In the world of high performance contract upholstery there
are woven fabrics, and there are coated fabrics. Coated fabrics are more commonly known as
faux leathers across contract and interior design markets. A coated fabric is a textile that has been
coated, covered or impregnated with polymer a based substance. Typically polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane
is used in commercial grade upholstery to coat the woven backing cloth
underneath. Each type of coating has its own unique attributes. The textile underneath is engineered to have
a slight stretch and is usually constructed as a knit and consists of polyester
or a poly/cotton blend. Anzea Textiles (http://fabric.anzea.com/home.html)
does carry a product made in the United States that is of a nylon matrix
construction giving the textile different inherent capabilities than the
typical coated fabric.
Anzea Textiles has a large selection of all three types of coated
fabrics. The faux leathers that are sold
at Anzea are all high performance and perfect for uses in high traffic areas in
hospitals, restaurants and casinos. Faux
leathers are popular for these applications because they can be cleaned easily,
they can be inherently stain resistant and they will withstand extended heavy
use. All of Anzea Textiles fabrics and
coated fabrics pass the ACT Standards (http://www.contracttextiles.org/).
