The pricing for our used office cubicles is up to 75% off new. When you combine a used furniture purchase with a free space planning consultation, you can save thousands of dollars. Not only will you be obtaining some of the highest quality pre-owned furniture, you’ll also be getting the most out of your office space.

The future for cubicles is looking a little less sunny. In 2010, systems furniture made up only 25.9% of the total production of office furniture in the United States. That’s the lowest percentage ever recorded (the highest is 36.6% ten years ago). It’s still a substantial category, but it appears that alternative desking solutions may be gaining ground as employers explore the use of collaborative workspaces. The good news for our customers is that the market for used and refurbished cubicles is still strong. So, no matter what happens, you can still get your cubicles from us!

That’s the high-end version of the concept, but if you have some old, used office cubicles that feature free standing panels there’s no reason you can’t make your own “cabins”. It’s one way to reuse these components until you’re ready to liquidate them. So, the next time you need a collaborative workspace and the conference room has already been booked, make your own room!

Variation Can Capture Space Savings

For example, in one area it might make sense for two desks to be facing each other with a cubicle panel between them. In another area, having employees share a central open space with desks facing outward makes more sense. You may also be able to incorporate existing walls into your cubicle layout instead of using all free-standing panel systems (depending on how you plan to handle wiring/cabling).

So, you may want to mix and match different sizes (standard vs. manager), different panel heights, different shapes (U shaped vs. L shaped), and other basic elements within the same cubicle setup. Sometimes, it’s possible to do this even with used cubicles. Additional components for the more popular brands can still be readily procured.

Employee-Specific Customization

Another way to differentiate wholesale cubicles is to provide an array of tools and accessories for employees. Installing these in every cubicle from the start is one way to go (that’s best for ergonomic items like task lighting and keyboard trays).

But giving employees the chance to ask for what they want can be a good option as well. That way, they have the satisfaction of “designing” their cube interior and you get to be the nice employer who listens and gives them what they want. This works best with items that can be readily added or taken off whenever the cubicle has a new resident. Here are a few examples to get you started:

• Tool Racks (to hold trays and organizers)
• Under Desk Pencil Drawer
• White Board or Cork Board
• Cubicle Door

Basics

Generally, higher quality cubicle panels are thick. A 2.5- 3” cube wall is very stable and sturdy. The panels should feature small leveling devices at the base. These allow adjustment to keep the partitions level even if your floor isn’t completely flat.

Panels that can be connected at more angles than just 90 and 180 degrees offer greater flexibility and can be used to save space. If your cubicles need to be wired, it’s worth it to pay more for panels with one or more raceways to hold cabling and multiple points of access to data ports.

If noise reduction is important, you’ll need to ask your office furniture dealer about the acoustic ratings for each set of panels you are considering buying. That’s because you can’t really tell just by looking how well a panel absorbs or transfers sound.

Fabric

The quality of fabric used on cubicles varies a lot from one manufacturer to the next and from one model to the next. Sometimes, customers will choose their own fabric and have the manufacturer apply it to the panels during assembly.

A highly textured fabric, one with a design that appears raised from the surface, or one that is woven from fibers of multiple colors is usually more expensive. These textiles are often resistant to wear and may also be stain resistant. Cheaper fabrics are usually slightly fuzzy to the touch and come only in basic blue, grey or beige. With high quality cubicle partitions, you will usually be able to feel a thin layer of padding under the fabric.

Stackable Tiles

Some of the better cubicle brands have panels that can be outfitted with different facades. These consist of tiles that slide onto the surface or are attached to the top of the panel to change its look and function. Used cubicles that contain glass tiles are very popular right now. They add value to the work environment by allowing more light to penetrate into individual workspaces.

Laminate tiles are another common option in high-end cubicles. These may be brightly colored to complement the surrounding fabric tiles. Or, they may look like wood grain to match the top of a worksurface.

Some specialty tiles include corkboard and whiteboard. These can be useful if they are in good condition but may suffer wear and tear faster than other materials. If you can remove and install new tiles without taking the used cubicle partitions completely apart, you can change the look of these panels easily.

Multiple Slatwalls can be installed in a stacked configuration to provide as much organizational space as needed. Each one can support up to 60 lbs and the system can be field installed. Brackets are available to match the Slatwall with many different cubicle brands. So, even if your workplace is populated with a mixture of used cubicle panels from several manufacturers, you can still add these Steelcase accessories later.

Then, there is always the possibility of being scammed. This is more likely to happen if you try to sell your used furniture directly on Craig’s list or a comparable site. There will always be someone trying to get you to give up the goods when they have no intention of following through with payment.

Auctions are another option, but the rules can be very confusing. For example, in an auction situation you can be required to surrender the merchandise even if you don’t believe the price it received is fair.

The easiest and safest way to liquidate your unwanted cubicles is to simply find a local company that will meet with you face to face to complete the transaction. A reputable local dealer can pick up the furniture with their own trucks cutting out the issues associated with hiring a third party shipper. Plus, you can be sure there won’t be any “last minute” adjustment to the price or problems receiving payment.

Dealers that support sustainable office furniture practices also know when it’s time to simply start over and resurface a cubicle panel or workstation. They have the tools and supplies to return a piece of furniture to factory condition – and it’s still cheaper than buying new.

You can also rest assured that you will receive sound advice on how to dispose of your old furniture in the most eco-friendly way. It may be refurbished again for use by another company; or it may be broken down into its components for post-consumer recycling. Materials such as steel are almost 100% recoverable and many plastics can also be reclaimed.

• Extract raw materials and transport them to the manufacturing plant
• Process them into usable form
• Produce entirely new furniture
• Manage waste byproducts of the manufacturing process
• Distribute the end product from a manufacturing site to dealers and finally to customers

Recycled Cubicles Don’t Trash the Environment

If you visit our Green Cubicles page, you will learn that approximately 500 pounds of waste material is saved from ending up in the landfill for every cubicle that is recycled. High quality workstations can be refurbished over and over to extend their lifespan for decades. That’s a great reason to not only purchase used office furniture but also to encourage fellow business owners make the same smart choice.

Small businesses are as likely as large ones to go shopping for pre-owned office furniture. This means companies looking to sell their old furnishings to a dealer don’t have to have an enormous fleet of cubicles to make a deal. Just 10 matching pieces (desks, chairs, or workstations) is enough to make it worth a dealer’s while to offer a competitive quote. There’s also the possibility of using old furniture as a “trade in” when you purchase new or upgraded office furniture.