Super durable sofa fabric?

[essnce629]

So we'll probably be getting a new sofa sometime in the near future. Right now we have a microfiber sectional and unlike other posters here, the fabric has actually held up great and I've never had watermarks or issues wiping it clean. But it's a cheap sectional from Costco and one of the bottom cushions is completely messed up and uncomfortable (you can feel the springs?) and one of the attached back cushions has tore away from the sofa from the boys constantly climbing over the back of the couch!

So we're planning on spending more money this time on a sofa that will last a little longer (current sofa is 5 years old). I've been researching a bunch on durable sofa fabrics and even found a post on here by a poster (Drag0nflygirl) who was in the furniture industry. Some of her comments were:

"Anything microfiber will clean up great. It's 100% polyester and so tightly woven that it's waterproof - but - you can see hand/butt marks on it and since it's one flat color it's easy to see any little spill or blemish. Keep in mind also that it's kind of trendy right now. You can find microfiber sofas in any price range you can think of. Also, anything with olefin is great, particularly if it's blended with poly. However olefin will fade in direct sunlight. Run from anything cotton. Rayon dulls after awhile, acrylic pills and/or can get brittle. A small amount of anything blended with poly or olefin is fine. Look for a "W" or "WS" fabric. All fabrics are coded like this - "W" means water based cleaners only. "S" means solvent cleaners only (think dry cleaning). "WS" means anything goes."

She did mention leather being best, but I don't like leather and don't want leather.

So, I'm thinking of these fabrics: Belgium linen (only Belgium linen is supposedly durable), Cyrpton, Sunbrella (but this is acrylic so will it pill/get brittle? or is solution dyed acrylic different?), ultrasuede, and a performance twill (96% polyester, 4% other fabric).

Anyone have a sofa in any of these fabrics? I think I want a slipcovered sofa with unattached cushions.

[acmom]

We had microfiber for all our couches before this one and I always said I would never get leather....but then we got leather and LOVE it! So much easier to clean up spills, pet hair doesn't build up on it and it is so much more supportive (we always go for firmer couches but this one has held up better). Might be worth a look again.

[azzeps]

I am truly surprised how well our leather has held up. But if you don't want leather, I'd get something with removable slip covers so I could wash or dry clean it.

[jerseygirl07067]

I hate leather....it's cold to sit on initially and I don't like the look. We had a microfiber sofa that has held up so well. and cleans up super easily. We also had LaZBoy sofa in our other room that didn't get as much use but when I sold it recently the fabric was literally PERFECT. I can't remember for sure but I'm pretty sure it was a chenille type fabric. So super soft and richer looking.

[sste]

On the advice of a designer years ago I got synthetic brown velvet -- synthetic velvet is incredibly durable (all natural fiber velvet is the opposite!) and has a very classic look. I don't really like microsuede and am super sensitive to any leathery smells. Anyway our brown velvet looks really very good for 10 years of having been peed/puked on/milk spilled on etc. Not sure about velvet in a warm weather state though . . .

[kwc]

We have a sectional in our family mom that we had made (by carolinachair.com) with Crypton fabric (textured velvet style) in our family room and it has worked out well. It has survived red wine spills and flopping kids with no visible wear in the 3 years we've had it. It has a vapor barrier so the stains won't pass through so if you cover the cushions completely in Crypton, the pillows can trap the air almost like a plastic bag and not compress easily when you sit... Carolina Chair suggested making the unseen side panels from a more breathable coordinating microfiber and it's worked out well.

We bought the Crypton from a JoAnn Fabrics store that had upholstery fabric and had them ship directly to Carolina Chair (who emailed me a photo of the swatch to make sure it was right). I was able to take some swatches home from JoAnn's to check them out, and waited until they had one of their big 20-30% coupons and saved a bunch!

Here is the one we have (and it's on sale!)
http://www.joann.com/8in-x-8in-home-...risma&start=11
It's a bit stiffer than some other synthetic velvets but it also does not show dirt or directions/ handprints/ dog hair. I would definitely go check out the different swatches and the feel varies a lot. I do think the jacquard type fabrics show wear and dirt more... the chairs at our clinic are upholstered with a Crypton-esque fabric and seems to show dirt from shoes/ sippy cups, snacks etc over time (esp without someone devoted to cleaning off spills immediately).