• Natural or synthetic

This is the first choice to make. There are natural fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, linen and rayon as well as synthetic fibers such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, polypropylene and olefin. You can also choose from a good collection of leather and artificial leather. Original leather is available in plain grains as well as embossed patterns. Synthetic fibers have a soft texture but are not as durable as the synthetic ones.

• Durability 

Durability is an important aspect to consider if you do not want to repeat reupholstering projects within short periods of time. If you have pets and kids at home, you must go in for a material with higher thread count as they are dense and hold up well against rough and tough use. Leather and micro fiber fabrics offer the highest durability as upholstery fabrics.

• Fabric types

There are different ways in which fabric is made. It is either woven or knitted. On a few design fabrics, the design is not woven, knitted or embroidered. It is simply printed on it.

• Patterns and Colors

Upholstery fabrics are available in great many patterns. There are solid colors and textures, floral patterns, paisleys, stripes and abstract prints. Homeowners never go wrong with colors because they have a color scheme pre-decided in their mind. Yet, as a tip, it is necessary to remember that a darker color makes a small room look smaller while neutral shades enlarge the appearance of a room.

• Indoor or outdoor 

Indoor and outdoor furniture have a different requirement of fabric because of the different elements they are exposed to. If you will place the furniture outdoors, you need material that doesn’t fade easily due to sunlight exposure or rot by getting saturated with water.