Cushion Material

[sparklegirl50]

Hi, All - I hope this is not a repeat of a question asked before; if so, please direct me to the correct thread.

We plan to have new cushions made for the interior of our boat. We're considering ultra suede, rather than Sunbrella.

I'd like to get feedback from those who have ultra suede; we have a Schipperke, so we need something easy care, and I've heard this is the best for people who have pets.

Thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Toni, aboard Lagoon 380 Peregrine

[sarafina]

Hi Toni,

I think ultra suede is a great choice. Friends have a boat with the cushions covered in it and they love it. I have seen folks around here talking about it as well and they all seem to like it too.

I am keeping my eye open for it at the right price point for our cabin cushions!

[sparklegirl50]

Thanks, Sara. It took us FOREVER to pick out a couch for the house, so I'm sure this will be equally painful. Hopefully, I'll gather enough good info on ultra suede to make it a bit easier to decide!!

[Maren]

Originally Posted by sparklegirl50

Hi, All - I hope this is not a repeat of a question asked before; if so, please direct me to the correct thread.

We plan to have new cushions made for the interior of our boat. We're considering ultra suede, rather than Sunbrella.
...
Thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Honestly, most questions have been asked already. I wouldn’t let it stop you – it certainly hasn’t stopped most others. But if you use the small search button with the down arrow and enter ultra suede you find some other posts on the same material. Almost all give ultra suede the thumbs up, by the way.

The only real disadvantage I see is that you end up with a large monochormatic swath. Some boats can pull that off better than others.

[sparklegirl50]

Originally Posted by Maren

Honestly, most questions have been asked already. I wouldn’t let it stop you – it certainly hasn’t stopped most others. But if you use the small search button with the down arrow and enter ultra suede you find some other posts on the same material. Almost all give ultra suede the thumbs up, by the way.

The only real disadvantage I see is that you end up with a large monochormatic swath. Some boats can pull that off better than others.

Thanks again - I knew somehow had to have asked the question at least once!

[Pblais]

Thanks, Sara. It took us FOREVER to pick out a couch for the house, so I'm sure this will be equally painful

Most boats do better with a lighter color than a darker color. You can add color a lot of ways such as with throw cushions. You can also get other textures and colors in Ultra Leather too. It has the same properties as Ultra Suede. There are 100's of option within those two categories but they all exhibit the toughness you only find in the best commercial fabrics. Note the "Ultra" products are a brand name so you need to consider imitations with caution.

[MarkJ]

Oooooh! Is this a thread where I can show off our new coushion covers!!!!!!!

We just received these back on Friday!

The fabric is 'Micro Suede'

Of course we don't know what the wear is like yet.

With a pic of the original darker velour.

[sparklegirl50]

Originally Posted by Pblais

Most boats do better with a lighter color than a darker color. You can add color a lot of ways such as with throw cushions. You can also get other textures and colors in Ultra Leather too. It has the same properties as Ultra Suede. There are 100's of option within those two categories but they all exhibit the toughness you only find in the best commercial fabrics. Note the "Ultra" products are a brand name so you need to consider imitations with caution.

Thanks, Paul. The boat currently has white leather cushions. After 5 years in charter, you can imagine how well THAT worked out. Can't think why you'd put white anything in a boat (or house, for that matter), that will be used by lots of people. We bought the boat used, by the way. I never would have used white material of any kind.

Anyway, the cushions, both material and foam, have seen better days. We need to have something that will hold up to the dog, and since we are now living aboard, daily use by us, too.

Since the boat is stark white inside, we would certainly be looking at color! My husband would prefer a pattern of some kind, as opposed to solids, so we may end up using the Sunbrella "yachting" interiors fabrics.

We have a long way to go before deciding!!

[sarafina]

oh no Paul... there is a HUGE difference between ultra suede and ultra leather...

Sit on em in a swim suit in warm weather...

OUCH!!

Do the suede, yer thighs will thank you!

[sarafina]

those look fabu!

[MarkJ]

Price was about US$300! (Note: Not thousands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[sarafina]

ok now i just hate you.... ; -P

[Pblais]

Since the boat is stark white inside, we would certainly be looking at color! My husband would prefer a pattern of some kind, as opposed to solids, so we may end up using the Sunbrella "yachting" interiors fabrics.

Both our boats were dark wood interiors so lighter colors looked better. The woven sunbrella patterns are what we use on the last boat and they do look and hold up exceptionally well. The quality of the fabric will determine the stain resistance and light colors or dark colors stain the same. You can only hide a stain so much even on a dark color. The ultra products clean with basic spray cleaner and don't have fibers to hold the stain material. They clean very easy.

The sunbrella solution dyed yarns are also exceptionally tolerant of stains and easy to clean. The woven patterns are commonly used on the very best outdoor furniture. It is as tough as the sail cover canvas but feels and looks much better. With a white interior you could go a little nuts and have it look sharp. If you combine it with good foam they should last 15 years or more. 4 inches of a firm foam topped with 2 inches of memory foam sits really nice.

[sparklegirl50]

Thanks for the info, Paul. I will take it into account when we get closer to picking out colors/fabrics to do our new cushions.