Church Furniture must be durable.  Every week the church furnishings found throughout the facility will be used by groups within and without the church, and by groups of every age.  All church furnishings need to have a high degree of durability, and this is especially true for the most used type of furniture, church seating.  Let’s take a look at the main factors that determine the durability of church seating.

• Frame Strength:  Far and away, the primary factor that determines chair durability is the strength of the frame.  How do you determine if the frame is strong?  Specifications to consider include the gauge of metal used to construct the frame.  Also look for how many lateral cross members the chair has, both connecting legs to each other and those under and behind the seat.  Lateral stability is accomplished through these cross members.  Is the frame a wire rod frame or of tubular construction?  Tubular almost always provides more stiffness and longer life for the chair.
• Fabric Endurance:  Fabric is rated in “double rubs”.   This term refers to how fabrics are tested before they are released for the church furniture market.  Essentially a machine rubs the fabric twice, imitating a person sitting down and getting up.  That equals one “double rub”.  Look for fabrics that have a minimum of 150,000 double rubs for their rating.  Some will have twice that, but unfortunately some will have far less.
• Foam Quality:  Chair foam quality can have a huge range.  Some foam will be very soft at first and this may lead to a church chair purchase based on the appearance of comfort.  However, keep in mind that foam will only get softer over time, never firmer.  I recommend you choose a chair that is more on the firm side when purchasing.  In a few years you’ll not be “bottoming out” like you will by purchasing a softer foam.  Also, it’s wise to only purchase chairs that have the foam compressed before applying the fabric.  This way as the foam softens over the time, the fabric will stay taut and not wrinkle, something I see often.

As always, there’s more I could add here.  Please contact me with any questions you might have.  You can also forward questions to Church Furniture Partner where you’ll find expertise on this subject and some recommendations for chairs that exhibit great durability.