Office Seating: How durable are contract textiles?
By Valerie Glander
Office space is certainly getting more comfortable! Both our corporate and healthcare clients are including more lounge seating than ever and one question that’s at the top of everyone’s mind is… what about durability?
For a long time, it was believed that if you needed a textile that cleans well, you had one choice: vinyl. While it’s true that vinyl offers many desirable properties, especially for the strict requirements of the healthcare industry, there are woven fabrics that will also provide that cleanability that our clients are looking for. Generally, commercial fabric is designed and manufactured to perform well in environments that demand varying degrees of durability. You may be asking, how can I tell that the fabric I choose for our office seating will last? Or, how do I maintain the beauty of my new investment that I am making in our office furniture?
Testing Standards
To help us better understand the durability of commercial fabric, the Association for Contract Textiles (ACT) has developed guidelines for commercial textiles. These guidelines are broken down into five categories: flame resistance, UV resistance, physical properties, abrasion resistance for upholstery, and crocking (color fastness).
While all these guidelines together paint the clearest picture of overall durability, one guideline that we will touch on further is abrasion resistance. The wear of commercial upholstery is measured by the Wyzenbeek or Martindale tests. Basically, these tests measure double rubs, which is a fabric’s abrasion resistance. The higher the double rub, the better the fabric will wear.
Contract Upholstery Minimum: 15,000 double rubs is considered the minimum for general contract, commercial upholstery projects.
Low Traffic / Private Spaces: 15,000-30,000 double rubs. Suitable for single shift offices, conference rooms, hotel rooms and dining areas.
High Traffic / Public Spaces: 30,000+ double rubs. Recommended for constant use as in hospital waiting areas, airport terminals, fast food restaurants, theaters and stadiums
Most fabrics that we specify are at least 50,000+ double rubs, so you can feel well assured that the upholstery on your lounge furniture, or office chairs, will last quite a long time.
Protective Coatings and Coated Textiles
Beyond the high standards of contract textiles, there are further distinctions to look for, particularly in healthcare environments. Crypton fabric is considered the gold standard of performance fabric – it’s integrated fiber coating resists spills, stains, odors and microbial growth. It’s available on a wide range of woven textiles – from knits to textured chenilles and prints. Many are even cleanable with a bleach solution. (Be sure to consult the textile care guide before cleaning any textile.)
Healthcare is no longer a category where performance and cleanability are the only concern – today’s healthcare environments must also be beautiful – our design team often pairs textured or printed Crypton wovens with coated textiles to maximize performance in high traffic conditions.
Coated textiles consist of a fabric backing coated by a resin compound, typically Vinyl (PVC), Polyurethane or Silicone. The exact mix of this resin gives the textile a unique set of properties, but at its most basic level, coated textiles are durable and moisture resistant. Many are treated with a copper or silver ion technology which provide anti-microbial or mold / mildew resistance. Now available in a wide array of colors and textures, coated fabrics are an easy to clean and cost effective option in both healthcare and corporate spaces.
Next time you are in our office, you can choose a fabric for your furniture with confidence, knowing that the right fabric will last the lifetime of your furniture. If you have questions or concerns about performance ratings or maintenance of your furniture, please reach out to our team of designers at interiordesign@oexusa.com. We’d be happy to review textile specifications with you.
