More Information

Frequently asked questionsCleaning & Touch upsHelpful hintsBuilt In CupboardsAttach to the Wall
What colour options are available ?
Currently Smartfurn offers a range of furniture using a high quality white melamine board. This allows us to standardize and price our raw materials at the best possible rate. Colored melamine board is at least double the price of white. We are currently looking at the viability of offering 3 color options but this is not available presently.
What design options are available ?
Our business is designed around standardizing our offering so that we can pass on all efficiency and cost benefits to the customers. This means that we have a limited range of product available in standard dimensions.
Where are our products made ?
All of our furniture is made in our own factory using South African Melamine particleboard (PG Bison A grade). None of our products are from China or the east, except for some of the fittings like hinges and handles, we buy these from local suppliers but may well have initially come from the east.

You can visit us any time to see the quality and strength of our furniture range as well as see the furniture your being assembled.

How durable is our furniture ?
Our cupboards are well made and strong, we only use the highest quality melamine particleboard (PG Bison A Grade) throughout, many lower cost products choose a cheaper and weaker internal carcass board that looks good at point of purchase but cannot stand up to long term use.

We use a 1mm impact edge on all our edging, this provides a far more durable and longer wearing product that has a very smooth and strong edge. Many cheaper alternatives again choose 0.4mm thickness, which is sharp to the touch and will crack and split over time.

How fixed is your pricing ?
We have intentionally kept our margins low to ensure that you receive the best price we can give you.

We prefer to work this way rather than inflating our margins and then offering discounts.

Our prices may change given the fluctuations in the cost of wood, although we will endeavor to keep any increases from our very economical pricing we have to sadly reserve our right to change prices if we cannot keep pace with inflation.

What delivery options are available ?
Most of our customers don’t have vehicles that are suitable for collecting cupboards, but now that all of our products are available in flat pack this is now a viable option.

For those who would like their order to be delivered fully assembled we use a company that is very reasonable and they know how to handle our furniture. Their charge depends on where you live and how much furniture that needs to be delivered. We deliver Monday to Saturday and charges range from R180 – R280 depending on the area you live in.

If I want to collect what should I know ?
If you are planning to collect your purchase please note that the fully assembled 3 door cupboard will only fit in a bakkie without a canopy.
Make sure that you bring your own blankets to protect and rope to secure your goods.
Make sure that you secure all doors as in windy weather they can fly open and detatch.
Make sure that you bring some canvas or waterproofing if it’s raining
When handing cupboards do not lift them by holding the front plinth this is not designed to take the weight of the cupboard. Cupboards should be carried on their sides.
If you are not sure whether your furniture item will fit in your specific vehicle contact us directly and we will advise you.
What about getting it in my house ?
Make sure that the area that the cupboard needs to go into is accessible. Please note that our standard 3 door cupboard is 1350mm wide. This cupboard is heavy and a challenge to turn into a room from a narrow passage. It will not go up stairs unless the stairwell is very wide.
Are the units modular ?
Yes they are, we design most of our units to be added to as you budget and financial circumstances allow, they are the same dimensions so all you need to do is make sure that they fit. Look at our products page which will show all dimensions of all variations.
How do you make and deliver the top storage cupboards ?
The bottom and top cupboards are made separately and are then screwed together before we align and hang the doors. The bottom and top cupboards are then separated so that the delivery company can transport them and carry them into your home. The cupboards are then placed into position and the top cupboards are then screwed and secured to the bottom cupboards by the delivery company.
Do you provide finance, terms or payment options ?
No we don’t, ultimately big retailers will build all of these costs into the cost of your end product, if you pay cash for furniture at big retailers you often don’t know that you are paying for other people’s credit. At Smartfurn we focus on great quality at a great price. In order to do this we cannot include finance and the cost of managing finance.
How do I pay ?
We do not do Cash On Delivery. You can pay by credit or debit card.
We are also happy to take cash or a bank transfer at our office.
Please note that we do require the payment to clear before we will allow the goods to leave the showroom, if payment is made by EFT.
Do you provide discounts ?
Our philosophy has always been to provide the best quality, the best price, upfront. We have no hidden costs and have designed our entire business around this. As a result we have no space to discount our prices further.
Do your products come flat packed ?
Yes they do.

All Smartfurn products are designed in a flat pack format, which is very easy and simple to assemble at home, at an ever better price (you save on delivery fees)…more smart thinking.

What do you not work on ?
We do not make customized sizes.

We do not work with glass or mirrors.

Can you do sliding doors ?
The standard cupboards are not deep enough to have sliding doors.

You can buy our cupboards without the doors, (carcass only) and install your own sliding doors or other doors.

What is the standard combined height of a cupboard with top storage ?
The standard combined height is 2400mm.

When measuring it is important to measure from the floor to underneath your cornice NOT your ceiling.

What are your maximum sizes ?
Our cupboards our modular so you can combine a number of cupboards to achieve the desired width.

The maximum width we make for a single freestanding wardrobe is 1350mm, the 3 door cupboard.

This is for two reasons. The first is the weight… any heavier and the cupboard is too difficult to lift and handle and fit…..any wider and it won’t fit into people’s homes.

Will you come around to measure ?
We would love to consult directly with all of our customers and measure their spaces but if we did so we would not be able to run our business or offer the prices we do. So sadly we can only limit our visit to delivering your furniture.
How long will I have to wait for my furniture ?
We endeavor to have adequate stock on hand to deliver within 48 hours, at the same time one of the big ways we bring down costs is to not sit on large stockholdings, so you may need to wait just a little longer which we are sure will be well worth it.
Will you come around to measure ?
We would love to consult directly with all of our customers and measure their spaces but if we did so we would not be able to run our business or offer the prices we do. So sadly we can only limit our visit to delivering your furniture.

Take note of these helpful hints that will affect your product

Cleaning

Use the following to keep your Smartfurn furniture looking like new:

  • Handy Andy or sunlight liquid takes off standard dirt like dirty, greasy finger marks and dust.
  • For stubborn marks such as black shoe or luggage scuff marks and cokie you can use thinners.
  • When using thinners make sure that you use a white cloth not a coloured cloth. Wear a mask and donÕt leave the thinners bottle unattended if you have young children, as it could be mistaken for water!

Touch Ups

If you have damaged your furniture item you can touch it up using:

  • White stopping for breakouts & chipping
  • Tipex for surface marks that cleaning solutions wont remove
Take note of these helpful hints that will affect your product

Uneven Floors

Please note that your floor may be uneven which could affect the alignment of the doors. This can result in doors going out of alignment. We can correct this by supplying small pieces of 3mm backing which are put under the appropriate side.

Moving

Do not drag the unit along a surface, if you do so always push/pull from as low down as possible. Make sure the unit is secure in transportation and protect all exposed edges.

When picking up furniture items with drawers always lean the item towards the back of the unit so that the drawers don’t spill out and end up on the floor causing unnecessary damaged

How do I get that built in cupboard look ?

  • The range of Smartfurn cupboards is an excellent way to buy a cost effective built in cupboard. It is versatile and has a professional look.
  • All our cupboards are simple and easy to put together.
  • Not only is their construction simple they are modular and you can add on cupboards over time to create the complete look that you want in an affordable way.
  • Once the cupboards are in place you can attach them yourself to the walls although this is not necessary were two cupboards are joined. If you have a single cupboard and adventurous children it is recommended that you secure the cupboard to the wall using fixer plates for peace of mind.
  • Please note that we do not secure the cupboards to the walls and we do not install filler rails and silicone.
How do I secure my cupboard to the wall ?

Use a samoosa !

The most simple approach to securing your Smartfurn cupboard to the wall is to use a Samoosa, this is a basic fixer plate and gets its name from their overall size and shape. Fixer plates are mental triangular plates that have 4 strategically placed holes see picture below.They are inexpensive and can be bought from most DIY shops. You will need a minimum of 2 Fixer Plates per cupboard for each top corner. If you are looking for an even stronger setup and don’t think that is sufficient, you can use 4 one on each corner of the cupboard (2 x top 2 x bottom).

Before starting I recommend that:

  1. You fully assemble the cupboard
  2. Remove the the cupboard doors to make handling easier, this is done by simply pressing the button behind the door hinge to release them.
  3. Get your tools and hardware together

 

Tools Required

  1. Drill – for holes in backing board and holes in the wall
  2. Screwdriver – for screwing Samoosa to the cupboard
  3. Hammer – for driving in the plug screws
  4. Pencil – to measure and mark placement of wall holes

Hardware Required

  1. 2 Samoosas per cupboard
  2. 6 wood (chip) screws – to attach the samoosas to the cupboard
  3. 2 wall plugs – to run through samoosas and into wall
  4. plug screws – to be inserted and hammered into the wall plugs

Directions for securing the cupboard

Attach the fixer plates (Samoosa’s) 

  1. Align the plates edges to the corner of the cupboard (as in the photo)
  2. Remove any of the plastic backing clips if they are in the way of the plate
  3. Take 3 chip screws
  4. Screw the screws through the plate, backing board into into the cupboard side

 

Make a pilot hole

Once the plate is secured to the cupboard carefully drill a hole through the remaining hole in the middle of the plate that goes through the backing board.  I suggest that you use a wood bit to do this, once the point of the bit goes partially through the backing stop drilling and complete the hole by drilling from the inside of the cupboard to ensure you don’t breakout the face of the backing.

Place against the wall

After all plates have been secured and the single hole through the backing has been made you can place the cupboard in position against the wall.

 Mark and drill wall hole

Whilst you have the cupboard positioned against the wall mark the position of the hole you will need to drill in the wall. You can push a pen or pencil through hole in the backing board, and mark the wall behind, making sure that it is at the centre of the backing board hole. 

Move the cupboard away from the wall and then drill the hole in the wall at the place you marked. Ensure that you drill to a depth that can accommodate the wall plug, however do not insert the wall plug at this point !

Should you be attaching the cupboard to a drywall please make sure that you use the appropriate drywall plugs.

 Fix in place

Once you have moved the cupboard back to its original position, ensure that the holes in the wall and cupboard are now lined up.

Insert the wall plug through the back of the cupboard and into the wall, you may need to tap with a hammer to secure

Hammer in the plug screw to secure.

Do you have skirting…looking for a flush fit ?

If you have a skirting and want to have your cupboards fit flush against the wall there are three main options, providing that your skirting is less than 100mm high.

Option 1 – Removing the skirting

  1. Mark with a pencil lines either side of the cupboard on the skirting.
  2. Remove the skirting.
  3. Cut out the section where the cupboard needs to go.
  4. Put back the skirting pieces, leaving the space where the cupboard will be fit.

Option 2 – Cutting out a small section from the back of each side of the cupboard 

This can be messy but can be done best with a Jigsaw.

  1. Remove the doors and lie the cupboard face down.
  2. Mark out in pencil the area that needs removing and cut it out. NB. Standard skirting is 70mm high and 18-20mm thick. A 75 x 20mm cut out would be recommended for this sized skirting.
  3. Stand the cupboard upright and once it’s flush against the wall, drill through the 4 corner holes in the backing using a Masonry bit, size 6 should be sufficient.
  4. Use size 6 Knock- in Hilti screws, they come with their own raw plugs. Easily secured the screws by knocking them in using a hammer.

Depending on how hard your walls are and how accurately the 4 holes have been drilled, you may find that the doors have moved out of alignment as the carcass has twisted slightly. The doors can be re-aligned by adjusting the hinge settings.

Option 3 – Plinth / Rail Option

A plinth or rail can be secured on the inside of the cupboard and should be as wide as the internal hanging section of the cupboard.

  1. Place the plinth / rail against the backing at the top of the inside of the cupboard.
  2. This plinth / rail is secured from above by coming through the top of the cupboard and from the side by drilling through the partition.
  3. It is best to initially drill pilot holes using a 4mm wood bit through the top and partition whilst the plinth is in position, rather than just screwing the chip screws straight through the partition and top of the cupboard. This will ensure your screws go in straight and that the melamine doesn’t split or break out.
  4. Once the rail is secured to the cupboard drill two or three holes through the plinth / rail and the backing.
    Place the cupboard flush against the wall and follow the instructions as described in option 1.