Q: What is the difference between laminate and veneer?
A: Laminate furniture has grown to be a very popular selection for many businesses today. Laminate is a inexpensive way to reproduce a wood (veneer) image onto layered particle board that ultimately creates a final product that greatly resembles veneer (wood). All levels, Low, Mid, and High end brands offer this laminate option, although the quality of the final look is better as your quality level increases. The advancement of laminate technology has grown over the years. There are different ways of applying a laminate to the layered particle board, which gives it different degrees of durablity. High and low pressure laminates are fused onto particle board using heated resin and applied pressure. Ultimately, the resin hardens and cools. Also, some lower end brands use paper laminate that is applied with glue. This method proves to be much less durable (For example, look at the outer edges of a low end desk. It is likely you will see the surface is pulling up or chipping away revealing the particle board beneath). Low pressured laminates surface is not as durable or as water resistant as a high pressured laminates surface. Higher end brands use a more durable form of laminate fusing and lower end brand would use a cheaper method which is less durable and has a shorter life span. Overall, depending on the brand and method of lamination, laminate is a less expensive alternative to real wood veneer and in some cases, more durable. Veneer is real wood. Its cost is usually more than laminate, but the finished product is more refined. Most brands offer a variety of finishes and wood types, such as mahogany on maple, mahogany on oak, etc. Depending on ones particular style preference, this allows one to have a finished product with clean executive look or sleek contemperary feel while retaining its orginal essense. Veneer has the look that laminate attempts to achieve. With a natural beauty and quality, veneer elevates furniture to a higher level.
Q: Can you please explain why quality is important when buying office furniture?
A: Quality is extremely important when you purchase office furniture, because it determines the lifetime of the furniture you ultimately purchase. There are 3 types of quality to consider. The first is LOW QUALITY. The brands that fall into this range represent value priced goods for users with a lower budget. With a value priced brand, life longevity of the product and its ability to maintain its new appearance will diminish at a greater rate with everday use. Usually, low end products require a great amount of assembly. Please note that once assembled the products do not transport well and because fo the shifting of the products weight it often falls apart during transport. The second is MID RANGE QUALITY. These brands represent a decent quality for a reasonable price. Most mid-range brands offer products that the manufacturer assembles and the inexpensive products that require field assembly. Your options at this level increase as far as number of wood, laminate, fabric, and paint selections. The quality of materials used to produce this range is better and more durable that low-end products. Each brands warranty protection will vary. Therfore, the life longevity of mid-end products are greater. The third quality level is HIGH END. These brands represent the best quality for a higher price. These products, for the most part, come factory assembled with warranty protection. Each manufacturers' warranty protection will vary. The production and finishing process for higher end goods are more delicate and precise. The components used ultimately create a final product that is durable and long lasting. These brands offer the most options that will guarantee the final look to be that which was originally desired.
Q: What are the most common office furniture styles?
A: The first style is traditional. Traditional peices tend to reflect an older style. It is more closely compared to old Victorian or old European style. Its most common attributes are larger and more detailed edges, wood patterns or inlays, and more antique styled pull (handle) options. The second furniture style is contemporary. Contemporary is a style that reflects a more streamline and modern look. Its edges and overall body style is more straight and sleek. Some styles may incorperate metal or glass, which even further gives the piece a more modern appearance. The third most common office furniture style is tranisitional. This style is not Contemporary or Traditional. It is a style that in inbetween both, hence the name transitional. It takes on attributes of Contemporary style but it has detailed edges or different traditional attributes without fully becoming a traditional piece.
