From design style and size to the color and texture of upholstery material, many factors are taken into consideration when searching for the right piece of furniture. And while that might seem like enough, it’s not. In fact, there’s one very important characteristic that many people overlook. What might that be? Performance.

What Does Performance Mean, Anyway?

When we talk about performance, we’re referring to how well the upholstery fabric will hold up, as well as how easy it is to maintain. It offers longevity and simplicity. In other words, the fabric should have the ability to withstand wear and tear while remaining simple to clean.

Naturally, performance fabrics were created with outdoor spaces in mind. Today, however, performance fabrics have been brought indoors to compete with life’s daily messes. Now it’s easy to find a variety of performance fabrics that are good for outdoors, indoors, and even some that work well in both indoor and outdoor spaces.

In essence, performance fabrics are the best choice for high-traffic areas and living spaces that need to stand the test of time.

The most common threads used for performance upholstery fabric are:

Olefin — A soft, lightweight woven fabric made from synthetic materials known as polyolefins. Durable and chic, it can be produced in a huge variety of weaves, textures, colors, and prints. Since it is inherently resistant to water, stains, and abrasions, it doesn’t need to be treated.
Acrylic — A fossil-fuel-based fiber that’s made from a synthetic polymer named acrylonitrile. It is designed to be similar to wool and can also be made to resemble other fabrics like cotton. A performance coating is recommended since acrylic will begin to pill after extended use.
Nylon — Known for incredible strength, durability, and exceptional elasticity, nylon is the name of a family of synthetic polymers (there are several different types of nylon). Most nylon fabric today is a blended material. Cool and smooth to the touch, nylon looks and feels like many other manmade fabrics. It is a very popular choice due to its resistance to mildew, mold, and shrinkage.
Polyester — A synthetic man-made fabric made from polyester fibers that are manufactured from a category of polymers made from oil. It is one of the strongest fabrics that’s both affordable and functional. It resists water, abrasions, stretching, shrinking, wrinkling, and pilling. When woven to resemble natural fibers like linen and cotton, it is incredibly versatile.

If you have a busy household filled with kids, pets jumping on furniture, or outdoor spaces that are vulnerable to the elements, the performance of the fabric is certainly worth taking the time to consider.

What Makes Performance Fabrics So Great

As mentioned earlier, performance fabrics are tough and low-maintenance. Typical performance fabrics are:

Stain-resistant
Water-resistant
Mold and mildew resistant
Fade-resistant (lightfastness)
Durable
Antimicrobial

Easy-to-clean finish

Performance fabrics are easy to clean thanks to environmentally-friendly C6 technology. C6 is a durable water repellent (DWR) finish that’s applied to fabrics they have produced. This unique finish adds water-shedding properties, causing water droplets to bead on contact and spills to roll right off the fabric surface

This product is not only effective, but it also contains no fluorochemicals, making them a safe solution for textiles that require water repellency.

Soil, stain, and liquid resistant

The hardy performance fabrics don’t require extra chemicals, such as Scotchgard™, to keep them durable against everyday messes. Although Scotchgard™ is designed to keep spills, stains, and liquids from damaging your fabrics, it’s not necessarily the safest option for you or your fabric. Not only can these chemicals be harmful to humans and animals, but they can also cause damage to the fibers of your fabrics.

If you are sensitive to chemicals, or simply prefer to avoid them, it’s nice to know that these performance fabrics can stand strong on their own.

Color quality that doesn’t easily fade

One major difference between basic fabric and performance fabric is the color quality. Generally, the application of dye is the last step in the manufacturing process of most fabrics. This means that the color only penetrates the very top layer of the fabric, making it more susceptible to fading— especially if the fabrics are exposed regularly to certain elements like the sun.

With performance fabrics, however, the fibers are often dyed and then woven into the fabric right at the beginning of the manufacturing process. With the textile being fully saturated with color, it is a lot less likely to fade.

Where to Use Performance Fabrics

Honestly, performance fabrics are made so well that it’s very hard to tell them apart from other fabrics in our line. That’s how soft and luxurious they are. Because of that, performance fabrics can be used just about anywhere!

With that said, we recommend reserving them for places that are the most vulnerable to spills, such as on sofas, club chairs, ottomans, upholstered stools, breakfast banquettes, and of course, outdoor furniture. Using performance fabrics on pieces such as this can leave you feeling really grateful when spills or other accidents do occur.

How to Keep Performance Fabrics Clean

When it comes to cleaning, it doesn’t take much effort. Simply brush away the dirt, dust, or debris, spray with diluted soap or upholstery cleaner in warm water, and then rinse thoroughly. Allow your fabrics to air dry completely before returning to normal use. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Performance Fabrics Available At Cutting Corners

The good news is that there are many more options of upholstery fabric that can handle the messes of daily life all while staying incredibly stylish— all right here at Cutting Corners.

If you are just excited about these fabrics as we are, be sure to stop into one of our locations and check them out for yourself! We have a variety of choices available in different colors,

patterns, and textures. Our inventory changes often, so we recommend you check back frequently and order your yardage before it sells out.

With the quality performance fabrics we offer, you can have extra peace of mind knowing that your furniture has protection from stains as well as the beauty and durability you want for your home.