Progress is good . . . right? Well, sometimes. Progress in the manufacturing of residential furnishings is really good . . . right? Well, sometimes.

The internal workings of newer, lower priced furnishings generally feature a Drop-In Machine-Tied system. This is a pre-assembled, machine-made coil system designed to simulate the hand-tied predecessor. The machine made system drops into the frame and is fastened at the corners.

This type of coil system attempts to mimic the traditional method of Eight-Way Hand-Tied Coils, but it is generally considered inferior in the support and comfort it has to offer. One of the problems is that when one of the coils fails, the comfort cannot be retrieved.

The frame is critical to the life of your piece, as well. You can find a chair that looks great on the surface only to discover that under the fabric on the arms is rolled cardboard, which is destined to fail under use.

Solid wood frames ensure that your sofa is not going to fall apart over time. While engineered wood can provide a decent quality piece, solid hardwood frames are the gold standard in most quality upholstered furnishings.

Corner blocks are used to provide solid support for the sofa frame. A piece of wood is wedged between one side of the sofa and the other and then secured in place. This construction method offers reinforcement for the joints and results in a stronger frame.

Glue and stapling corner blocks on a frame is the easiest, least costly way of manufacturing a sofa frame, but it carries with it the poorest reputation for strength. A step up is to nail the corner blocks. Screwing the wood joints together is absolutely the best way to create a secure foundation.

A quality piece of furniture … manufactured with methods that were developed prior to the progress in manufacturing should last about 10 years, depending on amount of use. A piece manufactured with some or all of the newer methods could last as little as six months to two years.

I guess, even with progress, you still get what you pay for.