upholstery-material recommendations

S

saltyrob

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 Apr 2004
Messages
394
Location
Suffolk
Visit site
Hi Folks,

We have decided to re-upholster the cushions and seat backs on out boat.There seems to be a number of different fabrics available and I would appreciate any advice on what types are most suitable in the fairly tough enviroment that is the interior of our yacht.Also recommendations for upholsterers in the Suffolk area.

Many thanks

Rob,
 
Most upholstery fabrics nowadays are a mixture of different materials the most common being cotton, polyester, nylon (polyamide), acrylic, viscose (rayon) and polypropylene. "Microfibres" are used in many applications but they are usually one of the above eg these eco or "miracle" cloths you can buy for cleaning are usually just polyester microfibre.

The reason upholstery manufacturers use blends is that all these materials have their pro's and con's. Eg nylon is extremely strong and hard wearing but feels artificial and loses its colour quickly. Cotton feels nice but is very difficult to clean and dry.

Of course you can have a "wipe clean" surface like PVC, very practical but most folk these days want something a bit more comfortable.

i would not claim to be an expert but i do clean upholstery for a living, and if i were replacing the covers on my boat I would choose some form of acrylic fabric. It can be made to feel very soft (acrylic was invented as a synthetic alternative to wool), stays clean reasonably well and is easy to clean when it does get dirty. "Dralon" fabric is 100% acrylic, and if you asked an upholstery cleaner to clean your dralon suite he/she would secretly jump for joy. I would reupholster my boat in a nice navy blue dralon if it were high on my list of priorities.
There's lots of modern stain resistant fabrics nowadays but don't confuse stain resistance with dirt resistance it's not the same thing.
If someone were to ask me to recommend an upholsterer I could easily recommend a couple of people who's work I have seen and know to be good quality. I have also seen a lot of shoddy work. If you don't know of anyone in your area I would suggest asking a local upholstery cleaner, they should know.
 
saltyrob said:
Hi Folks,

We have decided to re-upholster the cushions and seat backs on out boat.There seems to be a number of different fabrics available and I would appreciate any advice on what types are most suitable in the fairly tough enviroment that is the interior of our yacht.Also recommendations for upholsterers in the Suffolk area.

Many thanks

Rob,
Click to expand...

What do you mean by fairly tough? Constantly wet with sea-water. Lots of people?

The biggest issue with fabric is how often, and with what does it get wet. Everything else is cleanable.

I would consider Sekers fabrics, particularly Sahara as it looks like Alcantara, is a minor fraction of the cost and is completely stain and waterproof. However, ifvyou were to sit on it constantly with salty clothing or suntan cream it would soon look like s***e.
 
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this for our boat too, as our light-coloured upholstery is getting a little worn and stained after 15 years. My car has 'alcantara' seats, which I really like, and there are some folk on Ebay selling it. As it is used in car upholstery it shold be pretty hard wearing, but I haven't looked into comparative costs. Has anyone gone down this route?
 
paulrae said:
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this for our boat too, as our light-coloured upholstery is getting a little worn and stained after 15 years.
Click to expand...

Me too but mine is worn and stained after 30 years. I even have to remove the cushions from the boat when no one is around to see. :o
 
Alcantara like most of the "faux suedes" is basically a polyester microfibre and I agree would be quite a good choice on a boat - clean it with mild soapy water. Having said this, faux suede does not seem to like getting very wet, I've done a couple of car interiors which have suffered in this respect, but paradoxically I suspect you are less likely to sit on it with wet clothes on a boat than in a car. Don't spill beer on it either (more likely in a boat).
 
We're just having our boat reupholstered at the moment.

Having looked around locally, we found the supplier through local adverts in "Towpath", a free mag on inland waterways. Also well worth asking around in your marina to see who's had work done, by whom and if they were happy.

We did compare a couple of suppliers and found that a reputable supplier will provide details on the wear life of the different materials they have. Number of "rubs" IIRC. Usually measured in tens of thousands I think.

We chose the colour and texture of the material we wanted, then double checked the predicted life / wear resistance for the material to confirm it fitted the bill.
As always, as with everything else, it's a compromise. We've gone with a hardwearing chenille fabric that's soft and supple but relatively hardwearing.

You can get harder wearing materials but they feel & look worse / more utilitarian. Got to factor in, how long will you keep the boat, cost, life of the foam, etc.
 
paulrae said:
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this for our boat too, as our light-coloured upholstery is getting a little worn and stained after 15 years. My car has 'alcantara' seats, which I really like, and there are some folk on Ebay selling it. As it is used in car upholstery it shold be pretty hard wearing, but I haven't looked into comparative costs. Has anyone gone down this route?
Click to expand...

Only two years old but I have tested it with red wine, port, spaghetti bolognaise, biro ink and graphite grease!

I think it was about £15 per square metre.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/50355907@N07/4635479795
 
Alcantara is a top of the range upholstery fabric we have had it on our shamrock for 10 yrs and it still looks as good as new.Its hardwearing ,can be wiped clean,oily stains can be wiped off with methly alcohol or other degreaser,
beer or wine with a damp cloth or sponged away.
Microcare is a lighter weight can wear on corners but is waterproof and available in a variety of different finishes .Its cheaper too.
Quite a lot of the durability depends on your upholsterer,poor quality finishing on old foam can mean that its good for a year and then the shape goes and corners and edges change places!
Chenille types of polyesters will absorb salt atmosphere and feel damp and clammy if you are not strict about sitting on them in damp oilies.
Try a scotch guard protected cloth, if you want to retain stain resistance and a degree of damp resistance.
Cindy
 
Thinking of doing my cushions this winter as well - anyone know if the Alcantara cloth is sewable on a normal domestic sewing machine???

Mother in law says she's happy to do them but I don't want to wreck her machine.. :)
 
Hi,

Many thanks for responses.Is it advisable/normal practise to replace the foam cushions at the same time as re-upholstering.Wife has iffy back, so will probable at least replace quarter berth foam.

Thanks again

Rob
 
paulrae said:
Funnily enough I've been thinking about this for our boat too, as our light-coloured upholstery is getting a little worn and stained after 15 years. My car has 'alcantara' seats, which I really like, and there are some folk on Ebay selling it. As it is used in car upholstery it shold be pretty hard wearing, but I haven't looked into comparative costs. Has anyone gone down this route?
Click to expand...

we had ours done in a dark blue alcantara 6 years ago and it still looks superb. Not the cheapest choice but it has been splashed copiously with sea water on several occasions as well as the usual wear and tear. Th only signs of age are some colour fading at the top of the backrests where subjected to strong sunlight (MED)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top