We sell a lot of sofas at Kingsway. We’ve also seen a lot of customers come back frustrated with a sofa they bought somewhere else — not because the sofa was defective, but because it was the wrong sofa for their situation. It was too big for the room, or the wrong fabric for their household, or it started losing its shape after two years of regular use.
This guide covers what we actually talk through with customers in our showroom before they make a decision. None of it is complicated, but it’s not obvious either — especially for first-time buyers or anyone who hasn’t bought a sofa in a decade or more.
Step 1: Measure Before You Fall in Love With Anything
The most common sofa regret we hear is size. A sofa that looked right in a showroom overwhelms a smaller living room. Or a sofa that seemed appropriately sized leaves not enough room for a coffee table.
Before you look at a single sofa, measure your living room and write down:
– The length of the wall where the sofa will sit
– The depth of the room from that wall to whatever is across from it (TV stand, fireplace, another seating piece)
– The width of your entry door and any hallways the sofa needs to pass through on delivery day
A standard three-seat sofa is 84–90 inches wide. Leave 18 inches between the sofa front and your coffee table. Leave 36 inches of walking clearance to any wall or furniture piece on either side. If your math doesn’t work with those measurements, you need a smaller sofa — or a different configuration.
Step 2: Understand What’s Inside
The cushion you sit on in a showroom tells you almost nothing about how the sofa will feel in three years. What determines longevity is the internal structure.
The frame: Look for kiln-dried hardwood. Kiln drying removes moisture from the wood before the frame is built, which prevents warping, loosening, and squeaking as the frame ages. Ask the salesperson specifically what the frame is made of — “solid wood” can mean anything.
The spring system: Ask what spring system the sofa uses. Eight-way hand-tied coils are the most durable and most expensive. Sinuous wire springs are mid-range and adequate for moderate use. The Blue Steel system used by Flexsteel is their proprietary approach — a single steel rod anchored to the frame that won’t sag or shift. Webbing only is the entry-level approach.
The cushion foam: Higher-density foam holds its shape longer. Foam density is measured in pounds per cubic foot — a 1.8 lb/ft³ foam cushion will compress and lose shape faster than a 2.2 lb/ft³ cushion. Most manufacturers don’t publish this spec, but asking will tell you whether the salesperson actually knows what they’re selling.
Step 3: Match the Fabric to Your Household
Upholstery choice should start with your household, not with what looks good.
Pets: Pet claws and pet hair behave very differently on different fabric types. Tightly woven performance fabrics — specifically fabrics marketed as stain- and scratch-resistant — handle both significantly better than loosely woven textiles. Leather is claw-resistant but shows scratches permanently. Microfibers vary widely — ask specifically whether the fabric is pet-safe rather than accepting “it’s easy to clean” as an answer.
Young children: Stain resistance matters more than scratch resistance. Performance fabrics with a moisture barrier in the weave are worth the premium. Light colors show stains even on stain-treated fabric — if you have toddlers, consider a mid-range color regardless of how the fabric is rated.
High daily use: Fabric with a high rub count (the Martindale or Wyzenbeek abrasion test score) will hold its appearance longer. Commercial-grade fabrics start at 30,000 rubs on the Martindale scale. Residential performance fabrics typically run 15,000–25,000. A fabric rated at 8,000 rubs will show wear noticeably within a few years of daily use.
Step 4: Sit in It
This sounds obvious. It’s frequently skipped, especially by buyers who have decided on a sofa based on a photo and just want to finalize the purchase. Sit in the sofa for at least a few minutes. Get up and sit back down several times. Lie down if that’s how you use it. If something doesn’t feel right in the showroom, it won’t get better at home.
Pay attention to seat depth. A very deep seat (more than 22–23 inches) means smaller adults and children will either sit with their backs unsupported or will perch at the front edge. A shallow seat (less than 20 inches) can feel cramped for taller adults. Most standard sofas run 21–23 inches in seat depth.
What We Carry
At Kingsway in Sikeston, our sofa selection centers on Flexsteel and La-Z-Boy — two manufacturers we recommend because we can explain their construction in detail. Flexsteel’s Blue Steel spring system and kiln-dried hardwood frames put their sofas in a durability category that most mid-range furniture doesn’t reach. La-Z-Boy’s upholstery variety and their performance fabric selection give customers more options in the fabric decision.
Come see us at 950 S Kings Hwy or call (573) 471-3585. Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.