Church Pew Overview
I. General Pew overview
There are (six) main components of a church pew
·Pew end See pew end styles
·Pew end base (the piece of wood the end sits on)
·End Top Cap (on specific ends the cap is on the top the end, i.e. waterfall cap)
·Seat
·Back
·Top rail (top piece of wood at the top of the back)
·Intermediate Supports (the supports of wood that hold the pew up)
·Finish Materials (Stains and other materials used to finish the woodwork)
There are a variety of accessories that can be added to church pews
·Card holders
·Cup holders
·Bookracks
·Underseat bookracks on all or front rows only
·Kneelers
The Pews body (seat and back) comes in four basic configurations
·All wood, no upholstery or padding (Model A)
·Upholstered seat with a wood back (Model B)
·Upholstered seat and back with fabric on the rear of the back (Model C)
·Upholstered seat and back with exposed wood on the rear of back (Model D)
Click here for more details about each of the Pew Models
Pews can be constructed of a variety of materials. In the 1960’s as wood prices began to escalate the use of engineered materials became popular in furniture making. This trend migrated into church furnishings as well. Today very few church furniture companies still use solid wood in the construction of pews.
Pew companies which sell engineered material products will often say they use engineered materials because of the dimensional stability of the product. This means the material will not warp or crack. While true, Suburban Church Supply sees very little issue with solid wood warping or splitting once stained and finished. Most pew companies that produce pews of engineered materials have the ability to produce pews of solid wood as well and when requested to quote solid wood, these quotes will in most cases be much more expensive than the engineered material counterpart.
Additionally, some pew companies refer to plywood as meeting the specification of all wood. Building committees requesting solid wood should be clear of this expectation.
Some of the more common engineered materials are for Church Pews:
·Plywood- Laminations of hard and soft wood pressed to form sheet goods.
·Particleboard- Small chips of wood glued and pressed to form sheet goods.
·MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) Very small particles of wood glued and pressed to form sheet goods.
·When engineered material is used to construct the pew the exposed components require a wood veneer to be glued to the substrate.
·Nova Board-This is a proprietary substrate used by a particular pew company. This material resembles oriented strand board which has produced screw pullout test similar to fiberboard.
Advantages of engineered materials:
·Cost
·Will not warp or crack
Disadvantage of engineered materials
·Engineered materials simply will not last as long as a solid wood product. ·Most pew companies fasten the back and seat together with screws. This results in screws going into the edge of the engineered material and this is an improper application for this substrate. ·Pews constructed of engineered materials typically hold up structurally under normal use for 10-20 years. However, many problems can occur when the pews are removed to be refinished. A project of engineered materials will typically have problems being reinstalled due to the breakdown of the substrates resulting in problems holding fasteners (screws).
II. Church Pew Features
Pew End, End Base and End Top Cap.
The pew ends are on each side of the pew.
The size and materials used to construct pew ends vary greatly. Some companies will use engineered materials with a veneer while some will use engineered materials with a band of solid wood around the edge for durability and some will use solid wood. Most ends are 18” in width by 1 ½”-2” in thickness. Some solid wood pew companies only have the ability to produce edge grain ends or “butcher block” style. The ends will take the majority of the wear and tear, when veneers are used; the likelihood of chipping is high.
Suburban Church Supply uses only face grain (fas), solid wood in the above components. Butcher block ends can be specified but not recommended for aesthetic reasons. The solid wood pew ends and end bases ensure many years of reliability. Additionally, the solid wood ends allow for much greater flexibility for panel routing and other design options. An end of engineered material (veneered) offers little design options for deep panel routes and other options. Solid wood gives the pew more overall structure, durability and beauty.
Under normal use a pew will get scratches and dings. When a veneered pew is refinished the thickness of the veneer will be a constraint to the refinisher attempting to sand out these scratches.
The veneer used on engineered materials is generally 1/64 to 1/32 of an inch. This is extremely thin and will tend to chip and peel away from the substrate under normal use most pews will encounter.
The Suburban Church Supply (standard floor) end is 20” wide. Most other pew companies use an 18” end. The wider end offers a bigger footprint for the pew lending a larger foundation. This results in a more structurally sound unit. It is important to understand the wider pew end does not prohibit the pew from being placed on 36” centers.
The Suburban Church Supply pew ends are also mortised to receive the pew seat and the pew back. In other words the pew seat and back actually go into the end resulting in a more structurally sound pew. Many other manufacturers allow the pew seat and back to go up to the end but not actually into the end. They generally fasten the seat and back with filler strips and or toenail methods.
Church Pew Cap Rail
·The top rail is the piece of wood placed at the top of back. This is sometimes referred to as the backbone of the pew as a strong top rail will help ensure a pew to last for many years.
Some pew companies use a very small rail tacked on to the top of the back with a piece of molding along the back of the pew to give a look of a large top rail. The disadvantage is lack of structure in the back of the pew. Most people help themselves out of a pew by pulling up on the top rail. Suburban Church Supply uses one of the largest top rails in the industry. It is a one piece design of 2 1/4” x 1 5/8”.
Church Pew Field Splices (long pews)
·All pew companies must make some type of joint on long pew lengths. This joint usually occurs around 24 feet.
Suburban Church Supply does not use bulky joinery techniques on these long pews. The pews come together tight and have no obtrusive blocking at the transitions. These joints occur at 24’ intervals.
The only exception to solid wood ends is on the colonial (white), finished ends where we use MDF due to the smooth finish achieved when painted. This is consistent with most pew manufacturers.
Suburban Church Supply Pew Seat and back:
·Pew seats and backs come in a variety of configurations. The most common style is a padded seat, padded back and upholstered rear of back. Many pew companies will place upholstery and foam over plywood or medium density fiberboard (mdf). While plywood and mdf serve important roles in many applications, pew seat/back substrate material is not one of them. There are two main reasons plywood and mdf are not good materials for this application. First, all pews must be fastened together; the bottom of the pew back must be screwed into the back edge of the pew seat. This involves driving a screw into the edge of the plywood or mdf which over time can de laminate the material. Again this is not the application these materials were designed for. The second issue with using plywood and mdf materials is that there must be a joint (ususlly every 8 feet or so). A structurally sound, butt joint in plywood and mdf is very difficult to achieve. Over time this joint can and will weaken. The result is a set of pews that will not give the owner the 60-70 years of expected use.
On the Suburban Church Supply pew, the substrate (wood under the fabric and foam) is solid yellow pine of 7/8” thick. Solid wood offers better screw holding power than engineered materials such as mdf and plywood. The Suburban Church Supply pew seats and backs panal span up to 24 feet without a joint. This results in a stronger and more structurally sound pew. Many of the pew companies that use engineered materials must have a joint every 8 feet. Plywood and engineered material is very difficult to join to acceptable levels.
The Suburban Church Supply pew also has a seat width of 16”. This is ½”-1 ½” wider than most pew seats on the market. The benefit is greater surface area for weight distribution resulting in a more comfortable seat.
Foam for Church Pew Cushions
·There are two references established by the Furniture Manufacturers Association of America to determine the standard of foam. They are (a) weight per cubic foot of the foam and (b) IFD, (Indentation Force Deflection) sometime referred to as ILD (Indentation Load Deflection). IFD and ILD is a standard laboratory test to determine the weight it would take to compress a 4” piece of foam to 3”. Simply put this is a rating of the foam’s resistance to weight.
·The foam in a residential couch cushion is generally 1.2 lbs per cubic foot and an ILD rating of 30 lbs. The industry standard for church pews is 1.5 lbs. per cubic foot and an ILD rating of 50. It is important to use high quality foam not only for long term comfort but also to keep fabric from wrinkling and bunching. These numbers apply only to virgin foam chemicals. Sometimes a pew company will boast of 2 lb. foam. Many times the foam has foreign chemicals added at the pouring stage to get the weight higher. This results in a heavier foam but due to inconsistent cell structure a much quicker breakdown can be expected resulting in uncomfortable pews and fabric wrinkles.
Suburban Church Supply uses only virgin foam of 1.8 lbs. per cubic foot and an ILD rating of 50 on the seats and backs. The seat foam is 3 ½” thick and the backs are 1” thick.
Church Pew Intermediate Supports:
·Intermediate supports are placed on the rear of the pew for support in increments determined by the length of the pew. Most architects and engineers recommend the supports never be more than (six feet) from each other. Many companies will also use engineered material for this component.
·It is important to incorporate the design of these support components so they can be scribed to the floor on site to account for irregularities in the floor. Some companies will cut them to length at the factory and use floor levelers to account for the inevitable floor irregularities.
Suburban Church Supply uses solid wood intermediate supports custom scribed to the floor. The thickness is 1 ½”. Some companies supports are 1-1 ¼”. Suburban Church Supply never places supports more than 6 foot intervals.
Pew Accessories
All the accessories offered on the Suburban Church Supply pew are of solid wood as well. This includes bookracks, cardholders, cupholders and kneelers. Again our commitment to solid wood is on all part of our pew.
Church Pew Wood Stain
·Some pew companies use a pigment based wipe on stain such as a Minwax type product. The pigment is the substance in the stain which determines the color. In a wipe on stain the pigment can settle in the container and result in a very inconsistent stain. Additionally wiping stains can result in a blotchy stain appearance.
·Spraying dye based stains are a much more consistent method to stain furniture. There is no pigment to be mixed or agitated within the mixture.
The absence of wiping the furniture results in a more consistent stain appearance. Most fine furniture manufacturers use a dye based spray on application.
Suburban Church Supply uses this dye based stain technique with a spray application consistent with fine furniture manufacturers.
Final Church Pew Finish
·There many ways to finish a pew. The most durable is a pre-catalyzed, high performance, conversion varnish. Polyurethanes will yellow and chip over time and conversion varnish will not.
Again, Suburban Church Supply uses pre-catalyzed, high performance, conversion varnish in all applications which is a more costly but more durable method to ensure lasting beauty and protection.
Delivery and Installation of Church Pews
·Some pew companies use third party equipment to deliver and install product. This causes the manufacturer to have less control over quality control.
Suburban Church Supply uses company owned equipment to deliver and company trained and personnel to install. This allows us to maintain high quality standards.
Church Pew Warranty
·Most pew companies offer warranties from 15-25 years. One company offers a lifetime warranty which is difficult to honor and customer perception is suspicious.
Suburban Church Supply offers a 25 year conditional warranty.
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