resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Jul 16, 2019 10:46 AM
resid vs public furniture (by Vee [OH]) Jul 16, 2019 10:57 AM
resid vs public furniture (by Busy [WI]) Jul 16, 2019 11:06 AM
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Jul 16, 2019 11:24 AM
resid vs public furniture (by Deanna [TX]) Jul 16, 2019 11:38 AM
resid vs public furniture (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Jul 16, 2019 4:59 PM
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Jul 16, 2019 8:15 PM
resid vs public furniture (by Still Learning [NH]) Jul 16, 2019 10:47 PM
resid vs public furniture (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Jul 17, 2019 10:27 AM
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Jul 17, 2019 1:14 PM
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Jul 17, 2019 6:33 PM
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 10:46 AM Message:
I furnish the common space areas of my student rental houses and I'm wondering if I need to be concerned that the furniture I buy is advertised as: "Residential use only".
Do you think I should be buying "commercial" or "public use" furniture to furnish the common spaces of my student rentals? I'm particularly concerned with someone sitting on a chair and it the chair breaks, and the person hits the floor and gets hurt.
Ikea lists most of their chairs as having a weight limit of 243lbs. Most of the chairs listed on costco's website don't show a weight limit. I'm kidding here but, should you put signs on seats like: "maximum 243lb weight limit"
Any thoughts you might have regarding furniture supplied and safety are appreciated. Thanks! - Bill --98.109.x.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by Vee [OH]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 10:57 AM Message:
I think it has to do with upholstery more than anything, public places have smooth stuff cleanable with spray disinfectant rather than shampoo fabric odors from diaper leaks. --76.188.xxx.xx |
resid vs public furniture (by Busy [WI]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 11:06 AM Message:
I wouldn’t use IKEA furniture in a student rental. That’s just me. How many times does a girl sit on her boyfriends’ lap? Plenty, in my observations....
I found an industrial picnic table on Craigslist once. It now resides at the backyard of one of my ‘busiest’ rentals, lots of family and friends coming over for barbecues. But, new, that table would have cost a pretty penny. I also see hotel furniture getting sold occasionally when a chain redecorates. Not sure where you’d look for this, but, ReStore ( Habitat for Humanity’s resale shops) frequently gets large lots of desks, or chairs, or.....
Another place to look might be used office furniture stores; there are several in my area. They sell both new and used, as far as I know. The key for me would be sturdy, sturdy, sturdy. --70.92.xxx.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 11:24 AM Message:
Thanks Vee, that thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but that makes sense, what you said about cleanability.
Busy, in the past, I used furniture from thrift shops, but then my common spaces ended up a hodge-podge of furniture, whose colors didn’t go together, and wasn’t that functional. Now I design my student housing spaces with an architectural design program, working to get good functionality while looking good. By buying new furniture, I can get very close to the sizes and colors of the furniture I want to use in my design. If you want to see what I do, check out brunswick student housing. And you are right: sturdy, sturdy, sturdy. When I purchased furniture from the thrift shop at my dad’s assisted living facility, I thought if the furniture has lasted for 80 years or so, it can last for another 20 with students. And so far that has proved true, and I still like to get dressers for $30 from the thrift shop that are sturdy, sturdy, sturdy :-) Thanks!
--98.109.x.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by Deanna [TX]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 11:38 AM Message:
I know I've told my anecdote before...
Once upon a time, I was staying at the Westin Dallas Downtown. (about $200-$250/night price range for a basic room). I had my five-month-old along with me. And, being a five-month-old, he was still nursing. And, being a five-month-old, he was very greedy.
So, after we arrived, I fed him. And he ate too much. And when I was burping him afterwards, he projectiled all over this big armchair in a $250-night-room.
I was aghast. I'm looking for towels to wipe it up with, but there's no way I could get this upholstery cleaned without a shampooer. I'm mentally trying to figure out how to apologize and explain it, and trying to figure out how much the cleaning fee would be to make things right, and I'm cleaning up him and me and I'm wiping up the upholstery and---- it wiped right up. O_O
And even though I had been sitting in the darn thing for a good 20 minutes, I hadn't registered that it was furniture that could be cleaned simply by wiping. It had a nice texture to it that made me think it was fabric-- it was June, and I'm wearing shorts-- and not that icky fake feel you get with vinyl or whatever. But it cleaned up as easily as vinyl.
So check into your closest hotel furniture liquidator, and go check out what kind of sofas and armchairs they have. You're not looking for residential-quality furniture; you're looking for commercial-quality furniture, and a hotel is exactly the kind of place that would have the durability and functionality that you're looking for. --96.46.xxx.xx |
resid vs public furniture (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 4:59 PM Message:
BillW,
I used to sell commercial furniture for public lobbies. It's the same stuff, just beefier.
Just for fun: I spec'd the fabric for the new chairs for our church. The fabric was tested and rated for 247,000 double rubs before showing wear. Loved the phrase DOUBLE RUB!
BRAD --73.102.xxx.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 8:15 PM Message:
Deanna, yes I do remember you telling me this in another post. I did check out hotel furniture liquidators and was on the verge of driving an hour to see it, but didn’t. These days, I’m just doing common space areas so I’m usually hunting through all the new furniture sites to find a piece of furniture, with specific length width and height and finish. Even with all the stuff out there, it’s still hard to find the right piece. Maybe if I was a bit more creative decorator, I might be able to pull off putting together used furniture and having it look right.
BRAD 20,000, thanks for the insight on what commercial furniture is. And I think your church chairs should last for a few generations. How many double rubs per service you figuring? Thanks!
--98.109.x.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by Still Learning [NH]) Posted on: Jul 16, 2019 10:47 PM Message:
If you have a weight limit, just add a clause to your lease. Also state common area furniture is for use by all in the building. Use appropriately as each piece is meant to be used, no roughhousing, standing, jumping, etc. Weight limit of xxx for the chairs. --107.77.xxx.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Posted on: Jul 17, 2019 10:27 AM Message:
There is probably a fire rating on commercial furniture.
Sturdy is most important. You will have two people sitting in one chair and people flinging themselves into furniture during horse play. I don't think that rated for 240 pounds is sturdy enough. --98.146.xxx.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Posted on: Jul 17, 2019 1:14 PM Message:
Still Learning, that seems like a good way to do it, write it on the lease. I looked it up and it seems that chair injuries are pretty common in restaurants.
Oregon Woodsmoke, flinging and horseplay is something to think about. I think your right. I imagine you could weight 100 lbs, but if your jumping on a chair, for exercise perhaps, you’d put down a lot more than 100lbs force.
--98.109.x.xxx |
resid vs public furniture (by BillW [NJ]) Posted on: Jul 17, 2019 6:33 PM Message:
As I think some more, I believe I'll be fine, as long as I buy furniture from an established company like Costco. If a chair ever did break, as long as I maintained it (tightened screws, removed it, if it were missing a part, etc.), I can't imagine anyone would be going after me (of course I'm insured). Even though I'm using the furniture in a rental, I'm still putting it in a house, which I believe qualifies as "residential use only" Thank you all!! Bill --98.109.x.xxx |
Reply:
|
|