Outdoor Upholstery: Everything You Need To Know

An outdoor living space that looks perfect and compelling is a combination of a variety of elements. Overlooking any single element may create a lack of balance in your outdoor setting. Therefore, you need to focus on every essential element that adds to the elegance of your outdoor space. While furniture is a necessary part of any outdoor setting, you can’t deny the role of accessories and add-ons required with furniture. 

One essential element that is linked with furniture items placed in your outdoors is the upholstery. It should be remembered that quality and durable fabric is required to serve as upholstery for your outdoor furniture. This fabric needs to be capable of withstanding weather elements, extreme temperatures, and harsh sun rays and UV rays. In places like Australia, it becomes more important for fabric that is supposed to serve as upholstery for outdoor furniture to withstand the harsh sun. 

We know it can be an overwhelming experience for you while picking the right outdoor fabric. However, with the right attitude and proper awareness of requirements, the process of selecting perfect outdoor fabric can be really quick and easier. Therefore, we have put together some effective tips to help you in picking the right fabric for furniture upholstery:

Outdoor Fabrics:

It is a no-brainer that you have to pick the fabric labeled for outdoor use while selecting fabric to be used for upholstery for your outdoor furniture pieces. These fabrics are specially manufactured and treated to survive water, stains, UV, and a variety of outdoor elements. There are a number of outdoor fabric types available for outdoors.  However, there are some very common and most used outdoor fabrics. These fabrics are polyester, solution-dyed acrylic or olefin, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) mesh, and marine vinyl.  

Durability:

The main concern while choosing any outdoor fabric for outdoor furniture upholstery should be the durability of the fabric. It also depends on your requirements as to how much durable fabric you want for your outdoor setting. If you are looking for a fabric that doesn’t get too much affected with long hot summer days and extreme winter nights. You need to select solution-dyed olefin fabrics. With these fabrics, you don’t have to worry about shifting them indoors during extreme weather. These fabrics tend to be more durable as compared to polyester fabrics and are able to survive direct summer sunlight during long summer days.

Ranging from medium to heavyweight canvases, these fabrics are usually available in limited prints. This is because the color on these fabrics is due to the solution dies fibers before spinning. This reduces the chances of color fade because of UV rays from the sun. In addition to being good for upholstery, these fabrics are also good for cushions and pillows. You can also use it for outdoor awnings, umbrellas, and covers. We recommend keeping these fabrics under proper cover when not in use to increase their lifespan.

Price:

Price is yet another critical factor that should be properly considered before picking any outdoor fabric type. Some types are usually costlier while others tend to be cost-effective. The price bracket is usually dependent on the budget you have specified for your outdoor setting. If you want a wider collection of prints and styles with affordable prices then you should turn your focus towards polyester-based fabrics. These fabrics are generally medium weight and easy to sew. However, they may not survive as better as olefin or acrylic, thus, you should bring them indoors when they are not in use to prolong their lifespan.