Picture this. The old sectional, sofa, chair, or loveseat in your living room has finally bit the dust and it’s time to shop for a replacement. After shopping around, you think you’ve finally found the one. But then the salesperson starts to tell you about something called performance fabric. But what is performance fabric anyway? And are performance fabrics worth the extra expense?
Here at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet, we are passionate about upholstery. In fact, we have been selling all kinds of upholstery for over 30 years! From entry-level, fabric-upholstered armchairs to top-end, aniline leather sectionals, we have it all. As a result, our experts love answering upholstery questions for customers.
By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what performance fabrics are and whether they’re worth your hard-earned money. Let’s get to it!
So Exactly What Is Performance Fabric?
Performance fabric is an upholstery fabric with enhanced cleanability or advanced protection from stains, damage, or other wear. There are many different performance fabrics on the market and each one has its own unique traits. These traits include but are not limited to — stain resistance, water or liquid repellency, fade resistance or colorfastness, tear or puncture resistance, and even anti-microbial properties to protect against odors, mold, mildew, or bacteria.
How Is Performance Fabric Different from Typical Upholstery Fabrics?
In order to fully answer the “What is performance fabric?” question, it’s critical that you understand a couple of basic things about upholstery. Namely, how upholstery fabric is produced and what it is made from.
Manufacturers usually make upholstery fabric from threads of natural fibers (cotton, wool, linen, silk, etc.) or synthetic fibers (such as polyester or rayon). Each of these fibers have their own characteristics.
For instance, cotton fabrics are soft and breathable, but also very absorbent and slow to dry. By contrast, polyester is moisture-wicking and quick-drying, but is less soft and is more vulnerable to odor-causing bacteria. In this way, “normal” upholstery fabric is limited by the strengths and weaknesses of whatever it’s made of — whether that be linen, wool, rayon, cotton or anything else.
Different Kinds of Performance Fabric
Occasionally, upholstery makers will weave fabric from a combination of different natural and synthetic fibers. This is one of the ways that performance fabrics are made. By weaving different fibers together, they are able to take advantage of the natural strengths of each.
Other performance fabrics like Revolution (100% olefin or polypropylene) and Sunbrella (100% acrylic) are engineered and completely synthetic. Both olefin and acrylic performance fabrics are used extensively in both indoor and outdoor furniture.
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Alternatively, sometimes it’s not just the fibers themselves, but the construction and the way in which they’re woven that gives them their special characteristics. In the case of Decor-Rest’s Majestic performance fabric and many polyester or nylon microfibers, the extremely tight weaving pattern results in a tear-resistant fabric so dense that it also provides a barrier to liquids.
The final way that performance fabrics are made is through various processes or finishes applied to standard fabrics or fabric blends including polyester, cotton, linen or rayon. Popular performance fabrics like Crypton and LiveSmart are perfect examples of this.
Remember that old Scotchgard solution you used to make your carpet stain and water resistant? Well, these modern processes are quite a bit more refined than that — and safer too! Topical spray-on chemicals like Scotchgard are less common these days as there are more durable options that don’t expose people and pets to chemical compounds.
Are Performance Fabrics Worth It?
As we said above, there are many different performance fabrics out there. Far too many to cover in one short article. But here’s one important thing to remember — not all performance fabrics are created equal.
One big mistake both shoppers and salespeople frequently make is to treat all performance fabrics as the same. Some may be very resistant to stains but not very good at repelling water. Others may be very resistant to liquids but not very resistant to fading. As a result, it is critically important to know the pros and cons of the performance fabric that you’re considering.
As long as you choose a fabric that best fits your life, we absolutely believe performance fabrics are worth it!
Thanks to the magic of performance fabrics, your cat will have a much harder time scratching up your new chair, your 5-year old’s juice spills will be barely an inconvenience, and your patio furniture will be much less likely to fade in the sun or develop a case of creeping crud or mildew. If any of these things are important to you, spending a little more for some peace of mind may be worth it.
There’s Always More to Learn About Upholstery!
Now that you know the basics about performance fabric, you’re that much closer to making the decision that’s right for you. But there’s more to learn. Come back soon for an in-depth discussion on the best performance fabrics and the pros and cons of each!
In the meantime, learn everything you need to know about leather from the upholstery experts at Woodstock Furniture & Mattress Outlet:
