- Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:43 am
#11566
What leather or vinyl should I use to reupholster armrests, allowing them to remain pliable, while still having a soft smooth feel?
When I upholster with a soft fake-leather that has 2-way stretch, they end up getting much more firm / less pliable.
Do I need a 4-way or 360/4-way stretch fake-leather? Any recommendations?
Or is real leather a better choice? Any recommendations of type/kind/thickness/etc?
Some background:
A few months ago I redid the armrests on my desk chair using 1inch of close-cell foam (polyvinyl nitrile; density 3-4.5 lbs/cu.ft) covered with Ultrafabrics Brisa (polyurethane fabric; very soft, fake-leather type fabric, 2-way stretch). The foam has already flattened in places where I lean on it.
This time, I'm using two layers of cast silicone: 0.25inch of durometer OO-50 silicone as a base layer, and then 0.25inch of durometer OO-30 silicone on top.
With the Brisa fabric just lying on top of the silicone, the armrest still feels pliable (still measures durometer OO-30). However, when I actually upholster it, stretching and stapling the fabric, then the measured durometer goes up to almost OO-70. I've tried heating the fabric, but that doesn't change anything.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!
When I upholster with a soft fake-leather that has 2-way stretch, they end up getting much more firm / less pliable.
Do I need a 4-way or 360/4-way stretch fake-leather? Any recommendations?
Or is real leather a better choice? Any recommendations of type/kind/thickness/etc?
Some background:
A few months ago I redid the armrests on my desk chair using 1inch of close-cell foam (polyvinyl nitrile; density 3-4.5 lbs/cu.ft) covered with Ultrafabrics Brisa (polyurethane fabric; very soft, fake-leather type fabric, 2-way stretch). The foam has already flattened in places where I lean on it.
This time, I'm using two layers of cast silicone: 0.25inch of durometer OO-50 silicone as a base layer, and then 0.25inch of durometer OO-30 silicone on top.
With the Brisa fabric just lying on top of the silicone, the armrest still feels pliable (still measures durometer OO-30). However, when I actually upholster it, stretching and stapling the fabric, then the measured durometer goes up to almost OO-70. I've tried heating the fabric, but that doesn't change anything.
Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!