Furniture is described rather than graded, and the description has a shape that leaves nothing to discover on arrival.
The order
- Measurements, in centimetres, including seat height where it applies
- Material — solid wood, veneer, laminate, engineered board
- Structure — sound, wobbly, needs attention, usable now or not
- Surfaces — rings, scratches, heat marks, water marks, fading, lifted veneer
- Moving parts — drawers, doors, hinges, castors
- Repairs and replacements, named
- Smell — smoke, damp, storage
Words to use precisely
Solid means solid through. Veneer is a thin layer over something else — a real and common construction, not a fault, and it must be said. Refinished — the original surface was removed and redone. For anything genuinely old, the antiques vocabulary applies: original, repaired, restored, married.
The sentence that matters
"It is usable as it is" — or it is not, and you say what needs doing. A wobbly table that needs re-gluing is a good listing at the right price; sold as sound it is a return.
Why a number would fail
Two cabinets at "8/10" can be a stable original and a refinished married piece. The facts separate them; a number does not. Describing furniture.
Homeware
Chips, cracks, crazing, hairlines, dishwasher dulling, missing lids, replaced handles — and for anything functional, whether it is still food-safe or watertight.
Questions people ask
Is a water ring damage?
Yes, and a common one. Show it under raking light.
Does flat-pack furniture have condition?
Yes — edge swelling, stripped fixings, how many times assembled.
Is "vintage" a grade?
No, it is an age. Give the condition separately.
More: buying furniture, what it is worth.