Audrey 
Whether you have a DIY task that you’ve been ignoring, or you’d like to spruce up the look of your furniture, you need to know the best supplies for your project.
We understand that choosing upholstery supplies can be difficult, especially if you’re new to it. That’s why we’ve looked into the best types of fabric and tools you need to conduct a successful upholstery job.
No matter what you’ll be using your upholstered furniture for, you want to use the best fabric possible to give it the best chance to last as long as possible.
For Recovering a Sofa
When recovering furniture like a sofa, you want to choose a fabric that will last, look good and won’t be a pain to clean. Especially for those with children or pets, you need to take some time deciding which fabric will be best.
Picking a Fabric
Finding the right fabric is the first step to a successful upholstery project.
Natural Fabrics
If you’d like to use natural fabrics, woven materials from nature, there are plenty to choose from.
Cotton
Cotton is a great choice if you’re looking for a fabric resistant to wear and tear. You can get cotton fabric that is more durable than others, so do some shopping around if you want something less weak.
Leather
An incredibly strong piece of fabric, leather is great for cleaning as it is easily vacuumed and wiped. It can become a
Linen
This material can be a bit difficult for upholstery due to its ability to wrinkle and get dirty easily. It’s also not the best at withstanding time and heavy usage. You should get dirty linen cleaned professionally to prevent further shrinkage.
Silk
Silk should be used sparingly as it can be expensive and difficult to clean.
Vinyl
Vinyl is a good choice if you live a busy life as it is very durable, as well as less expensive than leather which has a similar style.
Wool
Wool will usually be blended with synthetic fibres so it can be cleaned easily, also giving it less chance to fade, wrinkle and shrink.
Synthetic Fabrics
These types of man-made fabrics are usually more durable and can last longer than the more natural fabrics. They’re usually cheaper too.
Nylon
This fabric will usually be mixed with other types of fibres to create a very strong material. This makes it a great choice for upholstery – it’s incredibly strong, resilient, and durable. It’s less likely to get wrinkled, but it can still fade.
Polyester
This fabric is combined with others to create a resistance to wrinkles. However, this is less likely to be used in upholstery projects due to its nature of easily pilling.
Rayon
High-quality rayon is a great and less expensive version to silk, cotton and linen meaning it’s very durable but can wrinkle. The more high-quality, the more practical it is to be used for upholstery projects, especially if you have children.
Microfibre
This is one of the most popular upholstery fabrics due to its likeable texture of velvet, which also makes it nice and durable. It’s easy to resist things like stains and fading which is perfect for those wanting the fabric to last as long as possible, especially great for families with young children.
Get DIYing
You can transform the look of any room in your house by upholstering your furniture. Not only can you save hundreds as you won’t need to buy new furniture, but it’s a great skill to have.
If you’re new to DIY or upholstery altogether, you may want to spend some time practising on smaller projects before deciding to give your beloved sofa a new look. Although it may seem easy, it’s actually a very difficult talk for someone with no experience.
If you’re unsure, speak to a professional to gain more insights and advice on your specific DIY project. They can run you through what fabric would be best suited to your style and lifestyle, as well as any tips on reupholstering furniture.
