Which upholstery fabric is best? Choose an upholstery fabric for your project
Choosing the right upholstery fabric is not easy, especially if it is your first time making this purchase. Some of the characteristics of good upholstery fabrics can be recognised with the naked eye, others only after reading the label or the enclosed leaflet. However, for most of us, the values and symbols given by the manufacturer are incomprehensible. We explain how to recognise the best upholstery fabric and what features and parameters it should have.
Which upholstery fabric is best?
If it is your first time choosing an upholstery fabric, you may not notice the fundamental differences between them and feel overwhelmed by the number of solutions offered by fabric shops. To ensure that the purchase does not turn out to be a bad one, it is worth looking at the data for the different fabrics. It is also important to consider which upholstery fabric is best for the home and which upholstery fabric is best for the office. You need to consider the natural behaviour of household members, such as small children and pets, and even where a piece of furniture finished with a particular fabric will be placed. Knowing the specifics of the fabric, its purpose, the degree of abrasion and stain resistance will make it easier to choose a strong upholstery fabric.
What does fabric composition tell us about?
Fabric composition describes the substance of the fibres used in the manufacturing process. The more natural fibres a fabric has, the more fine, delicate and pleasant to the touch it is. A synthetic fabric, on the other hand, will be more durable. It is among these synthetic fabrics that you will find fabrics that are resistant to tearing and abrasion, as well as those that are hydrophobic, i.e. reduce the absorption of liquids or are recommended for homes with pets.
Types of fibre
We distinguish between man-made fibres, i.e. those produced by chemical processes from natural organic and inorganic raw materials, e.g. cellulose and viscose. The second type is synthetic fibres, i.e. made from scratch from synthetic polymers by polymerisation, e.g. polyester, polypropylene, elastane, polyurethane or acrylic. Natural fibres, on the other hand, are those derived from natural plant or animal raw materials, e.g. cotton, silk, jute, flax or wool.
What does fabric weight mean?
The grammage is the weight of the fabric in grams per square metre, i.e. a 100x100cm section of fabric. If the grammage is, for example, 300g/m2, this means that a 100 x 100 cm piece of fabric weighs 300 grams. The higher the grammage, the thicker the fabric.
However, this is not the only indicator that tells you about the strength of the fabric. The weave and yarn used also play a key role. It is worth noting what quality tests the fabric has undergone. It is assumed that an upholstery fabric should have at least 18,0000 thousand cycles in the Martindele test.
What is the Martindale test?
The Martindale test tests the abrasion resistance of a fabric. It involves placing a test sample of the fabric in a machine that rubs it with constant pressure for several hours or even days. The result of the test is determined in cycles – the number of abrasions after which the fibres tear. In practice, 2,000-4,000 cycles is about a year of very intensive use of a piece of furniture. So if you have information on the fabric you have chosen that it has a durability of more than 40,000 cycles, this means that the furniture will not wear out for 10 years.