Chenille or matting, which is better for the sofa?

An important aspect that you definitely pay attention to when choosing a sofa is the type of upholstery. What matters is how durable, dense, and resistant to various damage it is. And, of course, how attractive it looks and how it feels to the touch. There are many varieties of upholstery furniture fabrics. One of the most popular options remains matting and chenille.

Characteristics, pros and cons of chenille fabric

Chenille is a fabric created using a special fluffy thread. Outwardly, this thread resembles a caterpillar, which is what gave this type of textile its name. After all, in French “caterpillar” sounds like chenille.

IMPORTANT! It is the presence of chenille thread in the structure that is a distinctive feature of chenille upholstery. The pattern, weaving, and 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 kind of fabric you are dealing with.

Common to different types of this textile are:

1. Compound. Chenille is almost always based on synthetics or cotton. Or, more often than not, both in one proportion or another. Synthetic options usually have better strength characteristics.
2. Density. Good furniture material should be dense - only in this case can it 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 the name of the main indicator of fabric strength, determined using a special test. According to GOST, the minimum abrasion resistance for furniture fabric should start from 3,000 cycles. But the performance of chenille is much higher. For different items they range from 15,000 to 35,000 cycles.
4. Health safety. Fabrics based on chenille thread are hypoallergenic - this is a consequence of their composition. After all, cotton and synthetics do not cause skin irritation. They are completely safe even for small children. In addition, chenille does not absorb unpleasant odors such as cigarette smoke or paint fumes.
5. Price. It can vary greatly. The approximate price range starts from 500 rubles per linear meter and ends around 1200.

Thus, the strengths of this fabric are its strength, durability, and safety for health. It looks attractive and comes in a wide range of colors and patterns.

Among the disadvantages are usually the fact that this material absorbs moisture and is vulnerable to the claws of pets.

Features of the matting

Matting is a fabric with a large characteristic weave. Initially, this was made from the fibers of the cattail plant, which gave this type of texture its name. Now this name hides fabrics with a wide variety of composition, softness, and color.

IMPORTANT! What makes devil matting distinctive is its special type of weaving, visually reminiscent of burlap. It is precisely because of 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 roster. Traditional versions of the fabric were made exclusively from cotton, linen, wool or silk.Therefore, matting has a firmly established reputation as a natural material. In fact, if you pay attention to the composition of the options offered in the store, you will notice that this is not necessarily the case now. Almost always, this material has at least a small percentage of synthetics - this increases its strength properties. And sometimes there are options consisting of 100 percent acrylic, polyester or viscose. Be careful when purchasing.
2. Densities. On average, this characteristic of matting is slightly worse than that of chenille. It fluctuates around 250–500 g/m². But these are also very good values.
3. Abrasion. Here the matting, on the contrary, surpasses its rival. This figure ranges for this type of textile from 20,000 cycles to 70,000. That is, despite its lower density, matting is stronger than chenille and, on average, lasts longer and more successfully.
4. Health safety. If the textile contains wool, it is better not to use it in places where it will be in constant contact with small children. It may cause an allergic reaction. Matting without wool is completely safe. It, like chenille, does not absorb odors.
5. Price. The cost of one linear meter of this fabric ranges from 300 to 900 rubles.

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

Which fabric is best for a sofa

It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. For a child's room, chenille that is pleasant to the touch is better suited. It is soft, beautiful, practical. In addition, it resists the vicissitudes of fate well and serves for a long time.Often this type of furniture fabric is chosen for the living room. But for public spaces and offices it is worth choosing a sofa upholstered with matting. It is stronger and therefore will last longer.

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

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