Church Furniture Manufacturing Association

Building the Churches and Congregations of America - One at a Time

Website: www.cfma.net

Welcome to the Church Furniture Manufacturing Associates Website

An Industry Support Page for Consumer Information and Dealer Assistance

Dealers Information Login Here

Login Area
UserID:
Password:

No Login Info?

Email Us

LINKS to AWARD SITES

Best Ministry Website

Best Prices on Pulpit Furniture

Best Prices on Church Chairs

Best Prices on Baptistries

Best Prices on Baptistry Heaters

Best Church Furniture

Best Website for Funding

How Pews are made today

In the history of this country, men have used nearly every type of device to rest upon, from fallen trees to Lazy Boy style chairs. In our houses of worship, the same is true... however there have been certain themes prevalent over the years.

Early in the history of this country, churches used wooden boards which lay across tree stumps for support. Later on, this developed into slate wood benches, with a single board for a seat, and a single board for the back. Ends were attached with the early designs being very simple, but as the country began to become more civilized, ornate carvings and features were incorporated into the seating. Later seats or backs were contoured for comfort.

In early Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas and other colonies, pews were given by subscription. That is, they were rented out to a family, and used exclusively by that family. This also served the purpose of supporting the church ministry. Names, or numbers, were sometimes scribed on the pew, as in "Mr. Jefferson's Pew."

In the early years, old growth quality wood was plentiful in the mountains of our country. Pews have been made of solid wood from the earliest days up until the mid 20th century, by necessity. There was no other way to manufacture bench type furniture. Pew pads became popular, (made first with horse hair centers) in the 1950's and 1960's. Buttons were used to keep the horsehair from shifting.

The 20th Century brought great change to the furniture industry. Growth in the early 20th century called for the harvesting of the old growth lumber, and through the period of the 1920's through the 1950's these magnificent trees were cut down. Some of these giants, which may have been 500 years old, are now all gone. (except a few in protected National Forests). Replacement trees have been planted, and subsequently are harvested (second and third generation) at about the age of 20-25 years for commercial use and furniture manufacturing.

Sadly, these young trees do not have the cellular maturity of the old hardwoods and lack the ability to withstand changes in temperature and humidity after they have been cut. This causes a significant problem to the church furniture industry: solid wood has a tendency to expand in the warm weather and contract in the cool weather, causing cracks, splits and delamination (separations) in furniture. So long as the furniture is kept in an area where the temperature remains 65-75 degrees and humidity levels stay in the 70% range, no significant damage is done. However, regular waxing (not sprayed on silicones like pledge) is required. (Waxing re-seals the varnish or lacquer finish, preventing the movement of moisture.)

MODERN CONSTRUCTION IS THE USE OF SOLID AND COMPOSITE WOODS

In the 1970's, manufacturers began to look at the use of veneer and also particleboard, especially when offering padded pews. Churches in the 70's were looking for padded pews in large part, and due to the "Jesus Movement" and revival in the 70's, many churches (especially evangelical) grew quickly and built sanctuaries quickly and with a low budget. This newer method of construction allowed pew manufacturers to offer a low-cost padded pew, and tens of thousands were made. However, due to a lack of manufacturing experience, many of the veneers failed, and seats made with a particleboard core could flex and sometimes break, giving a poor representation to this type of construction. Since those days, leading manufacturers have greatly improved the use of veneers and eliminated the use of particleboard in the seats, eliminating problem areas. (confirm this when making your purchase, as some manufacturers may still be using pb seats). Today, quality construction involves the use of the right material in the right place. Solid wood, plywood, veneers, and particleboard all have a place in quality church furniture.

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION

Designed for indefinite use, will last indefinitely even in varying temperature or humidity conditions
Captures the strengths of materials and minimizes their weakness
Can utilize plywoods, particleboards, solid woods, and other composite materials.
Offer the beauty of solid wood with uniform grains and uniform staining.
Padding and fabric covers most of the composite materials
Offers greater strength and durability (for example, particleboard has 150% the specific density of solid oak)

A LOOK AT INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS

PARTICLEBOARD

Particleboard, in its various forms, is not an inferior material. Just as with solid wood, each material has strengths and weakness, and it is best to capture the strength and minimize or eliminate the weaknesses.

Made primarily from Douglas Fir, it is an excellent core material and has almost 0% waste so 100% of each tree taken is used. Particleboard is weak when used horizontally, but (like sheetrock) it is very good material to use vertically, and does not expand and contract like solid wood so it will be virtually free from movement as a core material.

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION

Designed for indefinite use, will last indefinitely even in varying temperature or humidity conditions
Captures the strengths of materials and minimizes their weakness
Can utilize plywoods, particleboards, solid woods, and other composite materials.
Offer the beauty of solid wood with uniform grains and uniform staining.
Padding and fabric covers most of the composite materials
Offers greater strength and durability (for example, particleboard has 150% the specific density of solid oak)

A LOOK AT INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS

PARTICLEBOARD

Awesome Steeple!

If you are visiting this page for the first or second time, you are probably in the market for church furniture. The Church Furniture industry has a long history of providing America's Houses of Worship with church pews, pulpits, altars, and furniture. You will find that these companies run from small mom and pop operations to large corporations. We are here to help with product information and referrals. See the Buyer's Guide




Church Seats - CHURCH CHAIRS
Studies show 78% of new churches are using stacking chairs or theater seats
	Worship Chairs - A online leader in providing new styles at discounted pricing. Many in stock. Church Chair Industries - The oldest and largest manufacturer., based in Georgia. Offers the greatest variety of models and fabrics. Discount Church Chairs - Affordable chairs for new or existing buildings. Facilities in VA, GA, NC, AK, TX, CA, and IL. Chancellor Mfg - A Texas company that designs and manufactures high end, quality church seating. Comfortek Seating - Canadian importer of quality chairs for sanctuary and classroom use. Uniflex - Manufacturer and Importer of chairs from China and other areas. Based in TX. Bertolini - California & Georgia Based Manufacturer of Church Chairs and Seating. Church Chair Store - Offers Church Chairs and other types of related Church furniture products..	Discount Church Chairs Church Chairs from $28 Pulpit Chairs Chairs for the Pastor or Ministers
Church Seats - CHURCH PEWS
	Church Furniture Store - The Church Furniture Store handles a wide variety of church furniture, including pews, chairs, pulpits, baptistries, carpets and much more. Born Again Pews - A smaller company providing great customer service and pricing! Imperial Woodworks - A leader in high quality church pews and pulpits. Overholtzer Church Pews - Quality manufacturer since the 1500's! Sets the standard for best pews Church-Outlet - High Point NC is the home of American Furniture Church Pulpits - Made In America Classic and Contemporary Pulpit Furniture at Sale Prices Sauder Mfg. - One of the largest manufacturers of Church furniture and related ready to assemble home and office furniture. Archbold, OH Baptism - CHURCH BAPTISTRIES Church Pools - A website with great info, prices and installation information on church baptistries or baptistry heaters. Portable Baptistries - A similar site specializing in portable baptisteries and heaters. Calvary Supply Co. - Baptistry equipment, specializes in baptistry heaters. Baptistry Store - Church Baptistry and Heater Info based in Texas. A variety of styles. Good prices. American Baptistries - American Steeples and Baptistries website based in Alabama. Baptistry Heater Pricing Comparisons can be found here. Most churches use a Committee to select new furnishings. VENEER - Started with the Egyptians! Veneer, a thin layer of solid wood, is applied to the surface of the particleboard (or sometimes plywood or even solid woods), and if done properly and under pressure will be unable to come off the substrate. Using veneer allows for a uniform look and staining. This is a 1690 Walnut Veneer Chest, in perfect condition. It is exhibited in Berkley Colonial Plantation near Williamsburg VA. It is open to the outside air regularly, and it is an example of superior veneering. Veneering was available only to the wealthiest of early Americans. SOLID WOOD Solid wood has a historical, and somewhat romantic sense, of quality Maintenance required Due to limited supply, solid oak is expensive Solid pews are generally available only from small manufacturers who do not have the equipment to offer veneers or composite construction Solid wood pew ends or supports will have a lifespan of 45-55 years before needing replacement (on average) Solid Wood Ends - must be manufactured from many small pieces of wood, either in butcher block design using 1" x 2" pieces or in "2 UP" construction using 1" x 4" pieces (preferred if solid construction is selected). Will have anywhere from 12 - 24 pieces of oak in end, all from different trees. Strength - solid wood is beautiful and strong, easy to repair or refinish Solid Edge Band Ends - SEB construction uses a combination of the above styles. A core material is surrounded by small pieces of solid wood. It is necessary to use a crossband veneer, then the face veneer to stabilize this type end. It then becomes 5 ply construction. Strength - stable, strong, can have an edge molding, will last indefinitely Weakness - expensive, very labor intensive to manufacture White Ends - white ends are generally manufactured from MDF - medium density fiberboard. This material can be sanded smooth and painted without any grain. Some manufacturers will make white ends from poplar wood, however these will tend to split over time and grain can show through. MDF is a very stable material, strong and will last indefinitely. SEB construction is generally considered to be the best available, but due to high costs it may be out of the price range of many churches. Veneered ends are more affordable and will last just as long. OTHER AREAS SUPPORTS - supports are manufactured generally in the same methods as pew ends. PEW SEATS - Padded pew seats should never be made using particleboard as a core material. Plywood is the best material to use in pew seats. However, plywood can warp, so precautions need to be made to prevent warpage of the seat. PEW BACKS - Padded or wooden backs can be made using either particleboard or plywood core backs. Again, precautions should be made regarding plywood and warping. There is no difficulty in using particleboard as a core to padded or veneer pew backs. FABRICS - A variety of commercial grade fabrics are in use by pew manufacturers. Nylon is the strongest, but requires a fluorocarbon treatment to make it stain resistant (such as Scotchgard® or Teflon®). Olefin is also very strong, and is naturally stain proof. Blends are also available. Stay away from polyester fibers in commercial use. They will tend to pill and fuzz over time. *© CFMA 2009*

Login Area

UserID:

Password: