No matter what kind of dwelling you live in, you need furniture. However, before you go furniture shopping, you should be aware of some things. This article provides some guidelines and good advice about how to find just the pieces you want at the right price.

When buying old items, check the underside of each piece. Furniture may look to be in decent shape, but that may not really be the case. Older furniture can often have troubles with dry rot and rust.

Whenever you buy furniture made from wood, especially antiques, look beyond the surface. Open the drawers, look underneath and check the back too. You can more easily see what condition the item is in by looking carefully at these areas rather than just the outer surfaces. Sometimes these are called secondary woods and their surface will allow you to figure out how they’re constructed and what the …