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Old 23-02-2011, 18:37   #1
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Best Material for Salon Cushions

I'm looking for opinions on the optimal material for re-covering salon cushions. I re-covered mine 4 to 5 years ago with a Sunbrella material and am now thinking about upgrading to leather. What are the pros and cons of leather? Does leather do well with wet bathing suites? Is there an artificial alternative that wears better? Is there a special leather finish for a marine environment?

Experienced opinions and/or advice requested.
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Old 23-02-2011, 18:47   #2
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

Leather in hot, humid areas would not be my first choice. Leather can get very hot if sunlight is hitting it and bare legs will sweat like crazy on it. In the winter, its cold. You will still have the risk of mold and mildew,

We are redoing our settes in a microfiber ultrasuede. Easy to keep clean, quick to dry, no sweaty legs sticking to it, its not cold in the winter and while its not cheap it is less expensive than leather.
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Old 23-02-2011, 18:49   #3
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Tough topic. I think I preferred the one about measuring a piece of string.

Oh well, I open with a vote for wool because it handles moisture the best and doesn't make you sweat. Leather is good if you are OK with keeping up the maintenance on it.

Definitely nothing with even a whiff of plastic which includes that vinyl faux leather.
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Old 23-02-2011, 19:01   #4
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

Mimsy,

You mentioned a microfiber ultrasuede. I've seen suede leather stain from water or a wet bathing suit. Does the material you mentioned do this? Do you have a link to it?
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Old 23-02-2011, 19:11   #5
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

Check out Ultra Leather, I had it on my Cat and loved it. Acts like real leather so it doesnt stick to your skin, very good stain resistant, tough like vinyl. The BIG downside is that is is wicked expensive 70-90 dollars a yard. There are Ultra Leather look alikes but I am not sure it breathes and stays cool like UL.
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Old 23-02-2011, 19:20   #6
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pirate Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

I tend to go for good quality curtain material.. something smooth to the touch...
Gets grubby..unzip and chuck in the washing machine.. sorted
For instance these are heavyish cotton/poly..
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Old 24-02-2011, 05:43   #7
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

I agree with Boatman61. I don't want anything covering my cushions that I can't toss into the washing machine when the time comes.
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Old 24-02-2011, 05:54   #8
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

A large determinant is what surface texture you want for the salon cushions. Any artificial (version of plastic) will not rot but can gather mold and mildew. So will the interior foam material. Generally the bottom of the cushion is done with open web cloth so that air can get to the interior. Another consideration in choosing the material is your bare bottom. Picking a material that irritates your delicate bare butt can be irritating. In warm climates wearing clothes below decks is rare.
- - Then there is overall design considerations. The salon is where you "show off" your tastes to visiting friends so coordinating and designing the "look" should be a factor.
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Old 24-02-2011, 06:18   #9
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

In the past, I have used a really attractive nylon tweed couch fabric, from an upholstery shop. On a boat, with all of the abrasion, it was threadbare in one year!

On my current boat, we use Sunbrella "furniture fabric" on all cushions & bunks. (on the curtains too) It is soft, available in "tweedey" textures, comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and rally holds up! Ours are 15 years old and running. M.
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Old 24-02-2011, 06:26   #10
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

We have done one boat completely over with Ultraleather, and can echo the comments about the material. We found a good place for lower prices, I am sure there are others out there as well:

Wholesale Upholstery Fabric, Drapery Material NYC, Discount Decorator Fabric, Silk Velvet


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Old 24-02-2011, 06:47   #11
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

Either Ultra Leather or Ultra Suede is the way to go if the cost is tolerable to you. These are very stain resistant, very tough, clean well, and breath. Great color selection. I actually prefer the feel of the suede. Most high end car manufacturers such as BMW and Lamborghini use it (called Alcantara in Europe).

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Old 25-02-2011, 07:08   #12
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

Witzgall,
The website you gave is quoting 22 a yard marked down from 85+, is this real ultraleather? you have this aboard? Dang that is a great price, just wanted to verify that it is real ultraleather, and talk to someone who has used product from this company.
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Old 25-02-2011, 07:20   #13
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

As far as I can tell it is the real stuff, but I am no expert. I certainly feels like leather, and others have commented on the fell as well. They will send you free samples if you ask.
We bought 20 yrds, and it is working out well.

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Witzgall,
The website you gave is quoting 22 a yard marked down from 85+, is this real ultraleather? you have this aboard? Dang that is a great price, just wanted to verify that it is real ultraleather, and talk to someone who has used product from this company.
Erika
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Old 25-02-2011, 07:59   #14
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

Tim- here ya go.
New ultrasuede.com

It doesn't stain like leather as it is washable. The beauty of microfiber is its stain resistance. Since we are cruising withkids- this is a priority.
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Old 25-02-2011, 08:52   #15
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Re: Best Material for Salon Cushions

We would vote for Ultrasuede. We've had it for 8 years of hard, full time cruising, and still like it. Ours is about the color of natural suede, and we've spilled everything from red wine to hot engine oil on it. Everything washes out with fresh water and soap, and it's comfortable to sit on in all climates. When the time comes, we'll use it again. We used the real thing; friends who've used the generic microfiber fabrics haven't had quite the same experience, but they still like it.
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