Fabric Durability
Fabric durability is a key consideration when choosing upholstered pieces for your business, office or home.
When choosing fabrics, we look at many factors including color and pattern, content, manufacturer, warrantee, fire resistance rating, and durability. Fabric durability has a strong impact on our decision. How long should a fabric last? How can we predict a fabric’s durability? What level of quality is desirable in a commercial application?
These are really very easy questions to answer. All commercial fabrics come with a descriptive tag that includes the fabric name, color, usage, width, repeat, content, abrasion, and more. The key measurement in terms of durability is abrasion.
Abrasion resistance is measured in Wyzenbeek. This wear predictor can estimate fabric durability based on the double rub test. Take a look at the video to see the test in action!
The Wyzenbeek or Oscillatory Abrasion Tester determines the abrasion resistance of fabrics. The fabric is attached to a curved surface and rubbed against a standard abradent or a wire mesh screen in two directions. Upholstery fabrics rated at 30,000 Wyzenbeek (double rubs) should be appropriate for most commercial applications.
Durability needs are different for various applications. For instance, the Designtex fabric we are specifying for State Bank of the Lakes will be used on the customer pull-up chairs. These will see lots of use and need to maintain a fresh appearance over the course of many customer visits. High wear locations like theaters and restaurants like Chili U need to utilize high durability fabrics with Wyzenbeek ratings of 90 to 100 thousand.
When clients invest in upholstery, they want it to hold up for many years. A good option for durable upholstery fabric is synthetic leather. Synthetic leather and exotic skin can also provide the appearance of luxury at a fraction of the cost.
We are using synthetic caiman for seat cushions at State Bank of the Lakes. This synthetic alligator look-alike pattern is rich looking, long-wearing and stain resistant. It is eco-friendly in that it involves less waste than a natural hide and is readily available on a local basis, so there is little shipping involved. Synthetic hides also enable furniture makers to distribute the desired pattern throughout the piece of furniture, which is not always possible with the natural hide of a small animal like a caiman.
Your choice of fabric for upholstered pieces should take into consideration the durability of the fabric. Be sure to check the Wyzenbeek rating before selecting commercial fabrics for your next upholstery project.
