Office Comforts

What you should know about pricing for office furniture:

Buying new furniture:

The price of new cubicles ranges from $2,000 to $5,000 per cubicle, depending on components, the quality of the materials and the ergonomics.  It's important when buying new cubicles to look at the long term picture. It's not unusual for cubicles to last two decades, so paying a few hundreds dollars more for new cubicles could give you a much better return on your investment.

In addition, newer furniture can make a big difference to an employee’s comfort, particularly when it includes accessories such as adjustable tables, better lighting, and modular panels.

Look for a three-year minimum guarantee on new furniture. When requesting a quote, the more specific the breakdown, the better. Because these systems are modular, it's easy to add or subtract components, which impacts the price. Be ready to negotiate.

Buying pre-owned furniture:

When buying pre-owned furniture, it's best to stick to well-known brands, like Herman Miller, Haworth, Knoll and Tekion, for the simple reason that it’s easier to find components.

For best results, systems should not be more than seven years old.  In addition to age, the condition of the product plus brand name will determine pricing. Prices range from as low as $300 per cubicle to as high as $1,250 for premium brands.

Pre-owned furniture does not usually come with a warranty.

Other considerations:

Installation of cubicles can run from $150 to $250 per cubicle, depending on wiring, configuration and ease of connecting the modules.

One method of saving money on both new and pre-owned furniture is to consider the layout of the cubicle. If the cubicles are back-to-back, two rows of cubicles can share one dividing wall. This method is routinely used for cubicles sharing side walls, so also consider sharing the back wall.