Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Upholstery Fabric

The upholstery fabric you choose is the most important element in any upholstery project you undertake. Upholstery is as much about appearance as purpose. The fabric you choose will make or break the aesthetic of your furniture. Below are the factors to consider when choosing your upholstery fabric.

Price

Upholstery fabrics come in a huge range of prices depending on material and quality. But this doesn’t mean that “good” fabrics with desirable properties have to be expensive. Modern technology has made it possible to get some incredibly high performing and comfortable fabrics for cheap. To make sure you don’t go crazy with your spending, search up how much fabric it will take to upholster your desired object want and estimate the costs.

Aesthetics

Different fabrics associate themselves with different feelings. They can blend into the surrounding or accent your furniture. Look for something that is cohesive with your surrounding decor.

Durability

Fabric durability basically means how many rubs it will take for it to show wear. So it’s important to consider what the fabric will be used for, where it is placed, presence of kids and pets, etc as they will all determine how tough you need the fabric to be. Furniture like sofas need some of the highest rub counts as they are used (and rubbed) way more than a headboard.

Maintenance

Fabrics like leather don’t cling to debris, odour or anything really and can be wiped down for the most part. Conversely, fabrics (like velvet) stain very visibly and simply attract pet and pests. Even worse, highly delicate fabrics such as silk must be professionally cleaned to prevent it from being damaged. As you can see, there’s a wide range of effort required in the maintenance department for different fabrics. With that in mind, when it comes to heavy cleaning for big pieces, you’ll want fabrics that are machine washable. Remember this well as down the line they can really save you hours of effort spent scrubbing.

Treatments and Coatings

Some fabrics are treated to alter their natural properties. This may include giving them resistance to fire, fading, and stains and so on. Sometimes, these will also alter the feel of the fabric so be on the lookout for this. Even soft, supposedly comfy fabrics may have no breathability, so sweat and vapour won’t readily dissipate.  On furniture, that’s not great for particularly hot or cold climates. It’ll be hot and humid, during the summer and frigid during the winter. Of course, not all fabric treatments cause this. As it turns out, some treatments are incredibly useful.

The most common fabric treatments are used to make fabrics virtually stain proof. These are normally also made to be very durable. In fact, they are taking the world by storm and are reviving the textile industry for higher priced fabrics. The stain proofing of these are permanently built in and many of them also are fade-resistant, bleach cleanable, waterproof, and possess a whole host of other desirable traits.

Find us at Absolute Upholstery. We can help you take care of your furniture such as sofas, chairs, ottomans, stools, headboards and cushions. We offer expert upholstery, recovery and repair for all your domestic furniture.

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