Five Key Considerations for Selecting School Furniture

Children spend an average of 194 days per year in school, the majority of which is spent in the classroom. Schools have important decisions to make to ensure a comfortable environment that takes into account furniture that offers posture support, reduces fatigue, and promotes concentration and learning. 

Here are five criteria for purchasing school furniture that is durable, functional, and conforms with budget considerations.

1. Reputation of the manufacturer
It pays to do some homework about the manufacturer of school furniture, taking into account their years in business and whether they specialize in school furniture.   

Manufacturers that have a long-standing track record in the industry can provide more diverse product offerings and can offer customer testimonials and a perspective about the quality of the products they build.

2. Quality of the warranty
All school furniture should be accompanied by a warranty. Most offer protection for three years, five years, or a limited lifetime. Review the limitations of the warranty. Does it cover parts, fabric tears or worn areas, bent legs, or damaged arms?  If holes need to be drilled in the furniture to accommodate cords or other adjustments, does this void the warranty? 

3. Delivery considerations
Smaller schools are often surprised when large boxes show up at the front door. The school must scramble to break down boxes, store furniture until needed, and inventory the order. Using an office supply vendor can help create shipping options that are easier to handle, such as breaking larger orders into smaller ones, staggering delivery dates, or evaluating shipping vendors to determine whether it is easier and more cost efficient to deliver by an independent truck service or by a national shipping courier. 

4. Evaluate design criteria
Quality and durability work hand-in-hand. When working with a reputable dealer or manufacturer, they can offer advice about materials (steel gauge vs. alternatives), heights and sizes, stain-resistant fabrics, acid resistant table tops, and versatile table shapes. Other important criteria will be standard or specialized color options.

5. Understand pricing 
Buying school furniture can be challenging because there are so many decisions that need to be made to ensure that the purchase lasts for many years of students and comes in at a price that meets budget requirements. 

Companies that specialize in school furniture are good allies in this area because they can tape into their experience and resources to steer the buying decision that will satisfy all criteria.

This article is courtesy of Quill Corporation, www.quill.com.