Upholstery

Fabric durability is dependent on the quality of the yarns, dye, weaving and finishing techniques used during manufacturing. All fabrics at Zepel adhere to tough testing procedures to determine how durable and resistant fabrics are to abrasion/rubbing.  

In summary, abrasion resistance establishes a fabric’s ability to withstand the worsening or break down of yarns through surface friction, occurring when in use through the rubbing of fabric on your chair or couch at home, or another project. 

Test results provide vital data about a fabric’s durability and relevance for certain applications, allowing us to make recommendations about how to use them properly. We externally test all Zepel fabrics in Melbourne at a highly reputable laboratory. This laboratory is amongst the most conservative and stringent in the world, due to the extremely harsh environmental conditions we face here in Australia and New Zealand. 

Martindale Cycles is the British Standard which is also recognised in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Wyzenbeek Double Rubs is the North American testing standard. They are mutually exclusive tests performed on different machines and with a varied methodology, so a high result in one test does not determine or infer a high result in the other - they stand as separate results with no correlation. 

For the Martindale Cycles test, a small piece of the fabric, (known as the testing sample), is wrapped around an oscillating head which is rubbed against a standard abradant, (wire mesh or cotton duck), in an irregularly looping figure 8 motion. The machine is motor driven with an electronic digital counter that measures the amount of loop cycles, or ‘rubs’. The deciding factor is when two adjacent yarns break, or in the case of a piled fabric such as velvet, the test concludes when the pile has completely worn down, or when the count reaches 100,000 rubs – whichever comes first! The machine is switched off at this point because a result higher than 100,000 rubs doesn’t necessarily indicate the increased lifespan for the fabric. The test is performed four separate times and the final average result is then recorded on our sampling as a numerical rub rating. 

The Wyzenbeek Double Rub test is performed in a similar way, in that a series of small testing swatches are rubbed against a stationary abradant. In this case however, it’s an oscillating motion that has a backwards and forwards motion along both the warp and weft yarn directions. Again, the end point is when two adjacent yarns break, or the count reaches 100,000 rubs. Across the various tests, an average is drawn, recorded and listed on the sample. 

Essentially, the higher the result number, the better the resistance to surface abrasion. 

Health care clinics, hospitals and aged care environments were once cold, clinical interiors. However, things have improved.  Anti-microbial fabrics have evolved across technical performance, comfort, and design to now provide attractive fabric options that are specifically designed for these facilities -and additionally making these environments safer for the community. 

Anti-microbial fabrics are inherently ‘bio-static’, and therefore discourage the development of microorganisms and protect against yeast, fungi, and bacteria developing within the weave.  These fabrics also offer stain resistance and moisture barrier properties, impeding the absorption of liquids such as blood and bodily fluids. This fact is vital in the Health Care sector where minimising the spread of infection is of the utmost importance. Anti-microbial fabrics are needed for beds, seating, and privacy screens in hospital applications but also add value wherever there are high-traffic environments. Hospitality is growing industry for these types of fabrics as they too can be constantly exposed to food and liquid spills which encourage the growth of bacteria. High durability, performance, ease of care, and cleanability are also vital which these textiles provide.

Anti-microbial fabrics provide a stress-free solution for any high use environment where many people will be interacting with the fabrics daily. 

The abbreviation ‘FR’ stands for Flame Retardant. FR properties can be either inherent in the yarn or applied as a topical finish to the woven fabric. Inherent FR cannot be washed out and generally achieves a high certification for fire retardancy. An after-market or solution finish applied to the material can also achieve a good FR rating in the short term, but may depreciate over time depending upon how the fabric is cared for. Generally, 100% Polyester compositions can also produce a successful fire retardancy result due to the nature of the fabric, which is inclined to melt in direct heat, rather than contribute to a spread of flame.  

FR standards vary across countries and occasionally regionally within countries. When specifying a commercially applicable FR rated fabric, it is best practice to speak with a professional about the local standard, building code requirements, and fabric suitability. The responsibility for attaining the appropriate FR certification lies with the specifier, as every project and location has a different requirement with varying context. 

Our outdoor fabrics provide a range of high-performance benefits such as UV, stain and mildew resistance, high abrasion results and fire retardancy, as well as the added benefit of being machine washable. This ensures their suitability for residential, commercial, indoor and outdoor projects where high-performance properties and easy clean features are required/or desired. 

Engineered and designed for both outdoor and indoor use, these high-performance fabrics are durable, easy clean, and have excellent UV resistance. Technological advancements in outdoor yarns have ensured these textiles offer a more natural aesthetic with a softer handle, and additionally a finer construction. This improving the flexibility of its use effortlessly in indoor and outdoor spaces where the fabric is exposed to direct sunlight, UV damage and heavy usage. Outdoor fabrics should be woven with tried and tested fibres designed to withstand the environmental conditions. This includes  yarn compositions such as solution dyed acrylic and solution dyed olefin/polyolefin/ polypropylene. These compositions are proven to provide benefits in both the quality and longevity of the fabric life in harsh outdoor environments. Read more about high performing outdoor fabrics here.

Harmful sunlight into our homes is a concern in relation to furnishings - and it doesn’t matter where you live in the world. Even when you can’t detect sunlight, damaging UV light is still present, affecting our furniture, furnishings, artworks and even floors. Did you know it’s not the fabric fading - a common misbelief, it’s actually the dye stuffs within the yarn construction. 

All fabrics will fade with prolonged exposure to UV, the speed with this degradation is where UV resistance comes into play. With the combination of yarn type and dying processes, fabrics will perform to a greater or lesser extent under harsh sun conditions and UV exposure.  

The ‘Blue Scale’ rating helps us determine the relative resistance a fabric may have to UV. The Blue Scale starts from 1 = very poor, through to 8 = exceptionally good. As a general rule, if you are seeking a UV resistant fabric choose one with a blue scale rating of 7 or 8. Products achieving these results are designed for use outside.  

We provide outdoor designs with a high-quality finish, and a palette and design style which works just as well inside the home. This is key, as our lifestyle works between indoor and outdoor spaces, and these areas are very much designed to merge into one another. Fabrics reaching a ‘Blue Scale’ result of 6 will also perform well, and many of our indoor products have succeeded in achieving this.  

New technology advances in fabric design now include unique fabrics that withstand stains and spills; rest easy knowing that your beloved furniture will remain clean year after year. These fabrics are available in many colours and designs, and are a suitable choice for families with kids and animals. Unlike topical stain resistant coatings which are applied to woven fabrics after production, inherent stain resistance is produced when the molecular structure of the textile is engineered to possess stain resistant characteristics at the yarn level, which will last for years and can't be washed out. See our FibreGuard range of inherently stain resistant upholstery fabrics here.