How to Select Upholstery Fabric

Choose upholstery to suit your lifestyle as well as your decor. Here are some tips about common upholstery fabrics.

Things You'll Need

• Upholstery Fabrics

Instructions

1. Consider leather, because - although expensive - it can be a wonderfully rugged choice. It does lack the formality of a damask or brocade.

2. Think long and hard before going with vinyl. It's tough and easy to wipe off, but may not feel good against skin - it will feel cold in cool rooms and stick to skin in warm rooms. However, polyurethane faux leathers are supposed to have a better feel than polyvinyl chloride faux leathers.

3. Choose nylon for its resilient, long-lasting properties, and because any stains usually can be removed. For formal rooms, nylon velvet is a surprisingly durable option.

4. Make cotton a top choice: it's absorbent, feels cool against skin in warm climates and it's just as comfortable in colder climates. Heavier-weight cottons such as canvas and denim wear well, while polished ones such as chintz tend to weaken and split in just a few years.

5. Forgo linen in many situations. This tough fabric wrinkles easily and tends to feel stiff. It's expensive and needs care when cleaned to hold its color and shape.

6. Opt for wool in cool climates because it's strong and warm. Its drawbacks are moth problems and potential shrinkage.

7. Stay open to acrylic blends. They are washable and resilient while deterring shrinkage. Acrylic can lend a woolly appearance without the moth problems; however, pure acrylics tend to pill.

8. Look to polyester as an attractive choice - it is strong, resistant to wrinkles and it neither stretches nor shrinks. It can pill, but polyester-cotton blends combine the advantages of both of these fabrics.

Tips & Warnings

• To lengthen the life of cloth upholstery, vacuum weekly and spot-clean as soon as stains arise.

• Save the manufacturer's tips for cleaning if you have access to them (usually there's a tag with care advice on newly purchased furniture).