Upholstery Dunfermline
A quick guide to upholstery wearability
Durability, robustness, strength… whatever you choose to call it, the wearability of any chosen fabric for your upholstery project needs to be able to withstand many uses and abuses; in some cases, the demand on the fabric will be high whereas in other situations, use will be less and so the robustness of the fabric need not be so high.
Many upholstery Dunfermline customers are concerned about getting the right fabric, but all too often focus on the print, pattern and colour, opting for a choice that may not be suitable in terms of strength and ultimate wearability.
How fabric strength is determined
Fabric is rated after it has undergone a series of tests, the most important being the double rub test. As part of the process, a portion of the fabric is 'rubbed' several times to see how quickly or how many rubs it takes to either significantly thin the material or wear a hole in it. The higher number of times it took to do this, the higher the double rub rating and the higher the rating, the more robust or wearable the fabric is.
What wearability are upholstery Dunfermline customers looking for?
Fabrics for use in different places within the home or business will need to be able to withstand many different conditions, from heavy wear to light wear and so potential upholstery Dunfermline customers will need to look for…
- Heavy duty fabrics- these often display a double rub rating of 15,000 rubs or more. When handling the fabric, you will notice that it is thicker and stiffer than most fabrics, although as technology and manufacturing processes move on, they are becoming more supple and soft. Likewise, the range is also widening and customer who at one time would be put off by the coarseness of the fabric are now opting for heavy duty fabrics without really noticing.
Reupholstering a sofa in a family living room? Choose a heavy duty fabric!
- Medium duty fabrics- these have a double rub rating of between 9,000 and 15,000 rubs. Just like heavy duty fabrics, the closer the rating is to 15,000 rubs the stiffer the fabric will feel. They can withstand the rigours of a family room and are also good for when they need to be cleaned or scrubbed. For some upholstery Dunfermline, they opt for medium duty fabrics as they prefer the feel and range.
- Light duty fabrics- these category of fabric has a double rub rating between 3,000 and 9,000 rubs. In choosing this fabric, upholstery Dunfermline customers need to know it will withstand between 1 to 3 years of 'regular', but not heavy use. Great for 'occasional' items that are kept for their beauty, rather than offering a functional purpose.
- Delicate duty- anything below 3,000 rubs is considered light and should not be used for anything other than decorative pieces or possibly pillows.
As a potential upholstery Dunfermline customer, do you know the wearability of the fabric you need?
