Best Fabrics for Re-Upholstering Furniture

Re-upholstering is a great way to re-fresh your furniture without the price tag of buying brand new. Many people will have this professionally done, while others will make this a DIY. Either way, it is a fabulous money saver and it’s a great way to recycle furniture. Reupholstering a piece of furniture yourself can save you hundreds of dollars, but the process can be a little tricky. We suggest finding a step by step guide in order to help you with your first time.

 

Many people wonder, “what is the best fabric for upholstering?” Well, there is many options, but they depend on your specific needs. Some aspects of choosing your upholstery fabric may seem obvious such as what colour do I want? What pattern do I like? Do I like the feel of this fabric? These are all things that need to be taken into account, but there are other factors to consider. When choosing upholstery, you should be aware of its durability, how to clean it and how resistant it is to dirt and whether it will fade in the sun or not.

Here are some fabrics frequently used for upholstery and their pros/cons.

 

Natural Fabrics

Linen:
-great for formal living rooms or adult areas because wrinkles easily and can become dirty fast.
-it won't withstand heavy wear.
-linen does resist pilling and fading.
-linen upholstery must be professionally cleaned to any avoid shrinkage.

Cotton Blend:
-depending on the weave, cotton blends can be sturdy, family-friendly fabrics.
-stain-resistant finish should be applied for everyday use.

Silk:
-a very delicate fabric and is only suitable for adult areas, such as formal living rooms.
-It must be professionally cleaned if becomes dirty.

Leather:
-can be gently vacuumed, damp-wiped as needed, and cleaned with leather conditioner or saddle soap.
-has great durability.
-higher price point than other fabrics but will last a long time if properly cared for.

Cotton:
-good resistance to wear, fading, and pilling.
-less resistant to soil, wrinkling, and fire.
-blending with other fibers often compensate for these weaknesses.
-durability and use depend on the weave and finish.
-damask weaves are formal.

Wool:
-sturdy and durable.
-wool is a 100 % sustainable material and will be recycled post use.
-wool and wool blends offer good resistance to pilling, fading, wrinkling, and dirt. -generally, wool is blended with a synthetic fiber to make it easier to clean and to reduce the possibility of felting the fibers, but wool can be used on its own.
-blends can be spot-cleaned when necessary.

Synthetic Fabrics

Acrylic:
- a synthetic fiber was created as imitation wool.
- acrylic is sold at a much lower price point than wool.
-it resists wear, wrinkling, dirt, and fading.
-low quality acrylic may pill in areas that receive high degrees of abrasion.
-higher quality acrylics are manufactured to pill considerably less.

Olefin:
- a fantastic choice for furniture that will receive heavy wear.
-there is no con to olefin, it has no weakness.

Polyester:
-rarely used alone in upholstery.
polyester is blended with other fibers to add wrinkle resistance, and reduce fading.

Rayon:
-developed as an imitation silk, linen, and cotton.
-rayon is durable.
-it will wrinkle.
-made high-quality rayon very practical and a great choice for upholstery.