How Long Should Commercial Office Furniture Last?

The majority of quality commercial office furniture is designed to be replaced every decade, which may or may not be within the warranty period of the manufacturer. Warranty periods from most commercial furniture companies range from between three to ten years depending on what type of product it is.

Understanding the expected service life of commercial-grade furniture is essential intel for ensuring the best return on investment for your company. For most companies, updating, moving, or rebranding their workplace can be a significant investment of both money and time. The cost, resources, and collaboration across the company that’s required means it’s crucial to know well in advance when you’ll need to have the resources ready.

To help you prepare, let’s cover what makes commercial furniture different from consumer-grade furniture, along with the expected lifespan of the most common pieces of commercial furniture.

Traits Of Commercial Furniture

Quality commercial furniture is built to last, being crafted from higher-quality, more durable materials. Tougher fabrics and stronger finishes are employed to withstand the demands of multiple hours of use from numerous people. In contrast, consumer-grade furniture is made from cheaper forms of wood and with less-durable finishes.

Commercial wooden products rely on more costly but far more durable hardwoods like ash and beechwood, rather than inexpensive rubberwood used in consumer-grade furniture.

Commercial-grade furniture also provides easy upkeep and cleaning that helps maintain their form and function for far longer periods of time. Because of this focus in the segment, quality commercial furniture companies strive to outlast the competition in terms of durability and longevity.

By avoiding cheap import alternatives to office furniture, you can save your business significant expense in the long run. Most of the time, these inferior brands can’t provide the necessary support for proper repairs or maintenance that commercial clients demand. Although commercial grade furniture typically costs more than off-brand import furniture, the savings rarely makes sense when you examine the whole picture.

One barometer for comparing the quality of commercial furniture manufacturers is the warranty they provide. The bottom line is, the warranty is what presents the most relevant value proposition for you, because it can end up saving significant capital outlays from being necessary too soon.

Even within companies, though, warranties can be longer and more inclusive depending on the size and type of office furniture being purchased. So be sure to check the details of every piece you’re considering.

Examine The Warranty For Each Piece

Inquire about the warranties at the onset of your furniture research, and be sure to compare them with what manufacturers list their product’s life expectancy to be. This will provide a clearer picture of how long you can truly expect their furniture to last. Next, we’ll cover the typical service lives of the most common commercial office furniture.

How Long Do The Most Common Pieces Of Office Furniture Last?

How Long Can You Expect An Office Chair To Last?

Office chairs are pieces of office furniture that get the most wear and tear of all. Remember, most employees spend 40 hours or more sitting at their desks week in, week out. That adds up to a lot of stress on the office chairs you choose.

Typically, a well-built office chair will last from between seven to ten years. In many cases, you’ll find most commercial office chairs come with a five year warranty from the manufacturer. That means there is often an overlap of service life and warranty coverage, so be ever-mindful of this critical detail.

There are higher-quality office chairs that come with warranties from the manufacturer for ten years, which is a solid indication that the components are longer lasting. These chairs often serve workers comfortably for around 12 to 15 years.

Office chairs are relatively easy to know when they should be replaced. When fabrics and plastic coverings begin to show signs of being worn out, there’s a strong chance you need to replace the entire chair. But more importantly, if the chair is becoming significantly less comfortable than it previously was, that’s a sign the cushioning is wearing out—a crucial need for a new chair.

How Long Can You Expect A Desk To Last?

Desks aren’t subjected to the type of abuse that office chairs must withstand, so you can expect them to last much longer. Quality office desks can last for decades, with some old wooden ones still in perfect working order at more than a century old.

Of course, most don’t last forever, especially in today’s rapidly changing world. When inspiring design is a top priority, desks may become obsolete sooner than expected. Signs that you need to replace your desks include physical cues like the legs or other parts becoming loose or beginning to fall off. Another example is hardware or accessories such as drawers and extensions not working properly.

Visual signs include finishes wearing off and exposing bare wood, or it could simply be time to change the overall look-and-feel of your office.

How Long Can You Expect A Conference Table To Last?

Compared with office desks, conference tables are exposed to far less use and mistreatment than desks, so you can usually expect them to last much longer. So how do you determine whether or not it’s the right time to replace your conference table?

Mostly, this comes down to a few key needs. Expansion for including more people around the table, changing the overall aesthetics of the office or boardroom, or implementing more modern features into the space such as video conferencing systems and wiring for communications.

Choose G|M For Your Office Furniture Needs

G|M is committed to providing innovative office furniture that create more comfortable and productive working environments. Want to find office furniture near you? Visit one of our showrooms to see what’s possible in Riverside, Irvine, or San Diego. Our priority is helping our clients elevate their workplaces! Call or click today and find your next perfect office furniture arrangement.