Anyone managed to get a deal from Oak Furniture Land?

randomnut

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has managed to get a deal from Oak Furniture Land?

Went to their Reading store today looking for 4x chests of drawers. The total for ones we liked was around 15% above the budget we'd set.

Speaking to one of the salespeople there they were absolutely steadfast against any kind of price reduction. In fact the only other store i've been in so against giving any kind of deal whatsoever is DFS.

So i'm wondering is there any mileage trying again there or, like DFS, are they so against it it's just me worth going elsewhere?

Also does anyone know if they use seasoned oak or is there likely going to be shrinkage/warping as it acclimatises? I heard them REALLY pushing their polish in-store so struck me that it might be more for protection due to using non seasoned wood? The sales person wouldn't go too into it when I asked.

Leif

I've never asked them, and when I've been they've never mentioned discounts. They are cheap anyway. You might also want to look at Ikea, they do some quite usable wooden chests of drawers. If some of them are for spare/guest bedrooms, who not get some cheaper ones, such as pine? Also, ebay is good for used furniture. Once bought it loses most of its value, sadly. There are shops that specialise in used wooden furniture. There is one in Gosport and they sell on ebay, so you might find a local one.

aylesby

There is a long thread about the service you can expect from this company on the site.
They ripped me off so I will have no more to do with them.

leveller2911

randomnut wrote: »

Hi,



Also does anyone know if they use seasoned oak or is there likely going to be shrinkage/warping as it acclimatises? I heard them REALLY pushing their polish in-store so struck me that it might be more for protection due to using non seasoned wood? The sales person wouldn't go too into it when I asked.

They use kiln dried Oak.Its the poorest quality available,all the furniture will be constructed from lots of small pieces of Oak glued together.Its very stable but looks awful imo.They even use the sapwood from the tree which anyone who makes decent furniture will throw on the fire.

Its complete rubbish ,however it is very cheap. Good quality prime Oak is expensive, the timber alone would be as much as the total cost of the completed furniture......

Pays your money you makes your choice.......... I've even seen mass produced Oak furniture which isn't Oak at all , its Ash...:rotfl:

randomnut

leveller2911 wrote: »

They use kiln dried Oak.Its the poorest quality available,all the furniture will be constructed from lots of small pieces of Oak glued together.Its very stable but looks awful imo.They even use the sapwood from the tree which anyone who makes decent furniture will throw on the fire.

Its complete rubbish ,however it is very cheap. Good quality prime Oak is expensive, the timber alone would be as much as the total cost of the completed furniture......

Pays your money you makes your choice.......... I've even seen mass produced Oak furniture which isn't Oak at all , its Ash...:rotfl:

Hmm some good points. In fairness 2 of the chests of drawers are for the kids rooms. Whilst i'd like something which will last for years, I am under no illusions they will help hasten their demise haha.

I am keen on getting something better than the flat pack rubbish from homebase they have in there at the moment, which cost around £150 and have been falling apart from not long after they were put together! The stuff I saw in store at OFL seemed pretty good and sturdy and to me looked OK. Just a shame they were a tad too expensive for everything.

Although I notice they have 5% quidco if I do it online. And will offer 18mths interest free, may as well stretch it out and have the cash in my Nationwide account paying 5% interest too over the period.

I'm not in particular after Oak however. I really just want some furniture that is solid wood, well built and sturdy. Not some old flat pack tat. If anyone can recommend somewhere which does good value furniture regardless of wood type i'd be keen to check it out?

Leif

I don't agree that Oak Furniture Land goods are rubbish. I have a kitchen table from them, and it is excellent. It is well made, from good well finished oak, looks good, and for £170 is very good value. It is quite common to use strips of wood glued together, even British manufacturers sometimes do the same, at twice the price or more. Using strips means that it is resistant to warping. And it is solid wood, whereas most other furniture at the same price is a cheap substrate with veneers, which does not last. The main reason why it is cheap is because it is made in China, and they buy direct. I think they even have their own factory. Take a look at John Lewis and other shops, and you see items of lesser quality at twice the price or more. And they are also made in China, or Eastern Europe. The concern I have is that the wood is probably not sourced from well managed woods. There are other companies such as Chris Sharp Cabinets that do similar but better quality, using responsibly sourced wood, made in the UK too, but too expensive for the OP. And of course Ercol, but again too expensive for the OP.

randomnut

Thanks for the input. We are not after anything mega high quality, as some of this is just for the kids rooms, just after something good quality, sturdy and good value.

We may simply have to up our budget a little bit, but will try some other places first if OFL aren't keen on giving a discount. Although I was going to pay up front for the 85% I was going to spend, I'll make them pay out for a 0% credit though and get the interest in the bank.

Leif - did you need to get their polish as well?

Leif

randomnut wrote: »

Leif - did you need to get their polish as well?

I didn't bother. It looks very expensive, you can get good polish much more cheaply elsewhere.

leveller2911

Leif wrote: »

It is quite common to use strips of wood glued
together,

Its common yes, but the reason is because they can use offcuts and not the decent quality Oak.This keeps the costs down but theres no excuse for using the sapwood on a piece of furniture.

Using strips means that it is resistant to warping.

Partly true but if the Oak is seasoned properly (kiln or air dried) then there is no reason for not using wide boards.I've made Oak tables from 9" wide boards and they haven't warped or twisted.As I mentioned the main reason is they can use offcuts,poorer quality which in teurn keeps the cost down.The OP wanted better than flatpack but not Roll Royce.I'm sure they will be happy with mass produced Oak.

And it is solid wood, whereas most other furniture at the same price is a cheap
substrate with veneers, which does not last.

Much of the furniture made in the early 20th century was vaneered ply and much of it has survived.A friend of mine buys old tables/cupboards etc from auctions and sands them down and waxes or paints them to sell. Many times he starts sanding a piece that looks like solid Oak but then sands through a vaneer and finds out its ply.... Its quite funny sometimes hearing him rant......I've also seen new "solid Oak" dining tables that look solid oak, the top being a chunky 44mm but on closer inspection they were a vaneered mdf top (18mm) with a 44mm wide Oak edging glued on.It was down to cost but also to deceive.They were made in Poland AFAIA.

The concern I have is that the wood is probably not sourced from well managed
woods.

Totally agree, China is the biggest culprit run close by Brazil and then Africa.

There are other companies such as Chris Sharp Cabinets that do similar but
better quality, using responsibly sourced wood, made in the UK too, but too
expensive for the OP. And of course Ercol, but again too expensive for the
OP.

Your spot on and as I mentioned before, It would cost more to buy the decent quality timber than OFL sell the product for.
Cheap imported solid timber furniture won't necessarily last any longer than vaneered furniture.
As we all know fashions change and before we know it the furniture we once liked we now don't and its advertised on e-bay or put on the log burner.

Maysie

My mum recently went to one of corndell sales at their warehouse in witney. Might be a bit far out for you. They did deliver for her but she is only 10 miles away. She bought 2 big chest of drawers and 2 wardrobe with drawer underneath. She didn't say exactly how much she spent but it was around a thousand. The quality is fab and i am quite jealous. They were told part assembly for the wardrobes so husband went to help. It only involved lifting onto the drawers and folding out and placing the back into slots.

we went along last month for a look and it was a real mix of styles and some sets. seems to be every saturday the sales now.

adandem

Steer clear of OFL;)

I would recommend Ikea, esp for your kids rooms. Ours were bought as a stop gap and are still going strong after 7 years.