I think the quality of the fabric is more important than the medium versus heavy (which I suppose is in the weight of the fabric). I used a "heavy" weight fabric once not even questioning the upholster's fabrics and within a year, it needed redoing, whereas the original which seemed more medium in weight had lasted 10 years to that point. I asked a person (who I came to know later) about the difference, and she told me (that's what she did for a living) that the contents of the fabric are very important. I cannot remember now what was in the fabric that did not wear well but the original was a heavy duty woven cotton jacobean and the second was a tapestry which contained a synthetic that did not wear well. Not that all synthetics are of poor quality, and I wish I could recall what she told me now but that was long ago, but I have also experienced the same in a very expensive sofa I bought in the 1980s and it wore very quickly and had what appeared to be a great heavy weight paisley but it was not. So I think the "quality" of the fabric is more important than weight.

Have you considered taking your first choice medium wear fabric and looked for something very similar to identical in an indoor outdoor fabric? There are literally hundreds of choices and they are indistinguishable to regular upholstery fabrics until you have a stain or spill. That's when you'll know you've made the right choice because it will resist any stain, fading or wear. Upholsterers cover down cushions and upholster All styles of furniture with it. You'll find solids , prints, linens, textures and chenille looks- again, just like regular upholstery materials. Trim and cord as you would any other fabric and add throw pillows of your choice. Best of all, you can have loose cushions covered with a hidden zipper so that they can be removed and washed if necessary. Check this option out, you won't be sorry!

My sister works at a furniture store, and I am looking at fabrics for a chair. (no family discount!) I have looked at MANY fabrics over the past few weeks.

The fabrics that are marked, that I have looked at are Limited, Medium, and Heavy. It actually is supposed to reflect how much wear the fabric can take, although I saw two identical fabrics in different colors, and one was marked limited and one was medium. You sure can't tell by the look of the fabric as some that look heavy are not labeled 'heavy' in wear resistance.

I asked my sister if she could call the company (Sherrill) and see which is correct..She said that all they'd know is what is shown on the label, so they wouldn't be able to help. So, with 'my3dogs', I didn't dare get one of those fabrics....

Thanks for the opinions everyone. My3dogs...that is too funny...the company we are using is Sherrill as well. What a coincidence! I can't wait to see what you've picked out- you have such a lovely home.

annaathome- that's a great idea about the indoor/outdoor fabric, but unfortunately, we are limited to the fabrics from the furniture company we are using. I don't think there are any outdoor options for the furniture we are getting, but I'll be sure to check.

Patricia- the fabric we are considering is 88% cotton/12% poly (medium wear) or 70% acrylic/30% poly (heavy wear). Any opinions based on that?

Wow, that is a coincidence! I am buying it from the store my sister works at, and finally found a fabric yesterday. I need to be concerned with my couch fabric and my heavily patterned Karastan rug. My choice may surprise you, but it DOES work well with both..really!

What may be MORE surprising is that all of this really DOES work together...

The top pic is the soft blue and brown check chenille of the chair-to-be fabric, shown with the couch fabric. It's called 'Resort Seafoam 2', a bit of misnomer as it's far more blue than green. It goes great with the Wythe Blue BM paint in my entry also. It comes across as very neutral, so blends well. The chair style is shown in the link below. I did not get the ottoman. The chair has antique brass nail heads all along the bottom.

The second pic shows some of the blue in my rug, and the chair brings a bit more of the blue into the room in a soft, subtle way.

{{!gwi}}

Here is a link that might be useful: SHerrill DC22 'Ashley' chair

Pretty fabrics! I just saw that Ashley chair on our local CL! If it had been in a color that worked in my sitting room, I would have jumped at it, but no way am I going to reupholster that piece!
Diane

Diane, Can you post a link to your CL chair here? I'd love to see that chair!

It's a fairly new one, and part of the DC (Dan Carithers) Collection by Sherrill. I can't believe someone has one on Craigslist! Here is a link to a blog that I just found mentioning the designer below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Landfair Furniture

There are lots of other factors (besides fabric weight) that determine how well a fabric will wear - fiber content, fabric finish, whether the design is woven or printed, the weave itself, and so forth. The textile industry has at least two different abrasion resistance ratings (Weizenbeek [widely used in the US] and Martindale [used more in Europe and Australia]). When you shop for upholstery fabric, the rating may be on the tag, or the tag may indicate the number of "double rubs" that the fabric can withstand before showing wear or pilling. You also should consider how color-fast, fade-resistant, and stain-resistant the fabric is, and how it can be cleaned (each fabric should be labeled with the cleaning code). A knowledgeable salesperson or upholsterer should be able to tell you, based on all of the coded information on the fabric label, exactly how well the fabric will wear.

P.S. I learned all this from my upholsterer -- now if I could only find a fabric for my sofa that won't require me to repaint my living room!