How to Pick the Best Upholstery Fabric for Furniture

Learn everything you need to know about durability, cleanability, soil resistance, and fading when choosing fabric for your next upholstery project.

No matter how upholstery fabric is used in your home, it must withstand the amount of use the furniture gets. For example, sofas, chairs, and ottomans used less frequently, such as those in bedrooms or more formal spaces, will do fine with a more delicate fabric. However, pieces subjected to heavy daily wear, like the family room sofa, should be covered in tough, durable, tightly woven fabrics to protect against stains and damage.

When purchasing upholstery fabric or upholstered furniture, keep in mind that the higher the thread count, the more tightly woven the material, and the better it will wear. Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric.

Natural Upholstery Fabric Types

Natural upholstery fabrics refer to those woven from materials found in nature. This includes plant fibers and materials derived from animal products. Here are some of the most common natural fabrics used on upholstered furniture.

Cotton: This natural fiber resists wear, fading, and pilling. It is less resistant to soiling, wrinkling, and fire. Surface treatments and blending with other fibers often make up for these weaknesses. Durability and use depend on the weave and finish. Damask weaves are formal; canvas (duck and sailcloth) is more casual and durable.

Cotton Blend: Depending on the weave, cotton blends can be sturdy, family-friendly fabrics that are a great choice for sofas and chairs. A stain-resistant finish, such as Scotchgard Fabric and Upholstery Protector, should be applied to furnishings used daily.

Leather: Leather is a rugged material that can be gently vacuumed, damp-wiped, and cleaned with leather conditioner or saddle soap. Thanks to it's durability, leather is often a popular choice for sofas and chairs.

Linen: Linen is best suited for formal living rooms or adult areas because it soils and wrinkles easily. It also won't withstand heavy wear. However, linen does resist pilling and fading. Soiled linen upholstery should be professionally cleaned to avoid shrinkage.

Silk: This delicate fabric is only suitable for adult areas, such as formal living rooms. It must be professionally cleaned if soiled.

Wool: Sturdy and durable, wool and wool blends offer good resistance to pilling, fading, wrinkling, and soil. Generally, wool is blended with a synthetic fiber to make it easier to clean and to reduce the possibility of felting the fibers, where the fibers are bonded together until they resemble felt. Blends can be spot-cleaned when necessary.

Synthetic Upholstery Fabric Types

Synthetic fabrics are manufactured materials designed using chemical processes. They are typically more durable and less expensive than natural upholstery fabrics.

Acetate: Developed as imitation silk, acetate can withstand mildew, pilling, and shrinking. However, it offers only mild resistance to soil and tends to wear, wrinkle, and fade in the sun. It's not a good choice for furniture that will get everyday use.

Acrylic: This synthetic fiber was developed as imitation wool. It resists wear, wrinkling, soiling, and fading. Low-quality acrylic may pill excessively in areas that receive high degrees of abrasion. High-quality acrylics are manufactured to pill significantly less.

Microfiber: Made from polyester, this popular upholstery fabric has a velvet-like texture but is much more durable. It resists water, stains, and fading, so it's easy to clean and great for high-use furnishings like sofas and chairs.

Nylon: Rarely used alone, nylon is usually blended with other fibers to make it one of the strongest upholstery fabrics. Nylon is very resilient; in a blend, it helps eliminate the crushing of napped fabrics such as velvet. It doesn't readily soil or wrinkle, but it does tend to fade and pill.

Olefin: This is a good choice for indoor and outdoor furniture that will receive heavy wear. It's highly resistant to stains, mildew, abrasion, and sunlight.

Polyester: Rarely used alone in upholstery, polyester is mixed with other fibers to add wrinkle resistance, eliminate crushing of napped fabrics, and reduce fading. When blended with wool, polyester aggravates pilling problems.

Rayon: Developed as an alternative to silk, linen, and cotton, rayon is durable, but it does wrinkle. However, recent developments have made high-quality rayon a practical, family-friendly upholstery fabric.

Vinyl: Easy-care and less expensive than leather, vinyl fabrics are ideal for busy living and dining rooms. Durability depends on quality.