Velour for furniture upholstery: properties, features and advantages

When choosing upholstered furniture, high-quality, attractive upholstery is one of the decisive factors. After all, sofas and armchairs covered with nap fabric always remain in fashion. At the same time, velour has a fairly high cost. However, its external and tactile attractiveness, rich appearance and durability invariably attracts consumers.

What is a furniture velour

The fabric is characterized by the presence of a dense, thick pile on the surface. The material is often used for covering furniture, as well as for the production of special soft wall panels. This is a very attractive, tactile pleasant fabric with characteristic iridescences. It is obtained using a combination of natural and synthetic fibers.

This combination provides the fabric with resistance to wear, as well as an attractive, unusual appearance.

There are different types of upholstery velour:

• Smooth – it has a uniform structure, and the pile has a vertical orientation.
• Shaped with a non–uniform, pronounced pile – can be located on a surface with a slope, have different heights and differ in shades.
• With a printed color pattern that looks original and unusual.
• With embossing, which is formed due to the special laying of the pile in different directions – this method allows you to achieve the similarity of the fabric with expensive textures, for example, reptile skin.
• Smooth–painted is the most expensive, attractive in appearance.

It should be understood that without specialized education and work experience, it is difficult to distinguish between upholstery furniture fabrics. They are all with a velvety pile surface that shimmers in the light. But the main thing is that velour for upholstery furniture has a very dense, heavy structure with a thick pile.

Properties of velour for furniture upholstery

• The material has a dense, velvety, soft surface.
• For furniture, a particularly dense material created on the basis of polyester is used. In some cases, cotton, viscose, spandex, a variety of synthetic fibers are added. A larger amount of artificial material increases the strength and increases the service life of the upholstery fabric.
• The density of the fabric ranges from 241 to 376 g/m2. This indicator indicates the total weight of the thread per square meter. High density indicates resistance to external influences.
• Abrasion resistance according to the Martindale test ranges from 20 to 40 thousand cycles. The manufacturer of the material is obliged to indicate this value. After all, furniture is constantly exposed. Therefore, it is extremely important to test the fabric using friction.

How to use furniture velour

The most important criterion in the selection of upholstery material for upholstered furniture is the purpose of the product. Velour fabric is not suitable for all styles of interior design. Velour is an expensive, noble material. Therefore, the most suitable style for such furniture will be Baroque, classical, Gothic, Empire or Rococo.

Sofas with velour upholstery will not fit into modern styles. Such products will look out of place in rooms with a laconic atmosphere. Velour is not suitable for loft style, high-tech, minimalism or modern design. In such an environment, it is worth choosing furniture with other upholstery materials.

When selecting furniture for finishing with velour, it is worth paying attention to the recommendations of specialists:

• This upholstery fabric will look best on products of complex shape. Sofas with a lot of twisted details, bends, beautifully curved armrests, decorative drapery, classic fabric-covered elements are suitable. This approach will allow you to demonstrate this beautiful fabric from the best side. The pile will shimmer, reflect light beautifully, play with shades.
• Velour looks best on sofa, armchair, pouf. These products look especially beautiful in unusual shades of emerald, turquoise, dark blue sapphire, ruby red or garnet. At the same time, black anthracite for furniture decoration should not be chosen. The fact is that in this case the furniture will look like a “black hole” in the room’s decor.

In the case of choosing velour for the subsequent tightening of upholstered furniture, it is important to pay special attention to its density. There should be no gaps on the fabric. The pile on the surface of the furniture material is dense, thick without bald spots, defects.

Advantages and disadvantages of velour as an upholstery material

New technologies for the manufacture of materials for covering furniture make it possible to wear the fabric, and maintain its original appearance for a long time. Velour of modern production is radically different from the one that was used to cover furniture before.

Now the fabric has many important properties: it does not stretch in the seat, does not lose color under the sun, does not wipe off in places of constant exposure. All this allows the product to look decent for a long time and this is an absolute plus.

However, care should be taken when choosing an upholstery fabric for a particular situation. So velour sofas, which have rich, deep shades, look good in interiors with a reference to luxury. These can be rooms in the Empire style, Baroque and others.

Please note that there is an upholstery velour with a special structure that will not allow pets to spoil the furniture. At the same time, the fleecy surface has the property of collecting animal hair on itself. Therefore, such a fabric requires regular cleaning. Among the most significant disadvantages of upholstery velour are its cost. But at the same time, a significant service life, wear resistance of the material pays for its high cost.

Velour for upholstery is extremely popular. This is due to the presence of a large number of advantages, against the background of some shortcomings of the material:

• Excellent aesthetic qualities. The furniture upholstered with this fabric looks really luxurious. The velvety structure, the light reflection, the iridescence of the shade perfectly refreshes the room and gives the interior an expensive look.
• Increased elasticity of the fabric, which prevents the material from deforming even in case of increased load. High wear resistance, abrasion resistance ensures a long service life.
• Long service life. Velour furniture can serve for decades. The correct attitude to the upholstery will ensure the preservation of the original appearance.
• The resistance to color fading is ensured by the use of the latest technologies.
• Easy to care for. It is enough to clean the surface regularly. These manipulations do not require excessive spending of money and time.
• Antistatic properties that do not attract dust.
• Hypoallergenic, which makes it possible to apply the material to people prone to allergic reactions.

If a pet with a long coat lives in a room with a velour sofa, it is better to take care of it in advance. You should bathe and comb the animals regularly. This will greatly simplify the subsequent care of furniture.

But in addition to the advantages, there are obvious disadvantages of velour furniture:

• Not suitable for all interior design styles. Products covered with velour look good in the interior of a certain style. Such furniture is not suitable for rooms with minimalist or modern furnishings.
• High price. However, it is justified by a long period of service.
• Difficulty in cleaning. Velour requires constant care. This approach will preserve the appearance. Otherwise, the pile accumulates wool and becomes unpleasant.

How to take care of furniture with velour upholstery

The surface of the velour is not resistant to dirt. Therefore, during the operation of the products, you will have to constantly struggle with stains. In addition, it is necessary to regularly clean the dust from the surface of the fabric. However, with proper care, the furniture will retain its original condition for a long time and will last for a long time.

In the absence of obvious dirt, stains, velour upholstered furniture is recommended to be cleaned regularly with a vacuum cleaner, this will prevent dust accumulation between the villi. If the velour pile is crumpled, it is easy to fix it with the help of a steam generator. It can also be used to disinfect furniture. Steam will refresh the color, remove dust, dirt, clean greasy places.

If liquid gets on the surface, it should be immediately removed with a dry cloth to avoid absorption. Pet hair can be easily removed with a conventional roller with a sticky surface. Hard-to-reach places are easy to clean with special brushes or vacuum cleaner attachments.

It is important to remember that velour upholstery should not be rubbed with excessive effort against the direction of the pile. Any stains from food, drinks, fatty substances should not be scraped. It is better to apply a cleaning agent and leave it for a short time. Then try to clean off the contamination.

But in the case of the formation of ingrained stains, it is better to entrust cleaning to professionals. Otherwise, there is a risk of greatly spoiling the upholstery. This is due to the fact that manufacturers often treat the surface of the material with a special composition. Therefore, it is important to choose the right cleaning compound. Otherwise, you can seriously complicate the situation.

It is better to remove simple dirt with the usual soap solution, it must be applied with a sponge or a soft cloth. After that, the place of contamination should be wiped until it is completely cleaned. It is allowed to use a mixture of soda and salt. It is necessary to fill up dirty areas with it and wait a few hours.

If the furniture has significant contamination, then they need to be soaked with soda. To do this, it must be diluted to the consistency of mush. In addition, it is allowed to use industrial products for cleaning upholstered furniture. It is only necessary to make sure that there is no caustic alkali or other aggressive chemistry in their composition.

Comparison of furniture fabrics with velour

At the time of choosing furniture, it is important to know which of the materials is better. Comparative characteristics of the materials used in the manufacture of upholstered furniture will help you buy the best sofa or armchair:

• Comparing chenille with velour, the surface of the first material is softer, more pleasant to the touch. This fabric has the property of repelling odors, dust, but absorbs water. But it burns out under the sun, is not resistant to damage;
• Artificial suede is made from a special plexus of cotton or synthetic threads. This material, as well as velour, is resistant to sunlight, but is damaged by the claws of pets. In addition, artificial suede is more expensive than velour.
• Jacquard is offered natural and artificial. This material is wear-resistant, durable. But its surface is rougher. The cost of jacquard is higher.
• Matting is a dense, coarse material. Its structure is tightly intertwined threads. The matting is not so pleasant to the touch, it burns out in the sun.
• Flock looks like velour. This material is also wear-resistant, has a solid structure. However, the service life is limited, it wears out quickly.
• Microvelure is more resistant to wear and stronger than velour. The surface of the fabric has a special treatment that repels dust, dirt. Microvelure does not require special care.

Velour is a pleasant to the touch, beautiful material in appearance. It is actively used in the manufacture of upholstered furniture. This fabric is resistant to external influences and abrasion. At the same time, the surface is not exposed to sunlight. Upholstered furniture covered with velour looks luxurious. In the sun, this fabric shimmers.

However, the material is quite expensive. At the same time, it has the property of attracting dust. Therefore, during operation, such furniture requires special care. This ensures that the products have a good appearance, a long service life in their original condition. The material is great if there are animals in the house. Specialized weaving will save the surface of furniture from damage by clawed paws.