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| Decisions, decisions! |
1. Location (This will drive all the other factors- is this in the basement where the kids get rowdy? or the front room where you only occasionally entertain guests?)
2. Durability (Do you have kids, pets and/or a messy husband?)
3. Aesthetic (What do you like? loose weaves, suede-look or perhaps a wrinkly linen?)
4. Hand (How does it feel- do you want it soft or prefer a crisp touch?)
These are the basic questions you ask yourself when selecting fabric. It will help guide you in the right direction of the fabric that will best suit you and your needs. The beauty of fabric is there are SO many options! The 2 categories are Natural (Cotton, Leather) and Synthetic (Polyester, Olefin). However, they are often blended to get the best of both. For instance wool is typically mixed with nylon to add toughness.
Below is a breakdown of different fabric types, typical locations and uses. This is a great guideline for upholstery and how it can best work for you.
Cotton/Cotton Blends: $-$$, durable, easy to clean
This natural fiber provides good resistance to wear, fading and pilling, but is less resistant to soiling and wrinkling. For everyday use, it’s a good idea to apply a stain-resistant finish. Cotton blends are recommended over 100% cotton.
This tough material can be gently vacuumed, damp-wiped as needed, and cleaned with leather conditioner or saddle soap. It's timeless and just keeps looking better (IF you take care of it!).
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| Luxurious leather- So many varieties, next post will be all about leather! |
Linen: $-$$, stays clean, absorbs moisture, not very durable
Although it may look perfect for your beach house....think again! It is prone to mold and mildew and will not tolerate very high humidity. Because of its high maintenance, it is more often used in drapery and wall coverings instead of upholstery. It's best suited for formal living rooms or adult areas because it soils and wrinkles easily.
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| Linen: Easy, breezy and beautiful! |
This fabric is only suitable for formal areas. Must be professionally cleaned if soiled. Skip on upholstery and save it for window treatments, wall covering or pillows!
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| Don't sit on me! Please just look! love, Silk |
Wool: $$-$$$, water repellent, durable, expensive, flame resistant
Wool and wool blends offer good resistance to pilling, fading, wrinkling, and soil. Generally, wool is blended with a synthetic fiber to make it easier to clean. Blends can be spot-cleaned when necessary. Wool is warm in the summer and cool in the winter.
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| Wool- Always a classic-- watch out for moths! |
Acrylic: $$, resists wear, lightweight, good for outdoor use
Developed as imitation wool, acrylic resists wrinkling, soiling and fading. Low-quality acrylic may tend to pill excessively in high-wear situations. Better-quality acrylics are manufactured to resist pilling. (Sunbrella is a good example of acrylic durability.)
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| Acrylic: Example of Sunbrella fabric- great for outdoors! |
Microfiber: $, durable, easy to clean, family-friendly
Microfiber fabric is lightweight, highly absorbent and does not stain or wrinkle easily. It's extremely durable but can have static and make you feel like you "stick" to it.
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| Microfiber: Most popular fabric for family sofas and sectionals. |
Olefin: $$, durable, powerhouse of fabric!
Use olefin if your furniture is likely to receive heavy wear. The fibers have low moisture absorption, but they can wick moisture and dry quickly. Olefin is abrasion, stain, sunlight and chemical resistant.
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| Patterns, bright colors, all possible with Olefin! |
Polyester: $-$$, Very durable, easy to clean
It is strong and durable with good resistance to abrasion. It stands up well to sunlight, mildew and insects. Traditional polyester can be subject to pilling and soil easily. However, microfiber has excellent resistance to soiling and wrinkling. Polyester blends beautifully with other fibers, such as cotton, and can have a silk like appearance. It is also used in outdoor fabrics. Stains can be easily cleaned with solvents or detergents.
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| Polyester comes disguised in many forms! Wovens, Prints, Tweeds, Microsuedes.... |
Rayon: $$-$$$, durable, wrinkles easily
Developed as an imitation silk, linen or cotton. Rayon is the oldest manufactured fiber. Rayon is made from wood pulp, which is passed through spinnerettes to form filaments. Recent advances have made high-quality rayon very practical for upholstery.
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| Rayon? Who ME? I can be anything you want! |
Vinyl: $-$$, easy to care for, less expensive than leather
Popular because of its affordability. It CAN imitate leather in look and feel, but is not as durable and never looks real. It's affected by the surrounding temperature and can be uncomfortable in high heat or extreme cold. It tends to show crack and damage over time.
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| Vinyl: Can be fun and funky...don't imitate leather...never looks real. |
Cost :
Fabrics are typically graded for cost. On the tag it will say Grade or Group. Every manufacturer is different. For instance, at our store American Leather starts at Grade 8, but Comfort Design starts at Group 100. The lower the number the cheaper the fabric cost, typically each grade bumps up the price anywhere from $30-70. This is important to keep in mind if you have a set budget and the sofa is $2000. If you know you don't want to pay a penny over $2200, don't look at the higher grades! It is very important to remember, the grade does NOT represent the quality or durability of the fabric. It is an indicator on how expensive it was to make the fabric. Some of our least expensive fabrics are the most durable!
See the fabric tag below:
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| The Cleaning Code is S and the Fabric Grade is 11. The blend is polyester and acrylic-- so super durable too! |
Cleaning Code:
Also, on the fabric tag is a cleaning code, sometimes spelled out or just called "CC."
The options are:
"W"- Use only water-based cleaning agents or foam. Mix two tablespoons of ammonia or ammoniated detergent to a quart of water. Wipe the stain gently with a cloth dampened with the solution. Continue turning the cloth so you are always using a clean portion.
"S"- Use only mild, pure, water-free dry cleaning solvent. Wet a cloth with the spot cleaner and follow the same procedure as described above.
"WS"- Either of the above methods may be used.
"X"- Clean fabric only by vacuuming or light brushing to remove soil. Do not use liquid cleaning agents of any type.
Now you are armed with lots of information on upholstery! You can confidently walk into a store and have an idea of what you want and why you want it. Lucky for you, we have lots of choices here at Creative Classics and all of our pieces have lots of fabrics to select from! We are open 10-6 M-Sat and 12-5 Sun. Come on by!
Happy Fabric Selecting!
-Team CC
Sources:
Onlinefabricstore.net- for pictures of fabrics
http://www.design-char.com/how-choose-right-upholstery-fabric
https://www.homeminders.com/Articles/HomemindersArticle/tabid/77/ArticleId/246/Default.aspx
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