Buying and Caring Guide for Outdoor Fabrics

While those fabrics and prints may make your patio look like something straight out of Pinterest, the wrong material may not allow you to enjoy this scene for more than a few months. Here are tips for choosing the right outdoor fabric for your project, and a guide to caring for them to make them last.

Tips for Buying Outdoor Fabric

1. Assess Your Skills

Before starting your project, assess your sewing or upholstery-making skills. If you can follow sewing patterns marked as “simple” or “easy” and have the patience and determination, it’s highly likely that you can make new cushions, pads, or pillows for your outdoor furniture.

So if you have the confidence or are much inspired, go for it. To make sure you don’t get too overwhelmed and end up giving up on your project, use a pattern or instruction, and go easy on the accessories and embellishments.

3. Consider Weave and Dye

Fabrics are colored by weaving fibers into yarn and then dyeing and weaving them into the fabric. Woven acrylic fabrics fade more slowly than printed acrylic or polyester print fabrics.

Solution-Dyed Acrylic

With this type of fabric, the fibers are dyed before the yarn is made. The fibers are made from mixing liquid acrylic and color. The colored fibers are then spun into a yarn saturated with color. These fabrics are made to be colorfast after exposure to the elements and wear and tear. They are usually soft, breathable, water-resistant, quick-drying, and are not prone to molds. A word of caution, though: Solution-dyed acrylic should not be dry cleaned nor tumbled through a clothes dryer.

Printed Acrylic or Polyester

Dyes that are resistant to fade and weather are used to screen-print polyester or acrylic fabric. During the final stage of factory production, a water-repellent guard is applied to the fabric for added protection. Polyester and acrylic fabric are synthetic fabrics that are strong, durable, and resistant to wrinkling, fading, shrinking, mold, and mildew.

4. Water and Mildew Resistance

5. Cording and Strapping

Outdoor chairs with metal frames and thin, tubular cording or wider strapping are popular nowadays, especially in midcentury modern homes. While you can have someone re-strap or weave them, you can also do it yourself with straightforward wrapping pattern instructions that you can find online. The advantage of ordering replacement cording is that it allows you to choose from a wide selection of colors.

6. Cleaning and Maintenance

Using the wrong products to clean your outdoor fabrics can ruin that beautiful piece of furniture you’ve invested in, but knowing the fabric cleanability code will help you take good care of your upholstered furniture.
Since 1969, fabrics have carried a cleanability code. The codes will help you determine the best and safest way to clean your outdoor fabrics.

Here’s what the codes stand for:

Code “W”

This code is displayed on fabrics that require water-based cleaning agents only. The best way to clean these fabric types is by spot cleaning them using foam exclusively from water-based cleaners or non-solvent cleaning products. It is best to apply foam using a soft brush in a circular motion, and vacuum when dry to avoid damaging the fabric when cleaning it.

Code “S”

Code “S” fabrics must be cleaned using a mild water-free cleaning solvent or dry cleaning product. When washing Code “S” fabrics with these cleaning products, see to it that your room is well-ventilated and that there are no open flames that may come from fireplaces, candles, or cigarette lighters. If you’re worried about these cleaning products’ hazards, choose fabrics that don’t use this cleaning method.

Code “W-S”

On fabrics bearing Code “W-S,” water or solvent-based cleaning products like a mild solvent, upholstery shampoo, or foam from a mild detergent should be used.

Code “X”

Code “X” fabrics should only be cleaned by vacuuming or gently brushing and never using any cleaning agents like water or solvent-based products may cause the fabric surface pile to stain, shrink, or distort.

7. Fading

Outdoor fabric is made to resist fading. However, it would be best if you cover or store it away from the intense rays of the sun to prevent it from fading fast. Just like humans can still get a sunburn during a cloudy day, cushions and pillows are also prone to fading even on overcast days.

8. Marine-Grade Fabric

A seat cushion on a boat must withstand sun, wind, saltwater, and whatever elements come at it— lots of wear and tear. For this reason, marine-grade fabrics were invented. These fabrics are made with a tighter weave and heavier finishing process than common outdoor fabrics. Marine-grade fabric is also stiffer and made to endure the roughest weather and conditions, so it’s the recommended material for boat upholstery, canopies, and outdoor covers.

Caring for Outdoor Fabrics