Upholstery Fabric

Upholstery fabric is tightly woven fabric. The thread count is more and it wears better. It does not wiggle or move around. It is often heavy. It is tough, durable and do not soil or fade. It is sometimes also known as home furnishings or decorator fabric and is usually 54 inches wide.

Upholstery fabric usually has a balanced weave, where all the yarns are about the same size and strength. A twill weave upholstery fabric resists wear and shows soil less than a plain weave of similar quality. Flat-surfaced upholstery fabric shows the effect of abrasion. Pile fabrics withstand abrasion quite well. A latex backing is often applied to the upholstery fabric to help stabilize them. Latex forms a coating which helps keep soil from sifting through. It prevents seam slippage. Loosely woven upholstery fabric should have an applied backing inorder to ensure stability and longer wear.

Types of Upholstery Fabric

Leather -Though expensive, but is a wonderful choice.

Vinyl - It is tough and easy to wipe off, but is not good at skin. It feels cold in cool room and stick to skin in warm rooms. Polyurethane faux is better than polyvinyl chloride faux.

Nylon - It is resilient and last longer. Stains are removed easily. Nylon velvet is a very durable.

Cotton - It is absorbent, feels cool against skin in warm climate and is comfortable in colder climates. Heavier-weight cottons like canvas and denim wear well.

Linen - It is tough but wrinkles easily and tends to feel stiff. It is expensive and needs extra care while cleaning inorder to retain its color and shape.

Wool - It is strong and warm. It has moth problem and shrinkage potential.

Acrylic blends - It is washable and is resilient while deterring shrinkage. It has wooly appearance without the moth problem. Pure acrylics tend to pill.

Polyester - It is strong, resistant to wrinkles and is attractive. It neither stretches nor shrinks. It can pill but blend with cotton combines the advantage of both of these fabrics.

Characteristics of Upholstery Fabric

• It is durable.
• It is easily cleanable.
• It is resistant to soil and fading.

Uses of Upholstery Fabric

• Autos
• Boats
• Furniture
• Home decoration