CHOOSING FABRIC FOR UPHOLSTERY
All upholstery fabrics are suitable for fixed covers.
Find a style of fabric most likely to complement the look and scale of your
room as well as the type of wear it will receive.
Pale colours and smooth plains will show everyday marks quicker than
textured fabrics or small pattern weaves and prints.
Rub Test What is a rub test
Most upholstery fabrics have a rub test rating
The test is carried out on a piece of fabric approximately the size of a coin
It is mounted on a disc which spins repeatedly abrading the cloth and the
test ends when three threads break, there is a change of surface
appearance or loss of colour
The British Standard for furnishing fabrics rates fabrics that survive 40,000 rubs
for severe contract use and 30,000 for severe domestic use
For general domestic use, fabric with woven structure or with pile, such as
chenille and velvet, should reach 15,000 rubs and plain, flat fabrics, 20,000.
Type Of Yarn
Linen, cotton and wool are staple fabrics for upholstery
Linen and cotton are often mixed with viscose and many upholstery cloths
blend polyester or a similar synthetic with the warp yarn improving the way
the fabric will wear
Experience Has Shown….
After more than 30 years of dealing with thousands of types of fabrics, I would
avoid:
Boucle fabrics that may snag unless yarns are locked into the back of the
weave
Soft-textured weaves that have a tendency to pill
Velvets and chenilles will shade, especially those with a high viscose content
Upholstery fabric will last longer if it is well cared for so vacuum furniture
regularly
Don’t spot clean upholstery as this can buff up the pile and may take out
some of the dye.
Fire Safety
Fabrics for domestic upholstery must meet the standard of fire retardancy
(FR) listed as Cigarette and Match Resistant
Wool is naturally fire resistant and fabrics with modacrylic in their composition
also meet this standard
Other fabrics can be brought up to the standard with chemical treatment or
back-coating
Fabrics which are woven with at least 75% natural fibres can be used over an
FR barrier lining but this means the furniture is covered twice
