Which Sunbrella fabric?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted User YDKXO
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Nick_H said:
You're quite right jfm, I was getting confused as usual. When I said open cell I was talking about the reticulated stuff with a structure which lets water run through it. Closest analogy I can think of is a loofah, but its quite different to that.

The finer open cell stuff (which I mistakenly referred to as closed cell, despite it been pretty bludy obvious it's not) does act like a sponge, so you then really need to keep the water out of it, either by using waterproof fabrics or being a whizz with the covers.

Mike, the generic name for the Sunbrella type fabrics is solution dyed acrylics, because the dye is added before or during the melting process (ie. in solution), rather than the fabric being dyed afterwards. This is the main reason the colours don't fade I guess. Other people make them, almost certainly cheaper, and maybe just as good for all I know, but the cost of the fabric is tiny in proportion to the cost of the job so i'd stick with Sunbrella as they have a better range of colours/patterns.
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Ok NickH, now I understand. I've always thought the standard open cell foam inside cushions is dreadful stuff as the foam takes days to dry and gently oozes into your backside if you sit on it. I don't want to be nosy but could you let me know how much your boat cost to do in SoF and what you think it might have cost in the UK. Also did you replace the foam or use the original? PM me if you wish. I really have no idea what my boat might cost and I want to have some kind of a benchmark against which to judge the price I get quoted in Italy
 
henryf said:
Just to add there are some photos of the cockpit and flybridge seating on my site for the boat. www.princess42.com. I can't put a link directly to the photos as I'm on my iPad. Click on any of the small pictures and it opens a large image which you scroll forwards and backwards.
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Thats a really nice job, henryf and the darker colour is classy imho. Correct me if I'm wrong but that looks like a vinyl like texture rather than a cloth like texture? Any idea who makes Movida? Can't find anything on google
 
Definative results

Here are the test photos carried out on Sunbrella plus and some 'Watersand suede' vinyl, courtesy of jfm.
fluids used are... red wine, beetroot juice, engine oil and moly grease!.
Pictures are 'before' and 'after', using only household detergent (Tescos finest washing up liquid' and a sponge, no hard scrubbing.
The only one that left a slight mark was the moly grease when rubbed hard into the Sunbrella, not a real scenario.
I was somewhat amazed at the ability to shrug off dirt.
 
henryf said:
Just to add there are some photos of the cockpit and flybridge seating on my site for the boat. www.princess42.com. I can't put a link directly to the photos as I'm on my iPad. Click on any of the small pictures and it opens a large image which you scroll forwards and backwards.

That fabric is "Movida metallic" coloured. I agree with JFM's comments about a slightly darker colour giving the boat a bit of depth compared to standard white vinyl. I was very pleased we took the plunge and made the change.

Henry :)
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Henry

I'm pretty sure Movida is a vinyl with a woven effect finish imprinted into the surface, whereas Sunbrella is a proper woven fabric. Movida is a great product, but quite different to Sunbrella.
 
Deleted User said:
Ok NickH, now I understand. I've always thought the standard open cell foam inside cushions is dreadful stuff as the foam takes days to dry and gently oozes into your backside if you sit on it. I don't want to be nosy but could you let me know how much your boat cost to do in SoF and what you think it might have cost in the UK. Also did you replace the foam or use the original? PM me if you wish. I really have no idea what my boat might cost and I want to have some kind of a benchmark against which to judge the price I get quoted in Italy
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I had all the flybridge and cockpit seating changed, including the sun pad on the flybridge, but not the bow sun pad. I changed all the base foam to reticulated at the same time, but not the seat backs. I had two quotes in SoF, each one around 20,000 euro. In the end I shipped the cushions back to a place in Cannock who charged £3,600 for the same work. There was a bit of a problem with them, but the supplier changed some FOC so I was happy with the eventual job. Maybe that was too cheap though, as the supplier (Mastertrim) has since gone belly up!

Upholstery work in SoF seems proportionately even more expensive than other kinds of work, despite there seemingly being lots of competition. Hopefully for you that doesn't extend elsewhere in the med.
 
Nick_H said:
I had all the flybridge and cockpit seating changed, including the sun pad on the flybridge, but not the bow sun pad. I changed all the base foam to reticulated at the same time, but not the seat backs. I had two quotes in SoF, each one around 20,000 euro. In the end I shipped the cushions back to a place in Cannock who charged £3,600 for the same work. There was a bit of a problem with them, but the supplier changed some FOC so I was happy with the eventual job. Maybe that was too cheap though, as the supplier (Mastertrim) has since gone belly up!

Upholstery work in SoF seems proportionately even more expensive than other kinds of work, despite there seemingly being lots of competition. Hopefully for you that doesn't extend elsewhere in the med.
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Thanks NickH. £3600 sounds very cheap if it includes the foam too. I too am not going to do the bow sunpad so I was hoping for a figure around €5000. The part of Italy where my boat is moored for the winter is not W Med expensive so I'm hoping that the price will be around the UK level
 
tico said:
Here are the test photos carried out on Sunbrella plus and some 'Watersand suede' vinyl, courtesy of jfm.
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Thats v impressive, tico. I'm already on red alert lest anyone spills stuff on my precious teak deck so its good to know that the cushions can take it
 
Nick_H said:
Henry

I'm pretty sure Movida is a vinyl with a woven effect finish imprinted into the surface, whereas Sunbrella is a proper woven fabric. Movida is a great product, but quite different to Sunbrella.
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If it is then it fooled me!


Quiet in the back row I'll have you know I'm not easily fooled.

I thought it was woven with a waterproof backing. It's lovely stuff what ever it is.

Henry :)
 
henryf said:
Who are the people Princess use? Is that sunbrella?

I was a bit unsure when I first saw it used, I assumed it would deteriorate and stain. Having had it on the P42 for the latter part of 2011 I am a total convert. A friend has it on his V45 which is chartered and I've kept an eye on how it fares.

Water and marks come straight off, they don't soak in. It's really weird stuff. It's a lot nicer to sit on as well even in a bit of (British) sunshine.

Henry :)
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yes - mine had it from new and its still going strong

Very nice stuff for a boat
 
Deleted User said:
With regard to the colour, basically I was thinking originally about some boring sand/beige/cream colour but then I got thinking about maybe something with a fine stripe in it. My boat could do with a splash of colour as the interior is cream, cream and more cream. Inoffensive but dull.
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Will save this tread as it has lots of usefull details about different foam's and sunbrella fabrics.
Changing the coverings of sofa's , seats and sunbeds is also on my todo list for Blue Angel.

Colours are a personal thing / taste,
but I don't like beige nor cream, nor any other light brown.

BA has lots of cherry wood brown inside, yes much to much,
so I want something contrasting but stil complementing.

Probably some charcoal grey like this;
kussens20sunbrella.jpg


combined with some silver grey like this:
img-20110827-00110.jpg


Be carefull with stripes,
I don't want the furniture to look flashy or colourfull,
I want it to be timeless as much as possible.
all other atributes such as the table cloth, cushions, tissues, lights, .....and the people :)
have to bring the colours in the place

yes I know, all personal taste, no discussion about that.

By the way, what are your cruising plans for Croatia this year ?
when are you planning to come down to Cavtat ?
Let me know, I'm there every now and then, except during summer, and without the boat,
I might finally show you that good restaurant over there :)
 
BartW said:
Be carefull with stripes,
I don't want the furniture to look flashy or colourfull,
I want it to be timeless as much as possible.
all other atributes such as the table cloth, cushions, tissues, lights, .....and the people :)
have to bring the colours in the place

yes I know, all personal taste, no discussion about that.

By the way, what are your cruising plans for Croatia this year ?
when are you planning to come down to Cavtat ?
Let me know, I'm there every now and then, except during summer, and without the boat,
I might finally show you that good restaurant over there :)
Click to expand...

I don't like useless **** like scatter cushions and tissues on my boat. My SWMBO tries to infiltrate this sort of stuff occasionally but it soon falls overboard. Yup agree that stripes for upholstery can look naff but don't worry, it'll be subtle:)
I have no real cruising plans for this season yet. Our son has some heavy academic exams this year which mean that we're going to have to be mostly at home until end of June in order to keep his nose pressed to the grindstone. I intend to spend most of August on board this year so we could possibly motor down to Cavtat around that time
 
Hello. I guess you can check for sunbrella neoprene covers which are made of synthetic rubbers. I have one for our cosmos outdoor tv that sells together with sunbrella tv covers. Very high quality covers and easy to clean. It is totally hassle free. sumbrell neoprene cover have color options too.
 
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