Upholstery: textile or vinyl
Modern chair design and endurance
In HORECA industry for seat furniture, chair manufacturers are looking for comfortable and modern chairs, but it is also important that their upholstery is enduring. To distinguish the fabrics suitable for places of public resort and restaurants from those intended to be used in households, a special certificate was created – Martindale that certifies the endurance of the fabric as a result of testing. The Martindale standard in HORECA industry should be above 60 000 seating cycles and usually, the fabrics of good quality endure 80 000-100 000 ones, and the vinyl ones – up to 120 000 cycles. We at Castro Chairs as furniture manufacturer use materials which specifications comply only and solely to the requirements of HORECA industry and thus, we guarantee the endurance of our upholstery.
Types of materials for upholstery in modern chairs used by chair manufacturers
- Vinyl upholstery consists of two separate synthetic materials which polyester fibres are very strong. Flexible, strong and water proof – this is vinyl. Also, it has a lot of advantages such as easy cleaning and maintenance and also, it is a frequent choice for locations where cleanness is priority, such as hospitals and restaurants. One more advantage of vinyl is that it does not need any special care, which is great!
- Alcantara – mostly known in automobile industry, it is synthetically manufactured fabric for upholstery that resembles the touch to a soft, processed animal skin. One of the advantages is that there is a wide choice of colours, it does not cause allergies and the maintenance is very easy.
- Cotton – fully natural product that is currently very popular in Scandinavian style of furniture. Its advantages are that it is breathing and also endurable.
- Artificial leather – nowadays, it is no way inferior to the natural one. The artificial leather also has easy care – you wipe it mildly with a wet towel and clean the impurities.
- Polyester may not sound to you as the best but it should not be neglected. In fact, it does wonders – it has various colours and structures and is very endurable.
- Velvet has a long history and at present, it is experiencing a true revival. It is soft and has an incredible, elegant shine but it may not look so well with a prolonged use.
What properties should the damask for upholstery have to be suitable for use in the HORECA industry?
- Resistance. Irrespective of whether we sit or lie on the upholstered furniture, they come in contact with the clothes we wear.
- Endurability. The fabrics for upholstery are not clothes you will wear for a certain short period of time. We will draw your attention to chairs, sofas and armchairs that should endure long enough in time.
- Elasticity. Usually, the used fabrics are not elastic enough but this is a mistake. Always test the elasticity of the fabric chosen by you by holding it at the middle and pulling one of its corners.
- Easy care. This is very important, especially for larger furniture. While pillowcases for pillows may be removed easily, this is not the same with sofas.
Let transformation be fast and easy!
In conclusion, the various fabrics for upholstery are a wonderful way to ensure a fresh and modern look for your favourite furniture, i.e. almost all of them may be re-upholstered easily and the interior may get unrecognizable. You save resources that you may use somewhere else and you also have renovated, strong furniture!
To learn more and make an informed choice, do not hesitate to contact us.
For more information about our chair designs follow the link and learn more about chairs and plywood.