As one of the biggest, easily noticeable, and most expensive pieces of furniture in your residential, commercial, or hospitality property, your sofa needs proper and regular care, and maintenance to preserve its charm and functionality.
But even if you clean your sofa frequently, there are other factors that can cause it to lose its appeal. The ones that bring about the most damage include:
- Sitting on the same spot constantly
- Placing the sofa in a sunny area
- Allowing stains to set
- Failing to rotate the cushions
Reupholstering your sofa with the right fabric can give it an updated, more appealing look. When the upholstery work is done by professionals, you will have a furniture piece that appears new.
You can even change the complete look of your sofa and accompanying pieces to enhance or transform any room by choosing premium artistic furniture fabric for the upholstery work.
Shortlisting Your Choices for Upholstery Fabric
Since the new look of your sofa depends greatly on your choice of furniture fabric, you have to be careful about selecting the best one.
You can skip a lot of guesswork and the unnecessary expenses that come with them and find the perfect sofa upholstery fabric by including these key factors in your decision-making process:
1. Color
Since the size of your sofa quickly draws the eye of anyone entering your living room or any space it is placed, you have to make sure it catches it for the right reason. Your choice of color can support this.
When selecting the ideal color, consider the room where the sofa will be placed. If the space does not get plenty of sunlight, a light fabric would turn the furniture into a feature that can brighten the area.
Consider the nature and primary use of the room as well. If it is a casual, high-traffic space that people will often use, opt for a dark color so that food debris and dirty shoes do not leave a mark.
In case you will put the sofa in a formal room, a light hue will look better. Creams and light greys are recommended for these low-traffic spaces.
Lastly, think about the people who will frequent the room. If it includes young kids, teens, and their pets, opt for a dark color since it is effective in hiding stains and spills.
2. Design
In terms of design or style, make sure you choose a fabric that complements the sofa you want to cover, the accompanying pieces, if any, and the overall look and feel of the space.
If you are aiming for a conventional look, choose a traditional, simple fabric for a sofa with a classic design. Opt for a more modern artistic style if the furniture is more contemporary.
If you are leaning towards heavily-patterned textiles, start by considering the size of your sofa. If it is small, avoid large patterns and vice versa.
Also, consider the size of the room when choosing a pattern. Bold, creative patterns work well in large spaces while small ones look great in less spacious areas.
3. Durability
If you want your reupholstered sofa to last longer this time, make sure you put some thought into selecting the right fabric.
Fabrics with woven patterns and have high thread counts and tight weaves hold up longer than printed ones. Thread count pertains to the number of threads per square inch of textile.
If you are having the family room couch reupholstered, fabrics that have a combination of cotton, rayon, and polyester are great options since engineered textiles are more durable than natural ones.
However, if you have small children and pets, microfiber fabric, viscose, or leather are excellent choices since they can withstand more wear and tear.
4. Maintenance requirements
Although cleaning and maintaining your reupholstered sofa is a must for preserving its appeal and condition, you don’t want to spend several hours a week doing this.
Find out if the fabric is fade-resistant if you will place the sofa in a place that receives direct sunlight. If you live in a humid area, opt for a textile that has mildew resistance.
To have a child- and pet-proof sofa, stain-resistant outdoor fabrics, distressed leather, and vinyl are your best options.
Washable fabrics are also excellent choices since they have cleaning codes on their labels. You will then have clear instructions to follow when you need to spruce up your sofa.
Lastly, a good rule of thumb to follow is to vacuum the sofa once a month to remove the dust and dirt that can combine with friction from frequent use which can break down the fabric.
5. Budget
Finally, you can choose any fabric that satisfies all the factors above without any difficulties if you are only reupholstering one sofa. However, if you are having two or more couches and their accompanying chairs or pieces reupholstered, you will have to set a budget.
The best furniture fabrics often come with high price tags. Although you want the best for your home or commercial or hospitality property, spending more than you should on your choice of textile is never a smart move.
But even if you have a limited budget, you can find the right covering textile for your sofa. As long as you understand the different types of fabrics and do enough comparison shopping, you will get one that meets your preference and needs.
With the right fabric and upholstery service, you can have a new, improved sofa at half the cost of buying another one. You can even be sure that it will last longer.
AUTHOR BIO:
James Prathap is the General Manager at NGC Nafees, one of the leading distributors of wallpapers, floorings, and fabrics in the Middle East and South Asia. Formed three decades ago, the business also offers high-quality panoramics, coordinated fabrics, and creative stickers for residential and commercial projects.