Tiffer's Upholstery LLC

Fashion fabrics may be pretty to look at, but none have what it takes to make long wear.

Fabrics touch almost every surface, adding color and design to every room. Today there are so many different selections available to match every room’s style and décor. Be daring, put your heart in your home, create warm spaces that put your family and friends at ease.

Turn every room into a loving reflection of you! Enhance your life, refresh you sprit, reward yourself with a home that loves you back. The fiber content is very important it must pass the home furnishing rule. This rule was past in the early 80’s. The fabric must not be flammable. Do you remember the flannel pajamas for babies?  In a fire the pajamas were a danger, they smothered and melted creating 3-degree burn or worse. This problem was solved by the home furnishing rule.  Most fabrics today are a natural fiber mixed with a manmade fiber. This is called the fiber contents. Cotton is a natural fiber its strong, a all purpose fiber for home furnishing. Its wear ability is superior.  Linen is strong, but it will wrinkle. If the wrinkling is a concern do not use this fabric. To test the wrinkling crush a handful of fabric tightly in the palm of your hand. Release to see if the wrinkles are retained. Rayon and acetone are often used together or in blends for a rich, silky appearance.  Acetone may spot if it gets wet and its stretches which makes it applicably to upholstered  Furniture. Just imagine you’re sitting and moving all around living and doing what ever on that piece of furniture. You expect the fabric to hold up and wear accordingly. As a normal characteristic you expect no less. This is why you should pick your fabrics accordingly. Polyester is usually combined with other fibers to add stability. Usually polyester is mixed with a

natural fiber making the fabric very strong. It wears great. These fabrics are suggested for long wear. As a rule, the tighter the weave or the higher the thread count, the stronger the fabric. Always remember Upholstery fabrics are 54” wide. Most drapery fabrics are not suitable for upholstery. Drapery fabrics are for window treatments and were not created for upholstered pieces.  The fabric simply won’t endure every day use. If the fibers get damages the fabric will unravel, holes will start being visible from the eye. Also, fraying will occur and sun fading.  This fabric is hard to keep clean and stains. I do not recommend this fabric at any time.   

 Many decorator fabrics have a stain-resistant finish. To test, drop a small amount of water on the fabric. If the water beads up instead of soaking in, the fabric will repel stains. If it soaks in the fabric it will stain. You should also, make sure the dyes don’t bleed or rub off. You can accomplish this by rubbing the fabric between your fingers. Always consider the end use, being sure the fabric is appropriate for the piece.

Always remember you get what you pay for. When comparing cost of fabrics consider that prints cost more than solids. If you chose a fabric with a pattern repeat it will take additional yardage. Here’s the rule: 1-3 “ repeat (10% more fabric), 4-6” repeat (20% more fabric), 7” repeat (30% more fabric). The larger the repeat the more fabric you will need to complete the piece. 

Chose a fabric carefully, analyze the original covering of the piece and try to determine why it was successful or not. Then determine if it’s going to be used often and pick accordingly.