Upholstered Furniture: Results of a Consumer Wear Study

Abstract

A consumer wear study was designed to identify differences in performance of four cotton print upholstery fabrics. Sixty occasional chairs in two slightly different styles were used. The chairs were placed in consumers' homes for two years, then returned to the university for analysis. Soiling was the most apparent effect of the wear study, especially on the chair arms and the backs of the high backed style. Fabric from the arms of the chairs had lower breaking strength and elongation values than did fabric from the cushions or chair backs. The lightest weight fabric lost a significantly greater amount of strength during the two-year wear period; the changes from the original values in the other fabrics were much less severe. Several manufacturing related prob lems were identified and subsequently addressed through quality control efforts within the company that manufactured the chairs.

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