Read the rub count
Upholstery fabric is tested for abrasion by rubbing it until it wears through. The Association for Contract Textiles sets guidelines of 15,000 double rubs on the Wyzenbeek test, or 20,000 Martindale cycles, for low-traffic use, and 30,000 double rubs or 40,000 cycles for high-traffic use. For a sofa the whole family lives on, we look for the high-traffic number.
Rub count isn’t everything, though. A tight weave holds up to snags far better than a loose one with the same rating.
Pets change the rules
Cat claws catch on loops, so bouclé and slubby linens tend to suffer. Tight weaves, microfiber, and performance velvets do much better. Leather will scratch, but it wipes clean, and a softer, distressed hide hides marks well. Slipcovers you can actually wash are worth their weight in gold.
The sun is the slow problem
According to the International Window Film Association, UV and visible light cause about 65 percent of fading, and solar heat adds roughly another 25 percent. Window film can block up to 99 percent of UV.
Lined drapery, solar shades, and rotating cushions every so often all help. Solution-dyed fabrics, where the color goes all the way through the fiber, hold up much better near big windows.
What we usually specify
For family rooms, that means a performance fabric with a high-traffic rub count, solution-dyed where the sun hits, and removable covers wherever we can. Every client also gets our care guide in English and Chinese, so the pieces keep looking the way they did on install day.
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