How old is your furniture?

[disneysteve]

I just saw a commercial for a furniture store. The wife is looking at her husband's chair with disdain and says, "He's had this chair since... Y2K."
Really? So the chair has been around for 14 years. Big deal. How many people replace their furniture that often? Or am I really out of touch here?

We bought most of our furniture when we bought our house. That was 20 years ago. We have no intent or need to replace anything. Appliances yes, but not furniture. So is it just us? Do others buy new furniture every 10 or 15 years?

[hamchan]

I moved from New Mexico to Alaska in 2004 with just a couple of suitcases so none of my own furniture is older than that (at least to me). Our bed, dresser, and an old dining table I use for a work table belonged to my husband when we combined households. I know they are a minimum of five years old, but beyond that I don't know for sure. I think the bed is around 15 years old. My dining set was purchased in 2005, but I bought it from an antique/vintage store. It's from the 50's. We just replaced our sofa with a sofa bed so my parents have a place to sleep when they visit.

Most of the furniture we buy is inexpensive and doesn't stay in good condition for more than 5-10 years tops, especially if you move it a lot. We bought a new desk when we moved because the old one was beat up. We bought a new tv stand because the old one wouldn't fit in our current apartment. Our dresser is falling apart but I keep trying to fix it so we can put off buying a new one. Waiting for delivery, putting together the new one, transferring everything inside to the new one, and getting rid of the old one (with no vehicle) are such a pain.

[hamchan]

Another thing is that pets, especially cats, are very hard on furniture.

[97guns]

just bought a new recliner sofa to replace a 16 year old good friend, was looking locally in the range of $900-$950 and found the same model online for $638 shipped and set up

[MonkeyMama]

Most our furniture was bought used or handed down, or we have had since childhood. So certainly much older than since Y2K.

We have never retired any furniture for any reason other than functionality issues (like the furniture didn't fit our space or we bought a bigger TV than would fit in our old entertainment center, or outgrown kids' furniture). Of course, we aren't exactly normal. Normal is broke and in debt. (Locally, very few of our peers would take hand-me-down furniture or buy used. Their homes tend to look like model homes, like the same year they moved in. We just slowly furnished our home over time).

[SuperSavingTips]

Our living room furniture and kitchen set were purchased when we moved in about 7 years ago. Our dining room set belonged to my wife's grandparents and our master bedroom set was purchased used by my wife 20 years ago (and was probably 20 years old at the time) but it is in very good shape. The second bedroom furniture is more of a mishmash of pieces, some of it 7 years old, some of it older.

On our budget, we don't replace furniture without a pretty good reason. I'm not sure we're typical (as MonkeyMama said, normal is broke and in debt), but we don't replace furniture every 10 to 15 years unless it is broken or pretty beat up (and not repairable). I'd say it also depends on what kind of furniture, because if you have a RTA desk and move a time or two, it will likely not hold up.

[snafu]

I was delighted when our sofa finally had noticeable problems. I was tired of looking at the same stuff for so long. New sofa, about 1.5 yrs, ago is not the same high quality as it get's really boring long term. Have redone the dining chair cushions twice over the years, 1st because the fabric eventually became obviously worn and again when the padding lost it's loft. Mattresses have a 'lifespan.' Electronics also cause furniture changes. Started with a PC and a desk unit in support. Keep selling that stuff before it's obsolete and iPads and MacAir need no major furnishings for support..

I keep procrastinating ripping out the wall-to-wall carpet and having hardwood floors installed only because it's so disruptive.

[kork13]

I have a mix of old & new furniture. Some stuff, like my bed, dresser, and a couple tables, I bought when I graduated college 6.5 years ago. Other pieces, like my dining table & couch, were given to me by my family, and are probably 10 years old or more. A few items, I've bought within the last year or two. But I don't foresee getting rid of anything unless/until they start showing heavy signs or wear, which should be a long time, because I have intentionally bought high quality, solid wood furniture with the specific intention of keeping it for a decade or two (or however long it can last me). My parents' bed (not mattress) and dining table has been with them since they were married 30+ years ago.

[disneysteve]

Most of the furniture we buy is inexpensive and doesn't stay in good condition for more than 5-10 years tops

I think this raises a really good point. Many people buy cheap, low end furniture that doesn't last when for the same price, they could get really good quality stuff secondhand. Goodwill and Craigslist are great resources. I wouldn't buy "soft" goods like sofas used but "hard" furniture like dining room sets, kitchen tables, bookcases can certainly be found cheap. In the long run, it makes more sense to get quality stuff and not have to replace it even if it costs a bit more upfront.

Another tip for parents - don't buy your little ones kiddie furniture. Buy regular furniture that you won't have to replace when they outgrow the "baby" stuff. When our daughter was born, we got a good quality bedroom set. It included a changing table top on the dresser and matched her crib but once she was older, we removed the changing table, got rid of the crib, and she had a beautiful set. She's 19 now and the furniture still looks brand new. Some day when she moves to her own place, if she wants to take that set, she can. If not, we'll have a nicely furnished guest room.

[disneysteve]

I have intentionally bought high quality, solid wood furniture with the specific intention of keeping it for a decade or two (or however long it can last me).

Good furniture should last a lifetime and beyond. And you don't even need to spend a ton of money. I have numerous pieces I bought at Ikea when I got my first apartment in 1986 that are still with me and doing just fine 28 years later.

[MonkeyMama]

I don't know that any of our furniture is particularly high quality, but we are light on our stuff. We might be big on medium quality (as with anything). But even some of our cheapie furniture (low quality) has lasted a very long time.

The irony of it is we just have taken whatever we can for free or at a deep discount and we probably figured we'd replace some of the stuff over time. But I have no complaints with what we have and would rather spend my money on something else than on replacing functional and nice furniture. I think it's fair enough if a decorator type wants to change it up more often. I will just never understand why so many people earmark perfectly nice pieces for the dumpster. Beyond the money, just so wasteful!! But, good for us I guess...

[bjl584]

My bedroom and dining room furniture is about 10 years old.

The rest was hand me down stuff. I have no idea how old it is.

[hamchan]

I think this raises a really good point. Many people buy cheap, low end furniture that doesn't last when for the same price, they could get really good quality stuff secondhand. Goodwill and Craigslist are great resources. I wouldn't buy "soft" goods like sofas used but "hard" furniture like dining room sets, kitchen tables, bookcases can certainly be found cheap. In the long run, it makes more sense to get quality stuff and not have to replace it even if it costs a bit more upfront.

Another tip for parents - don't buy your little ones kiddie furniture. Buy regular furniture that you won't have to replace when they outgrow the "baby" stuff. When our daughter was born, we got a good quality bedroom set. It included a changing table top on the dresser and matched her crib but once she was older, we removed the changing table, got rid of the crib, and she had a beautiful set. She's 19 now and the furniture still looks brand new. Some day when she moves to her own place, if she wants to take that set, she can. If not, we'll have a nicely furnished guest room.

Most of the furniture I see at the Goodwill (and there is not much of it because Goodwill stores in the city are tiny) is nearly as worn out as the stuff we have gotten rid of. I am usually working with very tight space constraints, and need to find specific dimensions, which would limit my options even further. I also actually care that the furniture in my home looks nice together, which would be difficult to achieve if I were limited to used items. Plus there's the added expense of renting a truck to get it back home, and having to find someone able to drive the truck since neither me nor my husband are able to drive. I am not opposed to buying used furniture when it makes sense and works out well, but it usually doesn't.

[hamchan]

I don't know that any of our furniture is particularly high quality, but we are light on our stuff. We might be big on medium quality (as with anything). But even some of our cheapie furniture (low quality) has lasted a very long time.

The irony of it is we just have taken whatever we can for free or at a deep discount and we probably figured we'd replace some of the stuff over time. But I have no complaints with what we have and would rather spend my money on something else than on replacing functional and nice furniture. I think it's fair enough if a decorator type wants to change it up more often. I will just never understand why so many people earmark perfectly nice pieces for the dumpster. Beyond the money, just so wasteful!! But, good for us I guess...

Sometimes your needs change. Sometimes you move and don't have space for it anymore. And if it's a perfectly good but dated looking item, no one will buy it from you. I've never thrown away furniture that was still in reasonably good condition, but I've donated or given away a lot of it.

[disneysteve]

Most of the furniture I see at the Goodwill (and there is not much of it because Goodwill stores in the city are tiny) is nearly as worn out as the stuff we have gotten rid of.

That can be true depending on the local market. In that case, Craigslist may be the better option. There you can find stuff that people are selling because they're moving or cleaning out a home after a parent died or went into a nursing home or just remodeling. The stuff isn't usually worn out. In fact, it can be quite nice and quite cheap.