If you have begun dragging your outdoor furniture from its winter resting place, and it looks a little less than pristine, there is a surefire way of adding some pizzaz to your patio — just add a few yards of fabric!

When your patio furniture seems stark and uninviting, or if the once comfortable cushions leave you feeling totally uninspired, you won’t have to look far to find some really durable sun resistant fabrics.Â

Just a couple of yards of fabric may be all that’s needed to soften the hard edges of the furniture and add a spark of interest to an otherwise lackluster setting.Â

These days, the selection of sumptuous textures, colours and patterns are endless and easy to find — you just need to know where to look.Â

Your best bet is to check out the Yellow Pages.Â

Usually companies that do blinds, window coverings or upholstery will have a very good selection, including all the major names in textiles.Â

Designers such as Kravet, Robert Allen, Ralph Lauren, Osborne and Little, Marimekko, Designers Guild and Perennials Outdoor Fabrics are just a few, and each will all have there own versions of outdoor fabrics.Â

Sunbrella is probably the most recognized name in outdoor fabrics and does the manufacturing for companies such as Kravet, which results in their “Kravet Soleil” line. Most Sunbrella fabrics have been designed for indoor/outdoor use and are UV resistant and water repellant.Â

Some of these fabrics will resist fading for 2,200 light hours in direct sun.Â

The actual fabric will not promote the growth of mildew.Â

However, mildew will grow on the dirt that falls on the fabric, so the fabric should be vacuumed or brushed off regularly with a non-metal brush.Â

Most dirt and stains can be spot cleaned with a solution of mild soap and lukewarm water.Â

You can wash removable covers in the washing machine in cold water and mild soap but always air dry or dry on the “no heat” option in the dryer. Â

There is no better way to personalize your style than to do a little bit of custom work.Â

But just like with most projects there are all sorts of tricks to get the look you want, even if you are on a tight budget.

If this is the case, try some generic pillows but leave room in the budget for even one yard of a really fantastic custom fabric.Â

This will set your style apart. If you are curious as to the price of these specialized fabrics, they tend to run between $40/yard and $200/yard.

If you need custom sewing allow between the same figures for this service on top of the price of fabric.Â

Also, keep in mind that the workrooms for custom sewing are experiencing the same influx of work, as the rest of the building trade, so six to 10 weeks is standard for turnaround time.Â

But as I mentioned earlier, there are different ways to execute a recovering project.Â

If you, (or a good friend or relative) can sew, you can do the work yourself which will save time and money.Â

For under $100 you can turn a big box patio set into a luxurious outdoor retreat.

 It’s worth investigating the options when it comes to fabulous outdoor fabrics, with a little time and effort you can get results that are definitely sun-sational

Information from: www.pentictonwesternnews.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 14th, 2007 at 12:42 pm and is filed under Furniture, Outdoor Furniture. Tags: Design, Fantastic, Furniture, metal, Money, Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture, Price, Project, Ralph Lauren, Robert Allen, Set, Table, West, . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.