Wednesday Wisdom: 3 Reasons to Choose Vinyl for Chair Upholstery

Perhaps one of the most common DIY projects to tackle that also makes an immense impact on the vibe in your home is reupholstering chairs or stools, some are more complex than others. At this point I am not going to show you how to reupholster your worn or coffee/wine/spaghetti-sauce-stained seats. Just merely pointing out why you should consider using vinyl coated fabrics to do so.

Eel by Enduratex™

1. It’s Easy to clean. Virtually stain- and splatter-resistant, all you have to do to care for vinyl after light soiling is use a mixture of 10% dish soap with 90% warm water, wipe with a damp cloth and pat dry.

2. It’s Durable. If you have ever been a kid, had a kid, knew a kid or looked at a kid, you get that they generally don’t sit still for longer than, say, seven seconds at a time. That’s it. Needless to say this doesn’t bode well for the chair’s upholstery. Vinyl’s got an answer for those kiddos: 50,000 double rubs. A double rub value is the number of times a durability testing machine comes in contact with a fabric before it’s worn down. Stylish and already-sturdy cotton or canvas home décor fabric typically comes in at around 15,000, so vinyl’s definitely a wise choice in the lasting department. Enduratex™ vinyl fabric's go through the Wyzenbeek test. The Wyzenbeek test is an abrasion test that tests a fabric's ability to withstand surface wear from rubbing. In this test, the fabric is pulled taut and rubbed in both the warp and filling directions, using a piece of cotton duck fabric as the abradant. The majority of Enduratex™ vinyl's achieve 100,000 cycles on #10 cotton duck. In short, vinyl coated fabrics will last.

3. It’s Leather’s Imposter. Leather is high-end upholstery. Many vinyls have gotten really good at mimicking that same high-end look and feel. The varying textures add character and since faux leather vinyls come in rolls as opposed to imperfect hides, they’re easier to work with.

   Ossie by Enduratex™

So while you may be very much in the uninspiring throes of winter, we put forth the challenge to use one of our vibrant vinyl fabric options to reupholster something in your home before spring arrives and share the pictures with us. I’m willing to bet this basic change will provide a refreshing and instant winter blues pick-me-up in your home. And besides, you’ll have an overabundance of other projects to focus on once longer sunlit days breathe life into your DIY motivation.

To find our more about Enduratex™ Vinyl Coated Fabric's, check out our website at ENDURATEX.COM