Winter 2016

Editorial
Did you know that the upholstery fabrics we see and
use in everyday office life have a purpose, not just for
being colourful and attractive, but more importantly
they need to perform and if maintained correctly, will
last a long time?
When fabrics are being designed,
developed and manufactured, it is very
important to follow a procedure, ensuring
that whether they are produced using
wool, polyester, nylon or any other fibres
or mixes, that they meet the correct
industry standards, for key areas such as
abrasion, fire retardancy, light fastness
and general strength, giving then expected
durability.
Abrasion is a key indicator for how a
fabric will perform and this is measured
by the Martindale Test, where the
intended fabric is ‘rubbed’ against an
industry identified worsted wool. One
circular motion cycle on the machine (see
image) indicates one rub and the British
Standard sets the minimum at 40,000
rubs for general contract environments.
Fire Retardancy is measured for the
environments that the seating units are
intended. For general offices, schools
and similar areas the standard of Low
Hazard BS 7176 Cigarette and Match
FR is the criteria to be met, however for
more public areas where high volumes of
traffic, offering a greater fire risk, such as
restaurants, bars, hotels, hospitals and
equivalent areas the standard known as
Medium Hazard BS 7176 Crib 5 is the
minimum requirement.
8 No fading Outstanding
7 Very slight fading Excellent
6 Slight fading Very good
5 Moderate fading Good
4 Appreciable fading Moderate
3 Significant fading Fair
2 Extensive fading Poor
1 Very extensive fading Very poor
With every effort being made to ensure that the fabrics meet the standards, it is
also the overall care and maintenance however that plays a major part in their life
expectancy. Regular vacuuming of the seating is a must, to remove any day to day dust,
dirt and soiling that can overtime become embedded into the fabric construction, thus
resulting in degradation not just from a visual aspect but from a quality point of view.
Post treatments to aid against spillages and heavy soiling can and are easily applied
to most fabrics with resounding success, however simply mopping up any spillages
promptly and regular vacuuming is the answer. After all, we clean and vacuum our
carpets at home regularly to keep their appeal, why shouldn’t we do the same with the
upholstery!
Editorial kindly provided by Mr Mark Holliday - Bradbury Fabrics
Fastness to light is an important criteria,
where fabrics are exposed to excess
daylight and subsequently fading could
be caused. This is measured by exposure
of the fabric to a Zenon lamp.
The fabric is then assessed for fading using
blue scales and is then graded between 0
and 8, with a resultant grade between 5
and 8 being the expected level that is
deemed acceptable.
www.ofas.org.uk
WINTER 2016
9