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| A beautiful pile of treated silk velvet pillows |
When you are working on putting together your fabric schemes
it is important to think about practicality.
Sometimes a rugged recycled polyester or outdoor solution dyed acrylic
fabric just makes sense. Especially if
you are family that actually LIVES in your house.
But sometimes a fabric that is entirely inappropriate is
just too irresistible to refuse. What
then? Do you have to tiptoe around that
chair, or ottoman or pillow forever?
Should you ban your kids, and dogs and wine drinking friends from that
room? Heck no! Treat it!
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| approx 2 minutes in! |
What exactly does that mean and how do you go about it? Well, there are several ways to get it done.
1. The best way: Ask the furniture store, fabric store or designer
that is helping you procure the fabric to send the fabric out for a stain
protection treatment BEFORE it becomes a piece of furniture or pillow. There are a
number of companies around the country that specialize in this. They take your fabric and soak it in a
solution that helps to protect
your fabric from both oil and water borne stains. It also, helps repel dust and
dry soil and makes the fabric physically stronger. A treatment will run around $60, but depends
on how much fabric you are treating.
This lasts for the life of the fabric.
2. The next best
thing: Hire a local fabric/stain
protection company to come to your house and spray your new furnishings, carpet
or draperies with a stain protecting.
Most places have a per square foot price and a per room or rooms
price. This type of treatment needs to
be done annually, but is highly effective if maintained.
3. The DIY way: Buy a can of stain repellent treatment and go
to town. This is initially cost
effective, but does not last long and must be maintained religiously.
Additionally, you can add to the life of that delicate silk,
or linen that you chose by adding a knit backing treatment. This is especially important if you are going
to be doing upholstery. Ask your expert
to help you identify if this is a good decision for your particular
fabric. A usual trick to figure this out
on your own is to pull the fabric on the diagonal (bias); if it stretches a lot
then it needs to be backed.
Design without boundaries- it's now possible!
