Polyester Upholstery Fabric
Polyester is one of the most affordable fabric textiles for upholstery. You can upholster furniture with polyester and many other things in your home. Polyester is a durable synthetic material useful for couches, living room furniture, and outdoor patio furniture.
In fact, one of the main things that polyester is used for is upholstering couches. Polyester can come in any colour, it’s easy to clean and care for, it provides high durability, and it’s great for resisting stains.
Polyester is also one of the best upholstery fabrics for blending. You can definitely go with 100% polyester or you can create a hybrid material with polyester and something else. This gives you the best of both worlds with a blend of natural and synthetic fibers.
When you combine polyester with something else, you tend to get a material that is softer yet still breathable. The weave will also be more robust when you combine materials. Some of the best fabrics for blending polyester include silk, wool, and rayon. Even something like processed wood pulp mixed with polyester creates a unique material for your home.
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Is Polyester Fabric Good for Couches?
Polyester may not be the first material that comes to mind for upholstering a couch, but it definitely should be. There are tons of reasons why polyester is so desirable when upholstering a sofa or other living room furniture.
One of the main things is that polyester is comfortable. But it also resists stains better the natural materials. Keep in mind that polyester is on the synthetic fabrics list. This means it’s man-made. Nonetheless, it adds a level of resistance to your furniture that you just can’t get with other fabrics. The only negative is that polyester sometimes struggles with oils.
But it still resists other types of stains better than different fabrics. It also keeps its colour over time while resisting fading, even when in direct sunlight. What this means is that if you want a solid investment for your furniture, polyester is the right way to go. A polyester sofa will look the same in 10 years as it did the day you bought it.
Is Polyester Safe for Allergies?
Did you know that polyester is non-allergenic? This means there’s less of a chance of someone developing an allergy as opposed to when upholstering with natural fabrics. Things like cotton and wool can often trigger allergies. Polyester can’t.
Additionally, with fabrics like cotton wool, pollen and other allergens can become embedded in the fibers. This creates an enduring problem in any home with people who suffer from allergies. This doesn’t happen with polyester!
Because polyester is made from a tighter weave, things simply don’t get stuck in the fibers. This means there’s no chance of sneezing or skin reactions when dog hair or other irritants are deposited on the couch.
Is Polyester Durable?
Polyester is extremely durable. Some say leather is the most durable upholstery fabrics, but that’s simply not true. Take a cat for example. If a cat claws your leather couch, the punctures and tears will spread and look terrible. In the case of claws, leather is absolutely horrible for upholstery.
Polyester is a great choice for an upholstery fabric. It’s obviously not going to stop the ravages of pets, but it will resist the damage done by teeth and claws better than natural kinds of fibers. The synthetic weave may attract cat hair like a magnet – but at least it cleans off easily without the hair follicles getting stuck, and at least your cat won’t ruin it with a little bit of scratching.
Polyester fibers also have a certain amount of give that prevents furniture from appearing saggy the older it gets. Polyester keeps colours brighter for longer than natural fibers and is more resilient in the long run. This means your couch will look better for longer, while keeping its shape. This is something neither cotton nor wool do very well.
Is Polyester a Good Upholstery Fabric?
Polyester is absolutely a quality upholstery fabric. Durable and great in terms of longevity, polyester is the ideal upholstery fabric for all your living room furniture. It’s also wildly easy to clean. A damp rag can remove all the debris and dust from the material in seconds. Plus, your upholstery will dry quickly afterward.
Another great bonus with polyester is consistency. It remains cool and relaxing in the summer and warm and comfortable in the winter. A polyester couch is always comfortable. It also resists wear and tear, standing strong against abrasions and constant use in the home.
One thing people really love about polyester is that it offers a similar experience to leather without the massive price tag. The weave is more durable than leather – and yet it’s synthetic. The rich earth tones of polyester are also great for mimicking leather. You’ll really never notice the difference.
If leather isn’t your bag, try a blended option. Blending polyester with another type of fabric allows you to replicate any look you want and any fabric you like the look of. Polyester is extremely versatile.
And finally, polyester is affordable. Both polyester and blended polyester are very cheap in terms of price. Online, you can order pretty much anything made of polyester at a significantly lower price than natural fabrics.
Are Polyester Couches Breathable?
One of the bummers about polyester is that it doesn’t breathe very well. But it’s not the fabric’s fault. If you have a 100% polyester couch, you could find yourself sitting in a puddle of sweat on a hot day. This is why blended options are so great. Normal polyester is way too resistant to moisture. This results in the sweat sometimes pooling on the couch.
But breathable polyester is an option. There are plenty of blended fabrics that are very breathable. And besides, most modern manufacturers of polyester have done a lot to address the breathability issue, meaning newer furniture is upholstered to resist sweat pools.
When choosing upholstery fabrics, polyester has a myriad of benefits, however if you would like more information on other upholstery fabrics, check out the this related article – How to choose upholstery fabric