What are the best upholstery fabrics if you have a pet?

Everyone who has a pet knows that they love a snooze on the sofa and some even have a favourite chair they use to keep an eye on passers by.

So, choosing the right fabrics for your furniture is vital, as those paws and claws can pose a problem with the wrong fabric.

You may have been seduced by how a beautifully woven fabric looks in a showroom or on a marketing brochure, but ultimately when you own a pet, especially a cat, you may have to pick the more practical option.

If you choose a fabric for the aesthetics only and not durability, you’ll soon regret it.

Whereas going for a more durable fabric will leave you loving your sofa or chairs for ten or more years.

 

What is the most practical fabric when you own a pet?

 

Most of the time you’ll hear people say velvet, but to be more specific, it needs to be polyester velvet, not a cotton velvet.

Polyester velvet is the most resilient fabric out there and you won’t find a softer fabric either.

And the best part is that while it’s not entirely cat proof, no fabric is, it’s the safest option because cats can’t get their claws in it as easily because it’s a pile, so it has no obvious weaves for a cat to claw.

A persistent cat may not be put off by the slippery texture of a velvet and may find the perfect scratching corner, but in general, the feedback I’ve had from my clients is that their cats have tended to ignore their newly reupholstered velvet items.

Often, people will want to choose cotton velvet because they think it’s more natural, but that would be a mistake.

Cotton velvet stains very easily and it can get watermarks, even if someone just spills a drop of their glass of water and these marks are impossible to remove.

“Polyester velvet is the most resilient fabric out there”

When I’m working with cotton velvet, it bruises very easily and it can leave indents where my thumbs have been creating tension on the fabric.

This is a huge warming sign for me, if it handles badly in my workshop, I know it won’t last as long in someone’s home.

That’s why I only ever work with a 100% cotton plain velvet if a customer insists that’s what they want, but I always give the warnings first, and I’ll advise choosing a detailed print that can hide a million sins.

Another issue with any cotton-based fabric is UV fade, you really need to think about where your furniture will be sitting.

So, if your dog loves to sit on a chair by a window with lots of natural light, if you choose a cotton-based fabric you can expect the chair to fade quicker than if you choose a man-made fibre.

 

What fabrics definitely not to use when you have a pet?

 

The one fabric I would avoid if you have a cat would be a woven fabric, especially where you can see obvious interlocking threads, as even a tightly woven fabric can be shredded in minutes by a cat.

Velvet is a pile fabric, meaning that if a muddy dog comes in from a walk and jumps on the sofa, you can leave the dirt to dry and then just brush it off.

With a woven fabric, however, it has interlocking fibres, meaning any dirt and moisture embeds itself into the weave and if you try to clean it, what you’re actually doing is pushing the stain into the weave. Even with a velvet you never want to rub a stain, always pat with a tea towel, to draw the stain out.

And when it comes to cats, their claws are a lot finer and sharper than dogs, and so they will get their claws into the interlocking loops of the woven fabric and shred it because that’s in their nature.

 

How to extend the life of your sofa fabric when you have a pet?

 

When you get a sofa or chair reupholstered, make sure the fabric is on both sides of the seat cushions so you can rotate them.

So many new sofas only have the fabric on one side of the seat cushions, and a platform cloth on the underside, meaning you can never rotate the cushions, which will cause them to wear far quicker.

If you have a pet that likes to sit on a particular spot on your furniture it’s a good idea to have a back cap or an arm cap made to protect the furniture.

“Stain resistant fabrics have quite toxic chemicals added to them”

And to stop your pets’ natural oils from their coat seeping into your fabric, it’s a good idea to cover any area they might like lounging around on.

It is possible to get stain resistant fabrics, but it’s important to remember that no fabric is naturally stain resistant, so if it says stain resistant or scotch guard, it will have quite toxic chemicals added to it and all these chemicals evaporate over time anyway so it’s not a guarantee of the fabric.

Also, when your pet lies down on the fabric it’s face comes extremely close and it will be inhaling those chemicals.

 

Other fabric options when you have a pet?

 

Leather can be a good fabric to use if you have pets, but it needs to be maintained and conditioned and you can buy a leather kit that you buff in and buff off a leather sofa.

So, if you buy a leather sofa it’s not the case that it’s now good for the next ten years, you have to take care of it or it will dry out and crack, especially if you have a pet that has long claws, buff those scratches out regularly.

Oils from a pet’s coat will absorb into leather too so find a nice blanket that your dog can enjoy on the sofa.

You also want to make sure you’re getting real leather, even though it’s the more expensive option, because bonded leather will peel after a few years.

 

Ultimately, having a four-legged companion does not mean you have to disregard style and comfort, quite the opposite!

There is still plenty you can do with the right fabrics and prints to make sure your chair or sofa not only looks good but is durable too. It can still make the statement you desire.

And collaborating with an expert upholsterer means you can be guided through the process, ensuring a final product that is suitable for you and your pet.

So, if you need help creating a sofa with a combination of sophistication and practicality, drop me a line for an initial, no-obligation quote by filling in this online contact form or alternatively, you can email me directly at hello@test.vintiqueupholstery.com or call me on 07764 182 783.