There will come a time when you have to decorate your home or apartment with furniture. You may want wood furniture, for that "down home" feel for your house, to couple it with your carved wooden doors and traditional countertops. You may want to complement your minimalist designs with dark, upholstered furniture. Or you may want a cloth an wood sofa, complete with beading and embroidery, to match your luxurious interiors.

All this will require you to buy furniture - and today, buying furniture requires a good deal of money sense and money-saving savvy. For instance, you need a warranty on most of your furniture, to make sure that any repairs brought about by any damage will be shouldered by the furniture maker.

Why is a warranty so important? A warranty is actually a form of insurance for a specified period of time, and assurance that your furniture is made excellently enough for its maker to promise to repair it - or even to give your money back - if anything untoward happens. If you do get furniture with a warranty, you can be sure you are getting high quality furniture for the price you will pay.

Most furniture will have different warranty periods depending on their initial cost and manufacturing style.

• Wood furniture will often have a warranty of a year from the date you receive it. Warranties, however, will not extend to scratches made within that year.

• Upholstered furniture will have longer warranties, and will cover springs, swivels, or other mechanisms, as long as the product still has its original covering.

• Leather furniture will often have a warranty of one year, and will be insured against splitting, or tearing in the fabric.

Warranties, however, will not be valid in the following instances.

• Improper use of the furniture, or carelessness on the part of the owner

• Normal changes in fabrics, such as wrinkling in leather or upholstery

• Changes in the product made by the owner, such as changing upholstery covers

Before buying furniture, make sure you check out the warranty details, and see if they fit your needs. As soon as you get the furniture, keep it clean and well-maintained, and watch it for any damage. Most importantly, keep your receipts, so that when repairs have to be done, you have proof of your purchase.

Buying furniture does require a lot of good sense, so read the fine print and get the best deals you can.