Upholstery fabrics: what rub counts and lightfastness tell you

Rub counts: what the first figure means

There is a standardised procedure for abrasion resistance, the Martindale method according to DIN EN ISO 12947. A piece of fabric is rubbed under a defined pressure in a figure-of-eight movement until the first threads break. The number of rotations up to that point is the rub count.

The guideline values for the home: 10,000 rubs are enough for a piece of furniture that is rarely used. 15,000 is considered the lower limit for regular use. For a sofa that is sat on every day, 15,000 to 25,000 are recommended, and from about 20,000 a value is considered good. In the contract sector, the scale only begins there: 20,000 for regular, 30,000 for intensive, 40,000 for very heavy use.

What the figure does not say: how the fabric feels, whether it takes on stains and whether it pills after two years. It measures exactly one property. A value of 100,000 on a fabric that feels like a potato sack is still not a good upholstery fabric.

Lightfastness: the second figure

Colours fade, and how quickly can also be measured. For lightfastness according to DIN EN ISO 105-B02, eight blue wool strips of known resistance are exposed to light together with the sample. What is stated is the grade at which a difference becomes visible – the scale runs from 1 to 8.

For furniture upholstery, grades 4 to 5 are considered the minimum requirement. Roughly calculated, in constant direct sun grade 5 lasts about three months, grade 6 about half a year, grade 7 around a year, before a change becomes visible. That sounds short, and it is. It is therefore better not to place a coloured sofa permanently in a south-facing window, regardless of which grade is on the data sheet.

For a piece of furniture in a bright spot, choose either a high grade or a colour that fading can do little harm to. Undyed and very light natural tones are the most forgiving.

Bouclé: the loop is the strength and the weakness

Bouclé consists of many small, loosely twisted loops. They create the woolly surface and the shadow that makes the fabric so lively. The look therefore comes not from colour but from structure. That is why bouclé never looks flat, even in a single light tone.

The same loop is the weak point. A sharp claw goes in, catches and pulls out a thread as it is withdrawn. A pulled thread in bouclé is more noticeable than in a smooth fabric, because the structure tears open at that spot.

Two things help. First, the fibre: a bouclé made from synthetic yarn is smoother and firmer than one made from wool, and the claw finds less grip. Second, the weave: the tighter and more closed the loops sit, the less can go wrong. A high-quality bouclé is considerably less sensitive than an open, loose one.

If you have cats and still want bouclé, choose the synthetic, tightly woven variant and not the soft wool version.

Velour and pile crush

Pile fabrics have a direction of nap. Under pressure and body heat the pile lies down, and because it then reflects the light differently, lighter and darker areas appear. That is pile crush.

It is often reported as a defect, but it is not one. It is the normal reaction of a pile fabric to use, and it occurs with every velour, regardless of price. Anyone who does not like it should not choose a pile fabric. There is no version that is exempt from it.

It can be kept to a minimum, though: occasional brushing against the direction of the nap raises the pile again and evens out the areas. A few minutes with a soft brush are enough.

Leather: what is patina and what is wear

Upholstery leather comes in three grades. Open-pored aniline leather is only dyed through, otherwise untreated; you see every scar, every vein, every spot where the animal lived. Semi-aniline gets a thin surface coating, pigmented leather a closed one.

The more open the leather, the more it takes on. It darkens, it becomes glossy in the places where it is touched, it develops creases where someone sits. That is exactly the reason why open-pored leather is bought: it looks better after ten years than after one.

The price for this is sensitivity. Aniline leather absorbs stains, grease soaks in, spilt red wine stays. Pigmented leather forgives that, but in return develops hardly any patina and in the end looks worn rather than matured. That is a decision, not a question of quality.

Faux leather has an expiry date

Faux leather is not leather. It is a textile backing with a polyurethane coating, and this coating ages chemically. Heat and moisture split the polymer chains, a process called hydrolysis.

The process is the same for every piece: the surface first becomes sticky, then flaky, then it comes away in shreds. UV radiation accelerates this, as do skin oils and salt. It always starts at the fold edges and in the seat hollow, that is, where the material is moved and touched. Modern faux leathers contain fewer plasticisers than earlier ones and last longer, but the process itself cannot be stopped.

The decisive difference from textile and leather: faux leather ages with time, not only with use. A little-used faux leather sofa in a warm room still disintegrates. How many years it lasts cannot be stated with any confidence – there is no reliable figure for this, only empirical values that vary widely depending on room and use.

That does not mean that faux leather is no good. It means that it is a consumable material and should not be compared with a leather sofa that is passed down.

Care: little, but regularly

The same applies to almost every upholstery fabric. Vacuuming with a soft nozzle removes the dust that works like emery between the fibres when you sit. This is the most effective single measure and the one most often forgotten. Stains are dabbed, not rubbed, and from the outside inwards, so that the edge does not spread.

Pile fabrics also need the brush; bouclé is best given no mechanical treatment at all apart from vacuuming. Leather tolerates a dry or slightly damp cloth; cleaning products only belong on it if the manufacturer recommends them. And for every upholstery fabric: test on a hidden spot first.