Buying fabric for an upholstery project can be a confusing and daunting task. For that reason The Baltimore Upholstery Company offers free fabric consultations. We realized that many of our customers didn’t have a clue about how to choose a good upholstery fabric, or where to buy a good upholstery fabric. In an attempt to help our customers and friends who may be looking for help on this topic, we have decided to share the top 5 things to consider when buying fabric for furniture upholstery.
Price
Need I say more? Unless, you’re a millionaire without a budget, more than likely price is a major factor whenever you make a purchase. Designer fabrics can go as high as several hundred dollars per yard, but you can also find discounted upholstery fabrics as low as $9.99 per yard.
Usage
How often do you use your furniture? Do you sit on it daily? Is it your favorite sitting chair? Is it a sofa your children like to sleep, play and eat on? Is it a piece of furniture that stays in a room that no one goes in? All of these questions you need to ask yourself and consider before you can determine what type of upholstery fabric you need.
Durability
Durability is directly correlated to usage. If your furniture is used a lot, then you want to make sure you choose a high quality, durable fabric. If you want a piece of furniture upholstered that is barely used, the look of the fabric will be more important than durability. A great way to determine durability in upholstery and home décor fabrics is by looking at the rub count or double rub count. The rub count as it pertains to upholstery fabric indicates how durable the fabric is. The higher the rub count number, the more durable the upholstery fabric is.
Children
Last, but not least children. Children pull on your heartstrings, but they can also thoroughly destroy furniture. Great fabrics to consider when you have children is anything that can be wiped off, or anything that has removable covers that is also machine washable.
Hopefully, these five tips will make buying upholstery fabric a little bit easier. If you have any questions about upholstery fabric, feel free to leave a comment below. We love to hear from you. Also, if you’re contemplating getting furniture upholstery, and you are in and around the Baltimore area, please give us a call at 410-870-9187, we would love to help, and remember Fabric Consultations are Free.