Expert: Jamie Yocono - 2/1/2009

Question
I am looking at purchasing some pieces of furniture to recreate my home office, but don't want to spend a lot of money.  I searched on craigs list and went to look at a pine entertainment center. The piece of furniture is 48"Wx19"(or 20")DX43"H. It is solid pine (looks like pine slats put together to look like a solid piece of pine). It's in pretty good condition. There  are only a few wear and tear marks on the shelving which can be easily sanded away.  I'm just wandering how much a used piece of  furniture like is worth.  I plan to make alterations to it.  The couple is asking $80. They purchased it was Ikea a couple years ago.  I've been trying to find comparisons on line, but haven't had much luck.  I'm including the link to the add with a photo. Can you help me out.  It seems a bit on the high side, but I'm not familiar with the value or cost of that type of furniture. I'm suppose to pick it up today just after 12 noon. Can you help educate me on this style of furniture so I know what I'm looking at?   
IKEA Solid Wood entertainment center-light oak color-$80  
http://dallas.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=1014677624

Answer
J,

I took a look at that Craigslist ad for the entertainment center, and although it's a little difficult to see the condition of the piece, I think it's a fair deal at the $80 price.

Wood and hardware have become outrageously expensive. If I had to buy the materials to build a piece like that, I know that $80 wouldn't be enough to cover it. On that basis alone, it would be worth it.

Next, I really like Ikea's designs. I think the composition of that piece is nice, I've certainly seen more poorly designed pieces. So I think it's a piece (as long as it's in decent shape) that you won't mind having around for a while. If you get tired of the pine look, you could probably sand it a bit and paint to match another room's decor.

Another thing - the design of this piece makes it's suitable for several different areas of a home. I could see it in a bedroom, as an open dresser, as well as an office, like you mentioned. I could also see it in a bathroom (OK, a large one) as a linen cabinet. Whatever, I think it's multi-functional, and worth the price.

And finally, I would check the drawer glides and the drawer construction, to make sure they glide smoothly and that the bottoms of the drawers aren't falling out. Those are two common problems. Dovetailed drawers would be best, but that might wishful thinking for a piece like this. See if the door hangs properly, opens properly, and stays shut, Is the alignment good, or does it need adjusted. Try to figure out if it's solid wood, rather than veneer. If it is, heck, this is even a nice storage cabinet for someone's garage!

Good luck, I hope this helps. I think you'll be fine if you decide to buy this piece. You can always offer them slightly less and see if they'll take it.

Jamie Yocono
Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry
Las Vegas, NV
www.wooditis.com