5 Things to Look for When Shopping for Wood Furniture

Shopping for wood furniture should be fun. But if you've ever stood in a store wondering, "How do I know if this is actually any good?" — you're not alone. There's a LOT out there that looks like real wood but isn't, and even stuff that IS real wood isn't always built to last.

Here are five things I always tell people to look for — whether you're shopping at Barewood or anywhere else. Think of it as your no-nonsense checklist for finding furniture that's actually worth the investment.

1. Make Sure It's Actually Real Wood

This one sounds obvious, but you'd be amazed how many people get fooled. Particle board, MDF, and laminate are everywhere — and manufacturers have gotten REALLY good at making them look like the real thing.

Here's how to tell: look at the edges and the underside of the piece. Real wood has natural grain variations — knots, color shifts, texture you can actually feel. If the surface looks perfectly uniform with a repeating pattern, or feels smooth like plastic, you're probably looking at a veneer or laminate. Also, look at the edges — real wood grain wraps around corners. Veneer or laminate will have a seam or a repeating pattern that gives it away.

(We actually wrote a whole deep dive on this: What I Didn't Know About "Real Wood" Furniture (Until I Worked with It).)

2. Check the Joints, Not Just the Surface

This is the thing most people skip — and it's probably the most important. Flip the piece over. Open the drawers. Look at how the pieces connect.

Quality furniture uses real joinery — dovetail joints in drawers, mortise-and-tenon connections in the frame, maybe dowels or solid wood corner blocks for reinforcement. What you DON'T want to see is a bunch of staples, nails, or globs of glue holding things together. That's a sign the piece was built fast and cheap, and it won't hold up over time.

Don't be shy about this. Open the drawers, look underneath, wiggle the legs a little. Drawers should glide smoothly and sit straight — if they wobble, stick, or feel flimsy, that's telling you something about how the piece was built. If a salesperson gives you a hard time for doing that, it tells you something about the furniture.

3. Feel the Finish

Run your hand across the surface. A quality finish should feel smooth and even — no bumps, drips, or rough patches. The stain or paint should look consistent, and the wood grain should still show through (unless it's painted, of course).

A good finish isn't just about looks, either — it's what protects the wood from daily wear and tear. So if the finish feels cheap or uneven, the piece probably won't age well.

4. Think About What You Actually Need

It's easy to get swept up in a beautiful piece and forget to ask the practical questions. How big is the space it's going in? Do you need storage? Is this something that's going to get heavy daily use — like a dining table where the kids do homework every night — or is it more of a showpiece?

Real wood furniture is an investment, and the best investment is one that fits YOUR life, not just your living room. Measure your space before you shop — and here's a trick I always share: tape the footprint of the piece on your floor with painter's tape and live with it for a day. Walk around it. Sit near it. You'll know pretty quickly if it's too big, too small, or just right — and that mistake costs you nothing.

5. Ask About Your Options

One of the best things about shopping for real wood furniture is that you often have more choices than you think. Many pieces can be ordered in different wood species, different sizes, and different finishes — so don't settle for "close enough" if it's not exactly what you want.

At Barewood, many of the pieces we carry can be customized with custom finishing — a wide range of stain and paint options so you can get exactly the look you're after. It's worth asking, because the answer might surprise you.

The Bottom Line

You don't need to be a woodworker to spot quality furniture — you just need to know where to look. Check the wood, check the joints, feel the finish, think about your needs, and always ask what's possible. Do those five things and you'll walk away with a piece you'll love for years.

Want to see what quality real wood furniture looks like up close? Here's why it's worth the investment — or better yet, come by the showroom in Clearwater and see for yourself.