Yard sale mamas a bit o' help please?

[CerridwenLorelei]

I have decided to go in several weeks to search for some chairs. Most of our kitchen table chairs ( they were 17 yrs old and inherited from dad the table is still going strong) are dead and gone and we have six of us to seat at the table.
Besides the obvious things what hidden things to search for for 1) finding good decent ones that just need new homes ( I have to have ones with backs due to health issues)
2) what hidden things I might not think about to run the other way from the chairs


I would like to find wooden ones nice and sturdy but comfy ...but that may not be doable but sure what I am going for

and thanks !

[opally]

Our house is pretty much entirely furnished with yard-sale, thrift-store, pass-along furniture, and it's only very recently that I've started looking very closely - extra closely - at all the parts of something we bring into the house. This resulted from our search for a used fridge to replace our ancient one - found one at the thrift store, exactly what we wanted (big, black, side-by-side, cheap) and were just about to buy it when I really started looking at it. Found roaches - lots of them, dead - in the coils. Entirely skeevy.

So, that's my advice - if there is any upholstery at all on your potential chairs, see if you can lift up an edge, take a peek underneath, really get a good look at what you're buying. I'm sure roach ridden things are pretty uncommon (I hope !) but it pays to be cautious !

Good luck !

[KariM]

I buy a lot of used & antique furniture but I won't buy upholstered pieces (unless I'm planning to reupholster and repad them) because of what the PP noted.

With chairs I check for wobblyness (press down hard on the seat and wiggle it), check the glue at the joints and general sturdiness of the chair.

I don't know if you have any farm or estate auctions near you but that's where I find my best furniture deals. We routinely pick up oak chairs for $10 and less and you can buy entire dining room sets (table, 8 chairs, buffet, etc) for under $300 in our area.

--Kari

[girlndocs]

Be sure and use your local craigslist (www.craigslist.org can link you to the list for your area). Besides checking the for-sale ads, post a wanted ad for yourself, specifying you want them cheap, free or barter. I've gotten chive starts for my garden and enough brand new lumber for a chicken tractor, without shelling out a cent, via craigslist

[CerridwenLorelei]

thanks I have checked

but no craigslist in my area
I do watch the freecycle