The process of buying church chairs is not as straightforward as many may assume. One of the first things you must do is decide whether to buy unpadded or padded chairs. Note that each type of chair has its own merits and demerits. Thus, you will have to weigh the pros and cons before deciding which chairs to buy. Continue reading to learn more about choosing between unpadded and padded chairs.
Understanding Padded Church Chairs
The popularity of padded church chairs grew in the 21st century as many churches started to adopt new seat designs. These church furniture chairs boast chair pads whose main goal is to offer comfort and enhance a chair’s aesthetics. One vital thing that you should note is that manufacturers make the chair pads from various materials, including:
- Memory foam
- Microfiber
- Jute
- Cotton
Padded Church Chairs: Pros And Cons
The padded chairs accrue churches with several pros and cons, including;
Protects the chairs
Chairs pads offer church chairs with an extra level of protection, ensuring that the church seats do not wear and tear easily. This added level of protection facilitates the durability and longevity of the seats.
Offers comfort
Since most congregants sit in church chairs for at least one hour during the worship service, comfort is one of the primary things they look for in a church seat. A comfortable chair promotes attentiveness, thus enchanting the worship experience.
Upgrades the style of chairs
Apart from the practicality of chairs, most churches today also focus on the style of seats. Chair pads play a crucial role in transforming the style of your chairs, upgrading plain-looking chairs to be more stylish. In addition, chair pads are essential in elevating the interior décor of a church.
Facilitates a good sitting proper posture
Another incredible benefit of padded chairs is that they encourage a good sitting posture. These chair pads provide back support and ensure that a church’s congregants are free from unnecessary neck and back pain. Also, the seat cushions ensure good blood flow to the legs.
Increases flammability
Some chair pads, such as microfibre, are incredibly flammable. This flammability element is one of the biggest drawbacks of using padded chairs. When exposed to high levels of heat, they emit toxic fumes.
Lowers the carbon footprint
Some chair pads, like foam, are crucial in lowering one’s carbon footprint. Foam-cushioned seats are made from toxic compounds and petrochemicals. These toxic compounds are non-renewable and take a considerable amount of energy to manufacture.
Exploring Unpadded Church Chairs
Unlike padded chairs, unpadded church chairs do not have any chair pads. These unpadded chairs were among the first chairs that churches began to use. They include folding or stacking chairs. These folding and stacking chairs promote the flexibility of the church’s space. They ensure that a church can be used to cater to different events. Another vital thing to note about the unpadded chairs is that they can be made from different materials, including:
- Metal
- Plastic
- Wood
Unpadded Church Chairs: Pros and Cons
The unpadded church seats also have several pros and cons, including the following;
Low maintenance
Unpadded chairs are incredibly easy to maintain. The primary thing you need to do is wipe them clean using a piece of cloth. This cleaning can help maintain the chairs’ aesthetics as long as you do not use harsh detergents. Also, you can easily repaint the chairs to enhance their aesthetics.
Affordable
Unlike padded chairs, the crafting process of unpadded chairs is relatively straightforward. This straightforward process ensures that the chairs are very affordable. The affordability of the chairs means that you can make thousands of chairs without going over budget.
Durable
With unpadded chairs, you do not need to worry about the easy wear and tear of fabric. Note that a church is a worship space where all kinds of individuals go. If these individuals decide to scratch the chair pads, they can easily tear. Thus, one of the best things about unpadded church chairs is that they do not wear and tear easily, ensuring their durability.
Customizable
Unpadded chairs are easily customizable to fit a church’s interior décor. This customization can take place in the finishing aspect of the chairs. You can color them with any incredible colors matching your church’s aesthetics.
Uncomfortable to sit in for long hours
The biggest drawback of using unpadded chairs is that they do not offer the same level of comfort as padded chairs. These chairs do not have any form of cushioning. Thus, they do not provide any ergonomic benefit. The lack of ergonomic benefits can make them uncomfortable to sit in for extended periods.
Hot in sunlight
Some unpadded chair materials, like metal, can catch heat up quickly. It means that the seats turn extremely hot if kept under direct sunlight. The heat can make the chairs uncomfortable to sit in outdoors.
In Conclusion
As you can see from above, unpadded and padded church chairs have several advantages and disadvantages. Thus, before you decide which is best for your church, weigh the pros and cons of each.
Does your church use padded or unpadded chairs? What is your experience with those chairs?