The fabric of an upholstered piece is the most visible indication of quality and design. Upholstery material likewise is the part most likely to show wear and soil. When selecting upholstery, you must understand its durability, clean-ability, and resistance to soil and fading.
How will your upholstered pieces be used in your home? Couches, chairs, and ottomans getting just moderate quantities of wear will do fine with a less durable fabric.
Pieces subjected to everyday heavy wear requirement to be covered in hard, long lasting, securely woven fabrics.
When purchasing upholstery fabric or upholstered furniture, understand that the greater the thread count, the more securely woven the material is, and the much better it will wear. Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric.
Natural Fabrics
Linen: Linen is best suited for formal living rooms or adult areas since it soils and wrinkles quickly. Stained linen upholstery need to be expertly cleaned up to prevent shrinking.
Leather: This tough material can be gently vacuumed, damp-wiped as needed, and cleaned with leather conditioner or saddle soap.
Cotton: This natural fiber offers great resistance to wear, fading, and pilling. It is less resistant to soil, wrinkling, and fire.
Wool: Sturdy and durable, wool and wool blends offer excellent resistance to pilling, fading, wrinkling, and soil. Typically, wool is mixed with an artificial fiber to make it easier to clean and to decrease the possibility of felting the fibers (causing them to bond together up until they resemble felt). Blends can be spot-cleaned when needed.
Cotton Blend: Depending on the weave, cotton blends can be strong, family-friendly materials. A stain-resistant surface must be gotten daily usage.
Vinyl: Easy-care and more economical than leather, vinyls are perfect for hectic household living and dining-room. Durability depends on quality.
Silk: This fragile material is just ideal for adult locations, such as formal living-room. It must be professionally cleaned if stained.
Synthetic Fabrics
Acetate: Developed as replica silk, acetate can hold up against mildew, pilling, and shrinking. However, it offers only fair resistance to soil and tends to use, wrinkle, and fade in the sun. It's not an excellent option for furniture that get more here will get difficult daily usage.
Acrylic: This artificial fiber was established as imitation wool. It resists wear, wrinkling, soiling, and fading.
Nylon: Rarely used alone, nylon is usually blended with other fibers to make it among the greatest upholstery materials. Nylon is extremely durable; in a blend, it helps get rid of the crushing of napped fabrics such as velvet. It does not easily soil or wrinkle, however it does tend to fade and tablet.
Olefin: This is a great choice for furniture that will receive heavy wear. It has no pronounced weak points.
Polyester: Rarely utilized alone in upholstery, polyester is mixed with other fibers to include wrinkle resistance, remove squashing of napped materials, and decrease fading. When mixed with wool, polyester aggravates pilling problems.
Rayon: Developed as a replica silk, linen, and cotton, rayon is durable. However, it wrinkles. Recent advancements have actually made top quality rayon extremely useful.
For more information, contact:
Ultra-Guard Fabric Protection | Chicago Service Center
1807 W North Ave #387
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 761-1227