How To Buy A Sofa Online Without Sitting On It
Buying a sofa in itself can be a big task. You need to have a thorough understanding of materials, have to plan the location of the sofa for your home and know the exact size you need. Additionally, once you’re done testing every sofa in a shop, you have to get it all packed and lugged in the back of your car somehow to bring it home. Sounds like a big task. This is the reason why we recommend buying a sofa online. You may not have the luxury of sitting on every sofa available to you, but you will definitely have a bigger variety and sofas that will be delivered to your doorstep.
We will keep things simple in this article and help you understand the nuances of buying a sofa online. It’s not too complicated, you just need to know a few things to begin shopping. So, if you’re questioning yourself as to how you can buy a sofa online, keep on reading.
Know Your Materials
One of the first things to look out for when purchasing a sofa online is the material that the sofa has been made with. There are many different materials out there that are used to make sofa and sofa cushions. You need to know the difference between these materials to understand which one will sit well with your needs. Since the sofa cushions are the first things you see when observing a sofa online, we will be starting with that.
Down Feather
Clouds. Clouds are the best explanation we can give for how soft you can expect down feather cushions to feel. They are super soft, durable and quite expensive. You can either get a cushion that is 100% down or a down blend. Either way, down is going to be expensive but worth it. It is a hypoallergenic material that will last you a long time and will be a great investment.
Memory Foam
Yes, you do get memory foam sofa cushions. However, it is not that common to have memory foam sofa cushions, you will see it more often in daybeds. Memory foam is known for being super firm and adapts to your body shape quickly. It is a durable material, but we recommend going for something else if you’re simply looking for a sofa for your home.
Polyester Wrapped and Innerspring Core
These two are foam options. Polyester wrapped foam is the perfect choice for a sofa cushion if you like super bouncy sofas. The high resiliency of the material allows you to have a soft yet firm sofa cushion. If you sit on your sofa for long periods of time but don’t want it to lose its structure, polyester-wrapped foam is a great option.
The first thing that comes to mind with the innerspring core is bouncy. The spring literally gives a springiness to the sofa cushion. However, this is not the sofa cushion you can remove. This comes built into the sofa frame since the spring core needs to be wrapped in foam and fixed in the sofa frame.
Understanding Sofa Springs
One of the main concerns of buying a sofa online is that you won’t be able to feel how springy it is just by looking at it. However, there is an easy solution to that. There are different types and styles of sofa springs that give different comfort levels and bounce the sofa. By sofa springs, we are not referring to the sofa cushions, we are talking about the frame. We are referring to the base of the sofa that stops you from sagging to the floor.
Sinuous Springs
The suspension added to your sofa is what ensures its comfort (the suspension being the spring). Sinuous spring is the most common suspension style used for sofas. These are heavy gauge steel wires that are shaped like a continuous belt of S-shaped lines. They are placed vertically and reinforced with metal tie rods horizontally to make sure they stay in place. The sinuous spring is an affordable option that will last you for years.
You will end up with a not too soft yet not firm sofa that will retain its structure over the years.
Eight-Way Hand Tied Springs
If you’re looking to invest in an expensive sofa that will be super soft and durable, this is the way to go. The eight-way hand-tied spring is a very intricate spring design that is hand-knotted and tied to the seat frame. It requires careful attention to detail since the hourglass-shaped coils have to be individually strapped to the frame of the sofa. This time-consuming process results in a soft yet expensive sofa.
Pocket Coil
Not worried about your sofa lasting for years and years, a pocket coils suspension might be the way to go. These springs come wrapped in fabric and are quite easy to repair. They are durable, it’s not like you’ll need repairs within a year. Pocket coil springs can last long. However, they will not retain the structure of the sofa and over a period of time, you will see your sofa sagging in certain areas.
These are great options for changing things up every few years. Pocket coil springs are an affordable option that gives you a sofa that isn’t too soft but not too firm either.
Polypropylene Webbing
If you like your sofa to be more firm, this is a good option. As the word webbing suggests, these are elastic or fabric straps webbed together and strapped into the frame. They are stretched out completely leaving no room for that springy and bouncy feel. You won’t find webbing done that often on sofas but some designs may still use webbing with a spring coil attached as well.
This is a durable, affordable and lightweight option.
Final Check
While the abovementioned points are for you to understand how the sofa would feel, you have to consider the look, colours and style of the sofa before buying. But that is completely up to your taste. The colour of the sofa would depend on the general interiors of your home, the colour of the walls, how much light you get in the room, etc. Always make sure that you know all these things before knit-picking at the small details of the sofa you plan to buy.
