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Fabric & Material Options

The cloth is half the job — wear, cleanability and how it looks at night

Materials

Choosing fabric is not picking a pretty colour. A family sofa wants a different weave from a hotel headboard, and a dining chair wants something else again. We help you shortlist two or three cloths that will last, sit with the room, and not pill into a haze.

Foam grade, piping, and whether you need a fire-retardant specification sit in the same conversation. Bring a photo of the room. The furniture does not live on a white cyclorama.

  • Wear rating
  • Colour in your light
  • Velvets and plains
  • Performance cloths
Fabric and interior materials
Fabric shortlisted for use, not just for a mood board
Hayes is the bench. Covers come off here. If a job is better measured or fitted on site, we will say so — we will not pretend every sofa can be recovered in a hallway.
What this actually includes

Explained, not just listed.

01

Use-first advice

Children, pets, hospitality or a quiet spare room — they need different cloth.

02

Pattern planning

Large prints and stripes laid out before anyone cuts.

03

Foam alongside

The sit and the cloth decided together, not foam as an afterthought.

04

Sample honesty

A swatch is smaller than a sofa. We talk about that.

How the job runs

From photos to a piece you can sit on.

A clear path from first pictures to workshop finish — so you always know what happens next.

  1. Show the room

    Daylight photos of the space and the tired piece.

  2. Shortlist

    Two or three weaves, not a catalogue dumped on the table.

  3. Confirm meterage

    Especially if you are supplying your own cloth.

  4. Cut

    Only when the internals have been checked and the cloth is agreed.

Honest comparison

Advantages & disadvantages

What this service does well — and what to weigh up before you commit.

Advantages

  • Guidance on wear, cleanability and look before you buy
  • Domestic and contract options can be compared honestly
  • Samples reduce regret after a full recover
  • Pairs cloth choice with foam and use case

Disadvantages

  • Popular cloths can go out of stock mid-quote
  • Screen colours never match fabric in hand perfectly
  • Performance fabrics may feel less soft
  • Pattern repeats increase metreage and cost

This page is a good fit if…

  • Anyone about to recover and unsure what will last
  • Customers who already fell in love with a risky pale fabric
  • Commercial jobs that need a contract-minded cloth
Quick answers

Questions people actually ask.

Often yes if there is enough and it is suitable for upholstery. We confirm meterage first.
No. Use matters more than price tags. Some costly velvets mark; some modest weaves last.
We specify for the job. House stock is not a warehouse of every colour.
Next step

Send photos for a first quote.

Tell us about the piece — we’ll reply with practical next steps from the Hayes workshop.

Request a Quote →