What upholstery fabric?

I know little or nothing on the subject, but would have thought that a man made fibre would be best, less likely to retain any damp, no rot. Less likely to mould?

I do know there are some fabrics about, look and feel a bit like suede which are used on boats, but also used in furnishing, the material is very hard wearing and displaces dirt. Sorry I dont know what its called though.
 
I think at the end of the day it ends up as a personal choice. My last boat was some 25 years old (the present one is even older) and still had the original builders upholstery, only really damaged by the likes of cuts and cigarette burns and that was by inspection a moderately heavy duty upholstery material. Ours present boat will be done later this year with a heavy domestic/light commercial fabric from our local upholsterer. Covers will be removable for cleaning. He reckons they should still be in decent condition in 10 years as long as we keep up sensible maintainance. We certainly would not go for a PVC type material again though at the same time we are planning far less wet and windy sailing also.
 
A synthetic material not cotton. There are some relatively inexpensive polypropylene fabrics if you don't want anything too fancy

Avoid velvets unless you are experienced at re-upholstering using them.

You can get fabric mail order no bother so the inland bit is of no consequence. Get samples from Hawke House Marine, Toomer and Hayter, Pointnorth and others. But compare with local fabric warehouses. It is not easy to find much in haberdashers in the way of upholstery fabrics, even if you find any.

Remember that the covers must be made a bit smaller than the foam inside to ensure a good snug fit. (Really you need to make the covers the size you want and cut the foam slightly oversize)

If you use a patterned material make sure the pattern matches between adjacent cushions and on the visible edges.

I'd go for zips for closing every time but others will disagree.

Buy the sewing thread at the same time as the fabric You'll need quite a bit!

My instructions for buttons if you must have them:
<span style="color:white"> .................................... </span>

use whipping twine and thread though with an upholstery needle to begin with. To finish off tie A and B togetther with a reef knot. Cut off the ends and tuck under button but fit all buttons and adjust to look even before finishing off
 
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I do know there are some fabrics about, look and feel a bit like suede which are used on boats, but also used in furnishing, the material is very hard wearing and displaces dirt. Sorry I dont know what its called though.

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It's called Alcantara but, at about £100 a metre it is a tad expensive.
 
Keep looking on eBay, we got a decent sized roll of upholstery fabric for about £60 (not Alcantara). Looks great and far cheeper than if we'd bought it in a shop!
 
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I was hoping to do the whole job for £100!!!

[/ QUOTE ] My bill for a 19 footer:-

<ul type="square"> [*]12m of fabric .............. £66.00 [*]9m of zip ..................... £5.85 [*]9 sliders .......................... 72 p [*]Thread ........................ £2.50 [/list]

1989 from Toomer and Hayter I think that was the cheapest, or nearly so, fabric a check pattern polypropylene.
 
Like anything else, you get what you pay for. If you want the waterproof, breathable, antifungal, antibacterial, anti-terrorist, etc. fabric, expect to pay around £30 a metre. If you get something off the market, bear in mind it was not designed to withstand a hostile marine environment. But if you just want a cheap makeover, that's a different matter.

If you choose a plain fabric you won't have to worry about pattern matching. Patterns hide the odd stain better but are a pain for matching. If you choose a pattern, make sure it's a small pattern. If you choose something with a pile (plush finish) you'll have to make sure the pile all goes in the same direction or the cushions won't match. Light colours reflect the light better and make the boat interior look lighter and more roomy. But light colours show up the dirt more.

You can use zips, but they usually sieze up in the marine environment. I use velcro fastenings.

Look for martindale (rub test) in excess of 40,000 rubs. Avoid fabrics designed for curtains. Choose tight weaves, low stretch fabrics. Best to choose a fabric that is stain resistant, but if you must have removeable covers, make sure they are washable. Ideally, the fabric should be flame retardant. Most washable fabrics are not. Or they start off FR but aren't FR once they are washed.

The foam should be cut slightly larger than the cushion covers so the finished cushion looks 'plumped up'. If you need to buy foam, make sure this is FR. Choose the right softness. Firm for sitting on, a bit softer for sleeping on and very soft for backrests.

When making up covers, use 8 to 12 stitches per inch, a denim type needle and a strong thread.

Most upholsterers (including me) use the expensive fabric on top and a cheaper vinyl on the bases. That way at least the base of the cushion is waterproof.

Hope some of this helps, if not, don't hesitate to PM me.
 
Bernie made a great job of my cushions

[image]
Newupholstrylokingfwd.jpg
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Shame the rest of the interior doesn't meet her standards!
 
We were lucky to get an artificial suede for marine use (not Alcantara, but similarly very pricey) from this company at a great discount. None there at present, but they have many other high grade upholstery fabrics on generous reductions, and are quick to send samples. Worth a look. https://endoflinefabrics.co.uk/
 
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