Do you love reading a good book or watching your favorite movie while on your sofa upholstery? Choosing the right sofa upholstery fabric will make or break how you enjoy your sofa. Your new sofa may look gorgeous, but if the upholstery material can’t withstand regular wear and tear, you might feel regret later.
Before planning a sofa, it is wise to know about several upholstery materials so you can make a better decision.
Types of Sofa Upholstery Materials
We can divide the upholstery materials into the following categories:
Synthetic
- Viscose Rayon
- Nylon
- Polyester
- Velvet
Natural
- Leather
- Cotton
- Silk
- Linen
High Performance
- Crypton
- Sunbrella
- Olefin
- Synthetic Fabrics
Looking for upholstery materials that resist staining and fading? Then you can consider synthetics as they are more durable than natural materials. Let’s have a closer look at the top synthetic sofa upholstery materials.
Viscose Rayon
✅ Soft
✅ Affordable alternative to silk
✅ Durable
❌ Shows spots and stains easily
❌ Prone to wrinkling
Polyester
Combined with natural fibers of wool or cotton, polyester is a good sofa upholstery material and is incredibly durable.
✅ Strong and stretchy
✅ Resistant to wrinkling, fading, and snags
✅ Releases water-based stains
✅ Easy to clean
✅ Holds shape well
Nylon
From sofas to couches to socks, nylon has a lot of uses. This sofa upholstery material is known for:
✅ Resistant to snags
✅ Lightweight yet strong
✅ Resists wrinkles
✅ Easy to clean
✅ Cost-effective
Velvet
Do you love the soft-velvety feel? Velvet is the way you should go for.
✅ Has richer, more vibrant colors
✅ Marks or bruising happens with time
✅ Durable and doesn’t snag
❌ Requires a professional cleaning
- Natural Sofa Upholstery Materials
Even though natural materials are less durable than synthetics, they are more luxurious and versatile. The top natural materials for sofas are:
Leather
✅ Easy to clean and maintain
✅ Allergen resistant
✅ Resistant to spills and moisture
✅ Durable under normal wear and tear
❌ Can feel sticky when exposed to heat and humidity
❌ Susceptible to scratches and punctures
Silk
Looking for a statement piece that requires minimal maintenance? Look no further than silk.
✅ Wrinkle resistant
❌ Shows wear and tear faster
❌ Needs professionally cleaned
❌ Fades under sunlight
❌ Expensive
❌Water stains are difficult to remove
Cotton
✅ Tighter weaves make it stronger
✅ Fade resistant
❌ Stains and wrinkles easily
Linen
Linen is also a good sofa upholstery fabric and is more durable and stronger than cotton.
✅ Resistant to pilling
✅ Machine washable
✅ Resistant to fading
✅ Wicks away moisture
❌ Wrinkles easily
- High-Performance Sofa Upholstery Fabrics
Need sofa upholstery materials that stand the test of time? Then you should consider the following materials.
Crypton
✅ Water resistant
✅ Stain resistant
✅ Mildew resistant
✅ Microbe resistant
✅ Easy to clean
✅ Odor resistant
✅ Recyclable material
✅ Can be disinfected
✅Breathable
Olefin
✅ Water resistant
✅ Often uses recycled plastics
✅ Fade resistant
✅ Machine washable
✅ Easily maintained
❌ The surface is quite rough and scratchy
Sunbrella
✅ Mildew resistant
✅ Water resistant
✅ Stain resistant
✅ Fade resistant
✅ Eco-friendly
❌ Expensive
❌ Scratchier, rougher texture
These are just a few of the many sofa upholstery materials. You can consider the one that fits your budget and matches your needs!
