The Ultimate Guide to Shopping for Upholstery

The Ultimate Guide to Shopping for Upholstery

 

By Country Living Staff

Aug 26, 2015

As time goes by, your once new and celebrated furniture will inevitably fade. Whether this is the case, or you're just looking to add some flair to your decor, upholstery is the perfect way to customize. There's only one thing in the way of giving furniture new life: It can be seriously tricky to know how much fabric you need. Luckily, our trusty guide will ensure you buy the correct yardage for any type of furniture:
source : http://www.countryliving.com

Fabric Type

Top 10 Ways To Care For Your Carpet

Submitted by Stephen Winters on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 12:52

Written and Submitted by Samson Rollins on Thu, 11/26/2009 - 11:33

Protecting your flooring investment and maintaining your carpet will promote a healthy, clean indoor environment. Here are a few quick and simple ways to keep your carpet and flooring up to par.

1. Vacuum your carpet regularly, especially in high traffic areas. Approximately 75 percent of soil in carpet is dry and can be removed with the vacuum cleaner.
2. Use a vacuum with a beater bar that is set to the correct height for your carpet pile. If the setting is too high for your carpet, you may not be removing much soil. If it's too low, your carpet will take a beating. Changing the direction of the vacuum cleaner frequently will make vacuuming more effective. Regular vacuuming will improve the overall appearance of the carpet and protect your investment.
3. Change the vacuum bag for goodness sakes. A vacuum cleaner can plug up and lose most of its efficiency just by allowing the bag to become too full. Most bags will have a line about one-third from the top. You should not allow the bag to fill above this line before changing it.
4. Have your carpet professionally cleaned on a regular schedule. Most of the large carpet manufacturers suggest having the carpet cleaned every 12 to 18 months. The frequency will depend on factors such as: number of pets in the home, number of children in the home, and the level of traffic that the carpet receives. If you have newer carpet be sure to read your warranty. Many of the carpet manufactures are starting to specify how often you must get it cleaned in order to maintain its warranty. Many also state that the cleaning must be performed by an IICRC certified cleaning company.
5. Deal with the spills and spots as soon as possible. Proper spotting technique goes beyond the scope of this article, but when in doubt stay away from harsh over-the-counter cleaners which can sometimes set the stains and create a more permanent headache.
6. Use entrance or walk-off mats in each of the homes outsides doorways. This will significantly reduce the amount of soil that is tracked into your home. The larger they are the more effective they will be. Don't forget, you must clean these mats regularly as well. 
7. Reapply Protective Coating Regularly. Most carpet gets a protective coating applied to it during the manufacturing process. The purpose of this coating is to give it some stain resistance. Over time this coating will out due to factors such as: foot traffic, furniture, pets, spills and cleanings. If your long-term goal is to keep your carpet looking its best, it is important to have this coating reapplied on a regular interval.
8. Avoiding soil filtration stains. Have you ever been in a home that had dark stains in the door ways of rooms and/or around the baseboards? These are usually known as filtration stains and are caused by air rushing through the carpet fibers and leaving behind some stuff that is floating around in it. The carpet in these areas is simply working as an air filter, collecting the oil, smoke, dirt, dust and anything else that may in it. One of the best ways to help minimize this problem is to make a practice of keeping the internal doors open. This helps to equalize the air pressure through-out the house and slow down the air movement in these areas.
9. Avoid walking on the carpet with dirty shoes and even bare feet. Walking on the carpet with clean socks is one of the best ways to keep it dirt and oil free.
10. Keep the pets off the carpet. Look, I love pets but they are one of the main culprits when it comes to causing carpet stains and odors. Samson Rollins is an owner of RoyaltyServicesGroup. The Carpet Cleaning experts located in Northern Utah. RoyaltyServicesGroup    Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samson_Rollins

Upholstery and Leather Care - The Done Rite Way

By John Gray on Aug 31, 2012 at 05:11 PM inUpholstery Cleaning

Malibu, CA upholstery cleaners, Done Rite Carpet Care offer state of the art cleaning techniques to remove set in stains and dirt from all upholstered furniture. The cleanliness of the furniture in a home is the first impression most guests form. If furniture is stained and dirty, guests may feel uncomfortable from the first moments in the home. Whether the furniture in your home is a one of a kind creation from a high-end designer or a thrift store deal, we will give it the most thorough cleaning ever.

Upholstery cleaning is different from carpet cleaning, and we should know because we have cleaned, repaired or restored more than 30,000 jobs since 1990. Whether your furniture requires dry cleaning by hand, solvent cleaning, or steam cleaning our certified technicians will make your upholstery or leather furniture healthy and clean, keeping all warranties intact. Expert technicians from Done Rite Carpet Care will inspect the upholstery and ask homeowners questions about materials and age before offering an estimate for cleaning services. 

Dust, mold, viruses, and fungus can live in dirty upholstered fabrics. While most homeowners would just throw out old, stained furniture, Done Rite Carpet Care can restore most upholstered fabrics to like new condition while removing dust and killing mold, viruses, and fungus. Not only will your furniture look better, it will be a healthier place to sit. 

As is the case with all Done Rite Carpet Care Thousand Oaks, CA upholstery cleaning services, you will get the most healthy and thorough cleaning ever. Call or click today for an in-house estimate and evaluation. We can clean, sanitize, and Stain guard most fabrics with little or no down time so you can use your freshly cleaned upholstered or leather furniture with less waiting.

Choosing Upholstery Fabric

How to Choose the Right Fabric

By Abe Abbas,
Some aspects of choosing upholstery fabric might seem pretty obvious such as selecting a color, the single biggest factor in fabric selection. However, since it's always good to take your needs into account, here are some other factors you might want to consider.

 

Fabric Durability

• Choose a fabric based on who will be using your sofa. If your pets will also be sharing your sofa with you, consider a microfiber fabric or leather as they can withstand heavy use.
• Consider fabric durability if your sofa will be placed in a high-traffic area of the home.
• Woven patterns hold up longer than printed ones, as do higher thread counts. Thread count refers to the number of threads per square inch of fabric, and denser fabric lasts longer.

Fabric Style

• Your fabric choice should approximate the style and character of the piece it is covering. For example, a traditional fabric would look better on a traditional style of frame.
• Some fabrics appear casual, while others might look more formal. Choose a fabric to echo your own style or theme that you have established throughout the home.
• Consider the scale of the pattern. It should be appropriate to the size of the furniture it is covering, as well as the room size. A large bold, pattern might work better in a larger room, while a more muted or smaller one might be a better choice for a smaller space.

Fabric Color

• Color is the most important reason people choose a fabric, so make sure your color choice is appropriate. For instance, it may be best to avoid a very bold color for a smaller room, especially if your sofa is also large.
• Avoid delicately colored fabrics around children and pets.
• To strike the right mood, consider the color temperature. Since warm and cool colors affect the mood of the room, make sure you’re choosing the right fabric for the right mood.
• Avoid trendy colors, unless you happen to really like them. Color trends come and go so be careful. What if you don't consider eggplant attractive in the first place? Will you be able to live with a color even when its popularity wanes?

Special Considerations

• Fade Resistance: Consider if your fabric is fade resistant especially if it will be placed in a room that gets plenty of sunlight, or will be placed close to a window.
• Mildew Resistance: Look for fabric that is mildew resistant if you live in a humid climate that fosters mildew.
• Allergies: Consider fabric such as microfiber for certain allergies because it is lint free and does not attract dust.
• Pets: If you have pets avoid using delicate fabric such as silk, or any fabric with lots of texture. Select pet-friendly upholstery instead.

Tips On Cleaning Furniture

For years of beautiful furniture, keep any pieces out of sunlight and away from heat sources. These can dry out wood, paint finishes, leather, and rot upholstery fibers.

Have you ever made the shocking discovery of a stain on the back of a favorite chair or a water mark on the top of the desk in your guest room? You really can't blame anyone. But you can fix it. We'll help you find how to clean any piece of furniture and keep it looking like new.

• Painted Furniture
  
  • Everyday Care
    Painted furniture is almost the easiest to keep clean. On a weekly basis, dust or wipe clean with a cloth dampened with water. Be sure not to leave water spots on the surface, as they'll dry and could leave permanent marks.

  • Special Cleaning
    If your piece of painted furniture has stains on visible surfaces or nicks and scratches on it, you'll want to make whatever repairs you can. Gently sand down any mars, taking care not to damage more painted finish than you have to. Carefully glue and clamp any loose joints.

    Match the paint as best you can or select a new color of paint and restore the piece to near-perfect condition. Add an oil finish for greatest protection. Read more about cleaning painted furniture in these tips from eHow.com.

• Wood Furniture
  

  • Everyday Care
    Before you decide how to clean your piece of furniture, you need to determine what type of finish it has on it. You can find information about cleaners and conditioners for wood furniture and information on getting built-up finishes off to expose the beautiful wood underneath. Check these tips on caring for hardwood furniture from the American Hardwood Information Center.

    You should use a lint-free cloth to polish your furniture on a regular basis. Use just a little furniture polish on the cloth and rub the surface to get a beautiful shine.