker I know how hard it is to get a really
>good piece of furniture on the floor. I spent 2 hours looking through
>the EA showroom. I had the salseman turn pieces over so I could look at
>the quality. If I could build furniture this good, I would quit my day
>job.
Jack Sanders
my opinions, not necessarily the management's
Star Spangled
You didn't mention what sort of pieces you are considering.
I have been in the furniture business for over 25 years and have
seen good and bad at any store I have run into. If you are looking at
dinning room, and other types of finished wood furniture be sure you
all. I know you may think "well it won't get damaged" don't plan on
it. As for Upholstered pieces, this becomes almost impossible to tell
unless you know the line from experience. What is important in
built frame will be made from hardwood, double doweled joints, NO
look at the frame on display, not a display made for just that
purpose, but a real frame. Be sure all joints are tight and no gaps
for filling these puffy things you see in show rooms are really great
sellers, but won't stand up to anyone sitting on them for more than 6
months. Warrantee is a big help.
>My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
>will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
>We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
>I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
>Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
>fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
>woodworking experience.
>
>Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
>
>Thanks!
>Elizabeth Canning
>a-el...@microsoft.com
>
>-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
-----------------------------------------------------
Paul M. Minichillo
Small site http://www.dreamscape.com/pminchlo
E-mail at Xpmi...@dreamscape.comX
Remove the X b4 and after the E-mail address to reply.
-----------------------------------------------------
Frank Traylor
On Mon, 14 Jul 1997 19:11:49 -0700, Edward <ehs...@worldnet.att.net>
wrote:
> I have always believed EA to be the highest quality furniture
>commercially built. We have an EA piece and it is exquisite. The
>jointery is excellent, the drawers fit very good, and the finish is
>perfect. It is a "single" dresser and cost about $1000 on sale.
> As an amateur woodworker I know how hard it is to get a really
>good piece of furniture on the floor. I spent 2 hours looking through
>the EA showroom. I had the salseman turn pieces over so I could look at
>the quality. If I could build furniture this good, I would quit my day
>job.
>
What specificallly should one look for in good workmanship. What is
excellent jointery?
Frank
da...@indyweb.nospam.net
In article <33CADC...@worldnet.att.net>, Edward
<ehs...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> Liz,
> We have 2 "real" furniture pieces. I have also built several
> pieces. Here is what I have to relate:
> I have always believed EA to be the highest quality furniture
> commercially built. We have an EA piece and it is exquisite. The
> jointery is excellent, the drawers fit very good, and the finish is
> perfect. It is a "single" dresser and cost about $1000 on sale.
> We also have a Hendredon piece. It is a massive dresser,
> over 4 feet high and cost about $2600. Very nice, but the jointery is
> not as good. One of the drawers rides on the front facing, not its track
> which consists of plastic "glides". One of the doors didn't close so I
> had to shim its hindges.
> As an amateur woodworker I know how hard it is to get a really
> good piece of furniture on the floor. I spent 2 hours looking through
> the EA showroom. I had the salseman turn pieces over so I could look at
> the quality. If I could build furniture this good, I would quit my day
> job.
If you're looking for colonial style furniture, to pass on to your grand
children, EA certainly sells a lot of it but, IMHO they're not the best by
a long shot. We buy Heinkel-Harris. One of their dressers sells for
about what you pay for a full bedroom set from JCP. There's more
workmanship in the backs of Heinkel Harris furniture than most department
store lines.
The down side is the availability outside the east coast. We're in
Indiana and the only store which used to carry it stopped. It was the
best furnature in their store by far. They work in cherry, walnut, and
mahogany. They do dining and bedroom suites. Their pieces are truely
classic. What got us hooked was walking aroung a show room which carried
HH and others and comparing finish and workmanship side-by-side. No
contest. There are several lines which beat EA, stickly (or something
like that) is the only which comes to mind. If you see it advertized in
the newspaper, it's probably not the good stuff. BTW HH is usually
available for 40% off the list price.
We took two months selecting HH, I have lots of relatives with crappy
bedroom sets. They last a long time, but, they look bad after 5 years.
The HH will be classic long after I'm dead.
Brad W.
In article <8689192...@dejanews.com>, a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
>will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
>We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
>I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
>Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
>fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
>woodworking experience.
>
>Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
>
>Thanks!
>Elizabeth Canning
>a-el...@microsoft.com
>
>-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
Elizabeth,
I don't know where you live, but if you are anywhere near the Piedmont area of
North Carolina, you should check out the High Point/Winston Salem/Thomasville
area. Most of your major brands of high quality furniture are manufactured
here, and I have found that you can save a significant (30-40%) off of retail
prices in some areas, even after paying for shipping. Even if you are not
near the area, if you have seen some Hickory Chair, Henredon, Crescent,
Pennsylvania House, etc. furniture and have model numbers, you can order
through outlets there with the same savings. My brother has bought in High
Point and had furniture shipped to both Tennessee and Illinois, and I have had
Hickory Chair furniture shipped to Virginia with excellent results. Its just
something to check out if you are interested. Reply e-mail and I can give you
some names of dealers.
By the way, neither I nor my family or friends are in the furniture
business. I just grew up in the area and lived in what my father calls a
"furniture intensive household."
Kris Sakotai
a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>
> My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
> will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
> We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
> I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
> Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
> fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
> woodworking experience.
>
> Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
>
> Thanks!
> Elizabeth Canning
> a-el...@microsoft.com
>
> -------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
> http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Post to Usenet
When we bought our house, we went through an extensive search process to
find good furniture places for the entire house. We were aware of the
possibility that we might not find a one source vendor for all our
needs. Our criteria was excellent wood and moderate prices, and above
all, tasteful furniture.
We looked at all NC vendors, custom woodworkers from Vermont and Maine,
generic furniture vendors, high end niche players, and outfits like
Ethan Allen etc.
Quite by chance we stumbled on a company called This End Up. This is a
Virginia( I think ) based company which manufactures and sells excellent
furniture. We were so impressed that we decided that we will furnish our
entire house with their products. They make living room, dining room,
and bed room sets, as well as bunk beds for kids. All their products are
very tastefully designed and manufactured. IMHO Ethan Allen is too high
priced and they are taking people for a ride ( but thats my personal
opinion ).
This End Up has a catalog and I think they ship thoughout the country.
Kris
Jane Kopp Houlihan
I forgot to mention that you can check out North Carolina Furniture
places on-line at http://ncnet.com/ncnetworks/furn-onl.html
(I live in MN and am NOT associated with the furniture industry - I'm
just a consumer looking for good deals!)
FWIW,
Janie
Martin H. Eastburn
A friend of mine - the lucky duck - was transfered to the Phillapines
some years ago. They had naturally a nice bene - house, car, ...
provided. They got a house - nothing to sit on - whipped out their
E.A. catalog - took it to the local woodcraft house and in several
months they had everything they ever wanted. (and still do!).
Shipping cost, but not near what cheap stuff would cost.
Martin
bigc...@pagesz.net
there ARE good deals to be had here and we all really do appreciate your
business. Thanks Janie!
Chris
Tim Gillespie
Edward wrote:
>
> Liz,
> We have 2 "real" furniture pieces. I have also built several
> pieces. Here is what I have to relate:
> I have always believed EA to be the highest quality furniture
> commercially built. We have an EA piece and it is exquisite. The
> jointery is excellent, the drawers fit very good, and the finish is
> perfect. It is a "single" dresser and cost about $1000 on sale.
> We also have a Hendredon piece. It is a massive dresser,
> over 4 feet high and cost about $2600. Very nice, but the jointery is
> not as good. One of the drawers rides on the front facing, not its track
> which consists of plastic "glides". One of the doors didn't close so I
> had to shim its hindges.
> As an amateur woodworker I know how hard it is to get a really
> good piece of furniture on the floor. I spent 2 hours looking through
> the EA showroom. I had the salseman turn pieces over so I could look at
> the quality. If I could build furniture this good, I would quit my day
> job.
I agree whole-heartedly. The *only* furniture I will buy is EA. It is
more expensive, but well worth it. It is always solid wood, excellent
joinery, excellent finish and clearly made with pride. I just (last
month) bought a king size four poster. I ordered the cherry finish
rather than the black lacquer and it was REAL cherry (at least the
posts, headboard and footboard, the rails are something else, maple I
believe). It is quite beautiful, and only about 15% more than a similar
one at Haverty's.
Tim
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George M. Middius
Anybody been to Marlo lately?
No, seriously, I saw a very good dining room set there. All
solids and plywood with a beautiful lacquer finish.
Excellent joinery. It was probably cherry but the finish had
at least one coat of a purple-red dye, so difficult to tell.
Really! Not kidding!
George M. Middius
Jane Kopp Houlihan
a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>
> My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
> will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
> We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
> I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
> Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
> fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
> woodworking experience.
>
> Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
> I have ordered several pieces from North Carolina at fabulous prices! We
live in MN and I simply go to stores here and decide exactly what I want
and then I order the pieces for a considerable discount. Also, no tax!
I have ordered Henredon, Wright Table, and Hickory Chair brands. I
believe the company I went through was called Shaw Furniture.
Ethen Allen cannot be purchased at a discount from North Carolina.
FWIW,
Janie
Miller, David James
a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>
> My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
> will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
> We're seriously considering buying several pieces from Ethan Allen, but
> I'm starting to worry about the price.
>
> Is Ethan Allen really well-made furniture? It looks great and feels
> fairly solid, but I don't have a very experienced eye--nor do I have any
> woodworking experience.
>
> Any advice appreciated--please reply directly to me via email.
My parents have had Ethan Allen furniture in their living room and
bedroom for about 30 years now, and it still looks good. It's some
kind of maple colonial style.
So, we bought a country french bedroom for my daughter. It's birch,
and looks nice. But I have been unhappy with it for the price. The
canopy frame is not put together well, and there are some flaws in the
nigthstand.
I won't pay their premium price again.
Dave
John Paquay
In article <8689192...@dejanews.com>, a-el...@microsoft.com says...
>
>My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
>will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
Are those really the defining aspects of "high-quality furniture"?
All this time I thought I was building high-quality stuff, built to
last many decades. I guess I must be building astronomically-high
quality furniture. Now if I could just get the astronomical prices
they get for Ethan-Allen...
--
John Paquay
Dept. of Physics, Purdue University
j...@physics.purdue.edu, j...@belex.mdn.com
http://www.physics.purdue.edu/~jep/cshop.html
--------------------------------------------------------
Thomas A. Gauldin
>Quite by chance we stumbled on a company called This End Up. This is a
>Virginia( I think ) based company which manufactures and sells excellent
>furniture. We were so impressed that we decided that we will furnish our
>entire house with their products. They make living room, dining room,
>and bed room sets, as well as bunk beds for kids. All their products are
>very tastefully designed and manufactured. IMHO Ethan Allen is too high
>priced and they are taking people for a ride ( but thats my personal
>opinion ).
>
>This End Up has a catalog and I think they ship thoughout the country.
The company's manufacturing operation was here in Raleigh for a good
number of years. Their product is very durable, but is usually of a
"packing crate" design. At one time, folks could actually visit the
factory and stand there while furniture was custom made for them in
the This End Up style.
Tom
Thomas A. Gauldin
This may earn me some flames, but I see no real problem with even the
"highest quality" furniture using plywoods. Just as the highest
quality products now use modern adhesives and fastening techniques,
why should the material itself be assumed better when solid than
manufactured?
By using plywoods in a design, material movement is decreased and you
SHOULD have better jointery that holds together better as well.
Insightful design can disguise plywood edges, leaving its use
undetectible- except for a perfect veneer.
Tom
Tim Iafolla
Ethan Allen makes very good commercial furniture. I'd recommend
checking out some local custom furniture shops though...you might be
surprised at what you can get for the same or just a little more money,
especially if you're looking for tables and case goods rather than
upholstered furniture.
a-el...@microsoft.com wrote:
>
> My husband and I are thinking of purchasing some "real" furniture--solid,
> will last a decade or more, high quality furniture.
>
Bohemian's Antiques
> Roger Blake wrote:
> >
> > Thomas A. Gauldin wrote:
> > >
> > > the "highest quality" furniture using plywoods. Just as the highest
> > > quality products now use modern adhesives and fastening techniques,
> > > why should the material itself be assumed better when solid than
> > > manufactured?
> >
CPM Systems
https://sites.google.com/view/furnituremanufacturers/