Types of Upholstery Fabric
Natural Fabrics
Upholstery Cleaning in Llano — Natural materials are made from natural fibers that come from animals or plants.
Chenille
Chenille’s soft coating stack inspired its name — it’s the French term for”caterpillar.” Its weft threading gives it a glow that is distinguishing. It may also be made from synthetics like rayon, although chenille is made from natural fibers.
Cotton
Cotton furniture upholstery is usually a mix, combining this trendy, breathable all-natural fiber using linen, polyester, nylon, etc. for added texture, strength, or resistance to wrinkling. The best-quality cotton blends will contain about 45% to 60% cotton.
Jute
A fiber generated in India and Bangladesh, jute was used for rope and matting. Though prone to wrinkling, it is a great material for contemporary rustic accent pieces such as an ottoman, adding a slightly rougher texture that pairs well with leather or wood.
Leather
Leather upholstery can vary greatly in cost and quality, depending on its quality and therapy.
Leather: Full-grain leather employs the entire animal hide instead of layers, and marks or imperfections are left intact. Here is the highest-quality leather.
Top-grain leather leather employs the strong layers of the animal hide and is second in quality only to grain.
Corrected-grain leather: Corrected-grain leather has been treated to eliminate imperfections and then awarded an imitation grain to get a uniform appearance.
Split leather: Split leather consists of the drop or underside rest of the hide. With bycast/bicast leather, a synthetic surface layer is laminated to the surface.
Linen
Made from yarn, linen is an cloth fiber that is natural. It’s a fabric that offers durability and immunity to moths, pilling, and abrasion. It’s often utilized along with cotton for elasticity. Neatly tailored pieces such as parsons chairs, traditional dining seats, and tufted arm chairs offer a fantastic style for linen.
Silk
Soft and luxurious feels in formal settings and is best kept to zones. Silk is backed with cotton in order to add durability and weight and comes from both natural and synthetic varieties. Sunlight can cause this cloth to fade so think creatively about where you place a lace upholstered piece.
Velvet
Velvet is a luxurious woven cloth distinguished by its thick and short pile. This soft and glistening material can be made from natural or synthetic fibers and varies in quality and type. Though relatively hard to clean, velvet stands out for its comfort, texture, and rich colour, making it a favorite choice for dramatic pieces such as conventional button-tufted headboards and swanky accent seats.
Wool
Most wool you find on sofas and accent chairs now is really a combination of synthetic and natural fibers. The addition of synthetic materials helps the fabric stand up better to wear and makes it much easier to clean.
Synthetic Fabrics
Synthetic fabrics known as materials, are fabrics produced to natural fibers. Synthetic fabrics tend to be much more durable than natural materials and are more resistant to staining and fading.
Faux Leather
Faux leather is usually manufactured from polyurethane, a more ecofriendly alternative to PVC or plastic. PU is much more breathable than PVC, and it is also degradable.
Microfiber
Microfiber is a knit blend polyester cloth that’s softer than suede and a great deal easier to clean (just remember to dab rather than rub). This material is constructed of tightly woven fibers, providing durability and moisture resistance with all the qualities of suede. This low-cost cloth is ideally suited to chaise sectional lounges or convertible couches, and casual chairs in a contemporary style.
Nylon
A synthetic fiber, nylon is generally blended with other substances to create a strong and durable material. It is typically easy to maintain and is not prone to wrinkling.
Olefin
Olefin is a manmade material that’s made from melting pellets. Any color is added and the threads are woven together. Since the colours are baked in rather than inserted into the surface, olefin tends to hold its colour and can be cleaned with bleaches. This durable cloth is great for upholstery.
Polyester
First introduced in the 1950s, polyester is a synthetic fabric which does its best work in tandem with materials such as wool and cotton. Polyester blends give exceptional strength, easy cleaning, and resistance to fading, wrinkling, and abrasion — and pilling, in the case of polywool mixes.
Rayon
This cellulose-based material was developed to mimic fabrics like cotton and linen. It is commonly combined with different kinds of threads to create a material that’s suitable for upholstery.
Blog
March 24, 2025
