What Is The Best Fabric for Stools? (Bar, Vanity, Kitchen)
Like people, household stools come in various sizes and shapes. Finding the best fabric for them may or may not be that difficult. It will depend on how picky you are and what the room looks like you want to place the stools.
What is the best fabric for stools? This may surprise you but vinyl is said to be about the best fabric for any type of stool you want. It is very durable, comes in a multitude of colors, and cleans up very well. If you can afford it, you may want to go with the second-best- leather. It adds a touch of class to your home.
To learn more about the right fabric for bar, kitchen, or even a vanity stool just continue to read our article. It is filled with the information you need so you can make great looking stools for your home or business.
Fabric for Stools 101
How to Choose Fabric for Stools
The first option you need to consider is the purpose. Where are the stools going to be used and how much traffic will they receive. You will want durability here. Then, you need to assess how much food and drink will be spilled on them.
Having easy to clean material on your bar or kitchen, etc., stools is vital. Style and color are next up on the list. You want both to fit in with the colors on the walls in the room as well as mesh with the style of the other pieces of furniture.
Finally, you have to take into account your pets, their sharp claws, and other factors. You want a fabric that will hold up and be strong.
What Type of Fabric for Bar Stools
The first choice that meets all criteria for bar and other stools is vinyl. It is decorative, easy to clean, resists stains, and is hard to tear or rip. Plus, it is also waterproof. Or you can go with just about any upholstery fabric as those will be strong, last awhile but may not be as good as vinyl.
Leather is a good stool fabric to use. While it is expensive, the material is hard to rip, tear, or put holes into it. Also, it is easy to clean, resists stains, although it does not have the broad color reach as vinyl does.
Finally, you can consider canvas especially if you have kids or pets. It is a tough fabric that is perfect when you have small children or active pets. This material is made from cotton so it will clean up well and it doe snot get cold or sticky when the seasons change.
What is the Best Fabric for Bar Stools?
Vinyl seems to win out here because of all the positive characteristics that come with that upholstery material. Then leather and canvas. But you can get away with other thick fabrics if you do not want to follow the crowd.
The best fabric is the one that will match your room’s decor, be long-lasting, easy to clean, and comes in a color to die for. It will also be the one that can endure what your lifestyle throws its way.
If you have kids and pets, then lighter fabrics should not be considered. Stick to heavier, thicker fabrics that come in a color you like.
Vinyl Fabric for Bar Stools
It seems that vinyl should be crowned the best fabric for a bar, kitchen, and even vanity stools. With its stain resisting power, even makeup spills can’t hurt it. Also, vinyl cleans up easily so it is the perfect material for your kitchen or family room.
Then, vinyl is made in so many colors you will have a hard time choosing which one fits your room the best. With its tough nature, the vinyl stool should last you a long time because it is very difficult to rip, tear or puncture.
On top of all that, the material does not fade which means those stools should not look old even after 5 years of use. You can’t do better than vinyl.
Leather Fabric for Bar Stools
If vinyl had a competitor it would be this material. Leather is also easy to clean, resists stains, rips, tears, and punctures. It also comes in a few colors to help you match your room’s interior design.
Where leather tops vinyl is in the fact that leather brings a touch of elegance, sophistication, and class to any room it is placed. Those characteristics exist in a bar, vanity, and kitchen stool. Leather also breathes making them a nice soft, comfortable seat to sit on.
Its only drawback is the expense. Leather is not cheap material and it requires special needles and thread along with a powerful sewing machine to work with this fabric.
How Much Fabric for Bar Stool?
While there are different sizes of bar stools, these chairs are relatively close to the same size for the most part. That means that you do not have to buy a lot of fabric to upholster one stool or even 3 stools.
For a standard 8-inch diameter seat, you are looking at needing 1 yard of fabric and about 1 yard of cording. Then you will need a matching thread to make sure the new seat cover looks good.
If you are doing more than one stool, just add a yard of each material per stool you are covering. Don’t forget, you will need a foam cushion to make sure your seat has a comfortable place to land.
Best Fabric for Reupholstering Bar Stools
We have already talked about the big three fabrics when it comes to bar stools, vinyl, leather, and canvas. Another fabric can be good for reupholstering and it is made from polyester.
A good microfiber material made from nylon or polyester should hold its own against the big three fabrics. T cleans up with soapy water, baking soda won’t harm it when you are removing foul odors and the material is water repellent.
Then it breathes well and does not release lint, etc., into the air so it doesn’t trigger allergy or asthma attacks. The soft fabric is nice to sit on and its only drawbacks are it doe snot handle grease or oil very well.
Best Fabric for Counter Stools
All of the big three will work for this set of stools. They are tough and counter stools may not see the action that bar or kitchen stools do. Each of the fabrics in this group resists water, stains, and are fairly easy to keep clean.
However, if you want something different then some of the thicker cotton fabrics should suffice and last you a long time. Microfiber is also a good candidate and should look as good as cotton with its variety of color choices.
One thing you do want since these are counter stools is a fabric that looks very good.
Best Fabric for Kitchen Stools
Of the big three, the leather may not be the wisest choice for the kitchen stool. While it is good material it may seem out of place for such a casual activity room. Vinyl and canvas are perfect for this purpose as they are tough enough to handle the traffic and spills that happen in the kitchen.
Also, you should look at some outdoor fabrics as they are made to handle tough situations. These materials resist all sorts of stains including wine. That is a great characteristic to have.
Also, outdoor fabrics come in many different colors and patterns so you can create a great kitchen look without even trying. The sky is the limit here as so many fabrics will meet the tests the kitchen activities provide.
Best Fabric for Vanity Stool
When it comes to vanity stools, you will want comfort the most. After all, you will be sitting on the stool for some time as you put your face on or fix your makeup. An uncomfortable fabric won’t let you concentrate and you could end up making an error as you try to find that comfort spot.
Cotton and microfibers come to mind as both fabrics are very soft and easy to sit on. They also handle any accidents that may occur when you are not paying attention to what you are doing.
This will be up to your preference as you will be the one sitting on it.
Some Final Words
When it comes to any type of stool, you want to use the best fabric even if it costs a little more. That way you know the stool will last and you do not have to spend more money on new fabric any time soon.
You have seen the top choices and all that is left up for you to decide on is which one is best for your home and purpose as well as the color of that fabric.
