The warm sun, the gentle sea breeze, the extended days. I love summer living.
What I don’t love is the way the sun ruins upholstery.
I consider outdoor furniture an investment in summer living so I did my research on the best fabric for outdoor upholstery.
There are two fabrics (readily available here in New Zealand) to consider:
1- Solution dyed acrylic (SD PC)
2- Olefin (OLF) / polypropylene (PP)
These fabrics are highly fade resistant. This is due to being solution dyed during the melting and extruding process. Most fabrics begin colourless, and then the fibres are woven into yarn, and the yarn is dyed before it is woven into a fabric. With solution-dyed acrylic and Olefin, a liquid solution is mixed with the dye, and then it is formed into a fibre so it already has colour before it is spun into a yarn.
Advantages of Acrylic
- Inherently resistant to rot, mould and fungal decay
- Resistant to small insects
- Strength, durability, resilience
- Resistant to wrinkling, shrinking
- UV and fade resistant
- Dries quickly and non-absorbent
- Soft and breathable
Advantages of Olefin
- Durable
- Colourfast
- Comfortable
- Resists staining
- Upcycled Material
- No PFC Treatments
- No Volatile Organic Compounds
- No Anti-Microbials
- No Fire Retardants
- No Chemical Stain Treatments of Any Kind
Additionally, Olefin uses no water or land during the production and was once waste material from oil production; making it one of the greenest textiles with the lowest carbon footprint! Even greener than cotton, wool, silk, or rayon.
When you are looking at recovering your existing suite, I recommend considering one these fabrics. They are not at the budget end of the price scale but when we consider that they outlast the cheapies we can see that they are worth the investment.
In some cases, you could possibly buy a new suite for the same cost as a quality recovery but if your existing suite is structurally sound, you love its aesthetic and comfort way add to the problem of waste disposal.
Join us at the Frazerhurst showroom to view some of the options available from our fantastic suppliers.
