Upholstered Furniture Fabric Guide
Choosing a fabric can be a challenge when it comes to buying a new piece of upholstered furniture. You want your piece to look good of course but you equally want it to wear well and perform. On this page let us help guide you through the process so you can make a more informed decision. This fabric guide applies to our sofas, armchairs & footstools not to the upholstered dining chair collection.
Fabric Durability and Testing Methods
There are 3 different methods used to check the worthiness of our fabrics, all of which adhere to international standards. Understanding these tests should enable you to make a more informed choice regarding your fabric. For example, is the piece to be positioned near a large window, or in a high traffic area.
Martindale Test
This is a test to verify the sustainability of the yarns in the fabric. The fabric is covered on a small disc and pressed with a certain weight against another type of standard fabric. These two are rubbed against each other until there are 2 threads broken or a clear visible change. When the change happens the Martindale machine gives a value of how many rubs it took. To be qualified as an upholstery fabric you need to reach 15 000 rubs.
Pilling Test
This is like the Martindale test, the difference being the chosen fabric is rubbed against itself. The machine is set to rub either 3000 or 5000 rubs before it is stopped. When the machine stops, the fabric is evaluated in the lab and scaled depending on how much pilling there is from 1-5, where 1 is a lot of pilling and 5 means no change when the test is complete.
Lightfastness Test
This tests the fabrics ability to withstand the light. The fabric is put into a machine set to expose it to a certain type of light for a certain time. The fabric is then evaluated against a blue scale of fabrics that has been exposed at the same time. The blue scale will come out with 8 different looks where number one has been bleached and number 8 has not changed at all. With indoor upholstery fabrics, the values are usually 4-6.
Fabrics Explained
Boucle
- This boucle fabric has tight loops which give it a more classy look.
- A highly durable fabric perfect for high traffic places
- Composition: 77% acrylic, 22% polyester, 1% viscose
- Martindale: 50 000
- Lightfastness: 5
- Pilling: 4
- Oeko-Tex®
Benson
- A highly textured modern material with thick detailing and good durablity
- Composition: 53% rolefin, 26% polyester, 21% acrylic
- Martindale: 30 000
- Lightfastness: 5-6
- Pilling: 4
- Oeko-Tex®
Cortina
- A smarter fabric with two tone style
- Composition: 44% acrylic, 42% polyester, 14% polypropen.
- Martindale: 26 500
- Lightfastness: 5
- Pilling: 4-5
- Oeko-Tex®
Velvety
- Beautifully soft to touch and highly durable
- Composition: 86% polyester (18% of this is recycled), 9% cotton, 5% modal acrylic
- Martindale: 200 000
- Lightfastness: 5-6
- Pilling: 5
- Oeko-Tex®
Leather
- Genuinely comfortable leather with good breathability.
- Semi- Aniine leather is less cold in the winter, less sticky in the summer
- More resistant to stains & scratches given it is treated with an additional protective layer
- A more user-friendly leather that is more suitable for households with pets and children.