When reupholstering your furniture, it's important to consider your whole family—especially if you have children. Even the best-behaved kids can be tough on furniture, so picking the right upholstery fabric for your chairs and couches will make all the difference. Let's take a look at some of the key upholstery fabric factors that'll help your furniture hold up over time.

Durability

For your upholstery fabric to last for years in a house with children, it needs to be durable. Durable fabrics are designed to withstand everyday wear and tear as well as occasional accidents, keeping your furniture looking its best for as long as possible.

Microfiber is a great choice for durability. This synthetic fabric is known for its strength. If you'd prefer to go with a natural fabric, consider canvas and twill. Unlike traditional cotton, these materials are highly resistant to wear and tear.

Stain Resistance

Stain resistance is another important factor to consider when choosing a fabric. From food spills to dirty footprints, children can be messy without even realising it. Unless you want to spend every weekend scrubbing dirt out of your furniture, it's best to go with a less permeable upholstery fabric.

This is another situation in which microfiber comes in handy. Alongside its durability, it's also naturally water-resistant. Outdoor upholstery fabrics are also great for preventing stains, and many of them can look just as great indoors.

On the natural side, leather is your go-to. It has a traditional, sleek feel, but it won't absorb messes. It's easy to wipe clean, and it's fairly durable too, as long as it's not subjected to frequent high impact.

Comfort

Comfort is not just a luxury when you have children. While you and your adult house guests may be able to withstand less comfortable fabrics, kids have more sensitive skin. As a result, they may not be able to get cosy on chairs upholstered with canvas and other "scratchy" fabrics.

When you think of comfort, you may think of materials like chenille. However, these more plush-piled fabrics are difficult to keep clean when you have children around. Instead, look more towards a fabric like leather, which offers a good balance of natural comfort, durability and stain resistance. You may also find luck with cotton fabrics that have synthetic water-resistant coatings. Nowadays, these coatings can be applied thinly, which means they have less of an impact on comfort without compromising stain resistance.