Drapehaus
Drapehaus
Preparing the room
Drapehaus
Preparing the room
Sofa fabric chooser
There is no single best sofa fabric, only the best one for a particular sofa. Three questions narrow it down; the sofa below re-covers itself as you answer.
Durability scale (Martindale rubs, BS 2543)
15k
20k
25k
30k
40k
Who uses it
Where it lives
How it is used
Durability to ask for
30,000+ rubs
Severe domestic / general contract
Removable covers
Yes
zipped, washable, and a spare set
Fibres that suit
Avoid: Anything you cannot clean in place, on a piece used every day. Rub count is one number among several — weave, colour-fastness and how a fabric handles humidity matter as much. We bring samples to see in your room.
In short
Ask for a rub count that matches the use: 25,000 for an adults' everyday sofa, 30,000 once children or pets join in, and 40,000 for a rental that is sat on hard. Then choose the fibre by where the sofa lives — solution-dyed synthetics in sun and outdoors, tight weaves where there are claws.
Using the simulator
Choose Adults, Children or Pets under Who uses it.
Set Where it lives: Indoors, shaded; By a sunny window; Verandah; or Sea-facing.
Pick Occasional, Every day or Rental / guests under How it is used.
Read the Durability to ask for, whether Removable covers make sense, the Fibres that suit, and the note on what to avoid.
What the simulator shows
The Martindale rub test is how fabric durability is usually put into a number. A sample is rubbed against a standard abrasive in a looping motion, cycle after cycle, until the yarns wear through or the surface visibly breaks down. The count of cycles at that point is the rub count.
BS 2543 groups those counts into classes, and the chooser's scale uses five of them: 15,000 light domestic, 20,000 general domestic, 25,000 heavy domestic, 30,000 severe domestic or general contract, and 40,000 severe contract.
Use sets the starting point: occasional seating starts at 20,000, a sofa used every day at 25,000, and rental or guest seating at 30,000. Children or pets move it up one class, to a ceiling of 40,000.
Where the sofa lives does not change the rub count. It changes the fibre. That is deliberate: sun and salt attack colour and fibre, not abrasion resistance, so a high rub count alone will not save a sofa by the window.
On a verandah or facing the sea, the chooser suggests solution-dyed acrylic or outdoor-grade polyester. The colour runs through the fibre rather than sitting on it, and both dry fast. By a sunny window it suggests solution-dyed or UV-stable synthetics, or linen-poly blends in lighter colours.
Indoors and shaded, the choice widens. With pets, it points to tight-weave performance polyester or microfibre. For occasional seating, linen, cotton, velvet and wool blends come into their own; for everyday seating, performance polyester or a cotton-linen with a stain finish.
With children or pets, or on a rental, the chooser advises zipped, washable covers and a spare set. It is the most practical protection there is: one cover goes to the wash while the spare goes on.
For pets, weave matters as much as fibre. Open weaves, loops and slubby linens catch claws; a tight, flat weave does not.
| Who, where, how often | Rub count | Fibres it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Adults, shaded, occasional | 20,000+ | Linen, cotton or velvet; wool blends |
| Children, shaded, every day | 30,000+ | Performance polyester or blends; cotton-linen with a stain finish |
| Pets, shaded, every day | 30,000+ | Tight-weave performance polyester; microfibre |
| Adults, sunny window, every day | 25,000+ | Solution-dyed or UV-stable synthetics; linen-poly blends |
| Adults, verandah, rental | 30,000+ | Solution-dyed acrylic; outdoor-grade polyester |
See it at your own window
The simulator narrows the choice. At the house we bring the real fabrics, hold them up to your light and measure every window.
In Goa
A sea-facing sofa fades on the side the sun reaches first, and the difference shows when you turn a cushion. Solution-dyed fabric holds its colour; so do lighter shades of anything, which is why the chooser leans that way for sunny rooms.
From June to September, damp air settles into natural fibres and untreated cotton, and a house closed for months gives mildew time to start. Outdoor and verandah cushions want fabric and fillings that drain and dry, and indoor sofas want air moving around them in the rains.
FAQ
For a sofa used every day at home, 25,000 rubs or more is a sound minimum. With children or pets, aim for 30,000. Anything used as heavily as a rental or hotel sofa is better at 40,000.
Not on its own. Rub count measures abrasion only. Colour-fastness, weave, pilling and how a fabric behaves in humidity matter as much, which is why the chooser pairs the number with a fibre and a warning.
A tight, flat weave in performance polyester or microfibre, with removable covers. Avoid loops, open weaves and textured linens, which claws pull.
Yes, and in a sunny, sea-facing room it is often the sensible choice. Modern outdoor fabrics are softer than they were, though still a little crisper than a cotton or linen. Handle a sample before deciding.
No. It narrows the choice to a durability class and a family of fibres. We then bring samples to see in your room, against your light and your floor.
