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Buying Guide: How to Choose Linen Upholstery Fabric

The best linen upholstery fabric might not be the one that a layman has assumed, so do give a read to a buying guide before choosing linen fabric for upholstery. Read more

Buying Guide: How to Choose Linen Upholstery Fabric

Linen upholstery – A luxurious touch to your home decor.

Confused about whether to go for a linen upholstery fabric? No worries. Your guide is here.

Selecting upholstery fabric sometimes seems a difficult task. You get confused when there is a wide range of options to choose from.

However, before selecting, it is always beneficial to know the pros and cons of the fabric. Regarding its luxury look and durability, linen is considered one of the must-try upholstery fabrics.

Let’s go through the guide to give your room a new touch and make the most out of the selection.

Ease of Cleaning

Taking care of the fabric is an important point before buying it. Sometimes you buy a fabric that is hard to take care of and takes your time and money to waste.

Let’s see the pros and cons of taking care of your linen upholstery fabric:

Linen fabric is one of the extremely convenient clothes to take care of. All you need is to have a washing machine at your home. You can wash the slipovers and then dry them in a dryer. In fact, unlike other upholstery fabrics, there is no hard and fast rule to cleaning linen upholstery fabric. Depending on your convenience and preferences, you can take the linen fabric covers to a dry cleaner or wash them by hand as well.

However, try to put the covers back on your sofa and armchairs before completely drying the fabric. It is a tip to prevent the covers from shrinking. Keeping that in mind will keep your slipovers to stay a part of your home décor for long.

Linen Fabric that does not Shrinks Much

Just like other fabrics linen can also shrink. However, it depends on the care you give to it.

The good news about linen fabric shrinking is that it can be prevented. You can spend years with your linen upholstery fabric and keep your home luxurious for a long.

What you need to avoid shrinking is a simple task. After washing the slipcovers, put them back on the sofa when they are slightly damp. Don’t wait to get the covers completely dry. Furthermore, do not use high temperatures while washing and drying the fabric.      

Linen Must Look Good Without Wrinkles

Like other fabrics linen wrinkles as well. Wrinkling of upholstery fabrics is not considered damage to your home décor. However, it affects the beauty of your room. No Wrinkles on the covers of the sofa shows how clean and disciplined you are. You don’t want your guests to get a bad impression of your home care.

Obviously, you should first stretch and check the fabric. Also reading reviews or doing research about the type of linen fabric can be of great help to find out if the one you have picked has wrinkles or not.

No one wishes to have it, but unlike leather, linen will have it, but it depends on the fabric type and texture.

The Durability of the Linen Fabric

An upholstery fabric with a longer life span means it is durable and you have got the worth of your money. Like some of the best fabrics, linen is also durable. Therefore, you must check the durability, it varies according to the types of linen fabric composition.

Made of flax fibers, linen is one of the strong upholstery fabrics. However, it does not mean linen never ages. It ages and with time and uses it becomes softer. With its attractive appearance, one of the plus points of having linen upholstery is that it does not get weary.

What is wrong with this? You may not be able to switch to other upholstery fabrics faster. Is it even a con? Perhaps for some people, it is. So if you are planning to buy upholstery fabric that will stay with you for a longer period, then linen is absolutely a better option.

Linen is Moisture Resistant

No one wants an upholstery fabric that cannot resist moisture for some time. If you would mistakenly buy an upholstery fabric that tends to absorb a lot of moisture, then you may ultimately need to call some expert cleaners as moisture will invite fungi and algae.

Most Linen types are the best for damp environments. They can absorb up to 20% of the dampness and you won’t feel it wet.

Health Hazards

Will it be a wise idea to buy any upholstery fabric that can potentially accumulate bacteria, and then cause severe skin allergies or asthma?

If you have kids, or pets around you, then beware of any such fabric for upholstery.

Here as we are talking about linen, so fortunately linen does not allow bacteria to grow on the material. Its dampness prevents the material from letting bacteria flourish.

Flax is a natural fiber and it is skin friendly. Therefore, linen prevents your skin from getting allergic to sofa covers. Still, if you are buying synthetic or mixed linen fabric then do consider it.

Budget

It is pretty easy to understand that money is the main character in all your purchasing. However, many vendors sell linen fabric at a very high price. Each type of linen fabric comes in a specific price range, so you need to do some market research before finding the right affordable budget for you.

Final Words

Linen is a luxurious fabric with a high price. However, its durability, resistance to dampness, and appearance make it stand out from all other upholstery fabrics. Still, many people do not follow a buying checklist before purchasing linen and end up buying the wrong product.

One needs to follow all the necessary steps to find the best linen fabric for upholstery that is not only durable but safe to use.

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Aleksy Kazmer

Aleksy is a full-time blogger born and raised in Warsaw. After earning a degree in MS English from Oxford University, he began utilizing his skills as a content writer to express what he’s most passionate about. Whether it's home improvement, decor, furniture, cleaning products, or DIY projects. Aleksy has a natural curiosity to pursue hidden tips and share them with readers.