Chenille or matting, which is better for a sofa: features, pros and cons of upholstery fabrics.

An important aspect that you will certainly pay attention to when choosing a sofa is the type of upholstery. It matters how strong, dense, and resistant to various damage. And, of course, how attractive it looks, how it is perceived by touch. There are many varieties of upholstery furniture fabrics. One of the most popular options are gunny and chenille.

Chenille fabric features, pros and cons

Shenill is a matter created using a special fluffy thread. Outwardly, such a thread resembles a caterpillar, which gave this type of textile its name. Indeed, in French, the "caterpillar" sounds like chenille.

IMPORTANT! It is the presence of a chenille thread in the structure that is the hallmark of the chenille upholstery. Pattern, weaving, appearance of different items may vary. But the special fluffiness and softness that such a thread gives will make it easy to determine by touch what fabric you are dealing with.

Common to different types of this textile are:

1. Structure. Chenille is almost always based on synthetics or cotton. Or, most often, both in one or another proportion. Synthetic options usually have the best strength characteristics.
2. Density. Good furniture should be dense - only in this case it can be successfully used for upholstering sofas and armchairs. And chenille has good characteristics. For different versions of this textile, they can vary from 400 to 800 g / m².
3. Abrasion. This is called the main indicator of the strength of the fabric, determined using a special test. According to GOST, the minimum abrasion for furniture should start from 3,000 cycles. But Chenille’s performance is much higher. For different items, they range from 15,000 to 35,000 cycles.
4. Safety for health. Fabrics based on chenyl thread are hypoallergenic - this is a consequence of their composition. After all, cotton and synthetics do not cause skin irritation. Even for small children, they are completely safe. In addition, chenille does not absorb unpleasant odors like cigarette smoke or paint fumes.
5. Price. It can vary greatly. An approximate range of prices starts from 500 rubles per linear meter and ends in the region of 1200.

Thus, the strengths of this fabric is its strength, durability, safety for health. She looks attractive and has a wide range of colors and patterns.

Among the minuses, it is usually called the fact that this material absorbs moisture and is vulnerable to the claws of pets.

Matting Features

Gunny is a fabric with a large characteristic weaving. Initially, this was made from the fibers of a cattail plant, which gave this type of texture a name. Now behind this name are hiding fabrics with a very different composition, softness, color.

IMPORTANT! A distinctive feature of matting is a special type of weaving that visually resembles burlap. It is by the special surface texture that this material is easy to find among all other options.

Speaking about the features of this textile, it is worth stopping:

1. On the composition. Traditional fabric options were made exclusively from cotton, linen, wool or silk. Therefore, the reputation of natural material. In fact, if you pay attention to the composition of the options offered in the store, you will notice that now this is not necessarily the case. Almost always, this material has at least a small percentage of synthetics - this increases its strength properties. And sometimes there are options that are 100 percent composed of acrylic, polyester or viscose. Be careful when buying.
2. Density This characteristic in matting is on average slightly worse than in chenille. It fluctuates around 250-500 g / m². But these are also very good values.
3. Abrasion resistance. Here, matting, on the contrary, is superior to its rival. This indicator varies for this type of textile from 20,000 cycles to 70,000. That is, despite the lower density, gunny is stronger than chenille and on average lasts longer and more successfully.
4. Safety for health. If the textile contains wool, then it is better not to use it in places where it will be in constant contact with small children. It can cause an allergic reaction. Guns without wool are completely safe. She, like chenille, does not absorb odors.
5. The price. The cost of one running meter of this fabric is in the range from 300 to 900 rubles.

In short, the main advantage of matting is its high strength, practicality, and relatively low price. The disadvantages of this fabric are the same as that of chenille. She, too, is not friendly with pets and accidentally spilled drinks.

What fabric is better for a sofa

It is impossible to unequivocally answer this question. A chenille, pleasant to the touch, is better for a nursery. It is soft, beautiful, practical. In addition, it resists badly the vicissitudes of fate, serves for a long time. Often this type of furniture fabric is also chosen for the living room. But for public spaces and offices, you should choose a sofa upholstered with a mat. It is stronger, and therefore will last longer.

IMPORTANT! Sometimes there is a special kind of upholstery material - with weaving, characteristic for matting, and a chenille thread in the composition. It combines the advantages of both materials, being an excellent choice for almost any situation.

Choose a beautiful and practical upholstery for sofas - and then they will delight you for a long time with their elegant and stylish appearance.