Question:
What is the best fabric for reclining furniture if I don’t want leather?
Jan. 3, 2021
Answer:
There are many excellent 100% polyurethane faux leathers.
- Just make sure you are not getting bonded leather.
- Bonded leathers have created thousands of complaints over the past 10 years.
There are new faux leathers that combine polyurethane with various amounts of polyester (and sometimes vinyl.)
- These composite faux leathers are less expensive than most 100% polyurethanes.
- They may be OK, but haven’t been available long enough to determine their long term durability.
If you don’t want leather or faux leather, high performance fabrics are an excellent choice.
- High performance fabrics meet or exceed heavy duty abrasion test requirements and also have built-in permanent stain protection.
There are many different types and brands of high performance fabrics. The more expensive brands include:
- Crypton (Polyesters and polyester blends.) This brand has the largest selection of colors, patterns and textures.
- Sunbrella (Acryllic) This is the least durable of the high priced performance fabrics, but the best for exposure to direct sunlight.
- Bella-Dura (Olefin) – Extremely durable and extremely stain resistant. Can be cleaned with bleach for extreme stains.
Lower priced high performance brands include:
- Revolution (Olefin) – Not as durable as the Bella-Dura and a color palette that is mostly earth tones and greys. Few bright colors.
- LiveSmart (Polyester) – Not as durable or stain resistant as Crypton.
