ksanders
Moderator Emeritus
Today I received three fabric samples from Sailrite.com
They were:
Nauga Soft "Doeskin"
Sunbrella upholstery fasbric Canvas collection "Antique Beige"
Sunbrella upholstery fabric Spectrum collection "Sand"
All 3 are light beige in color.
The Nauga Soft is a vinyl product
The Antique Beige is a soft canvas fabric
The Sand is a medium weave fabric
I decided to test each sample using four common "spills" that we encounter on boats. These were:
Water
Ball Point Pen
BBQ sauce
Mayonaise
Here are the results
Water
To test water spills I put 1/2 teaspoon on each sample, let it sit for 5 minutes and then cleaned it up with a paper towel.
On all three samples the water beaded up, and upon cleaning only the "spectrum Sand" sample allowed any water to pass through to a paper towel beneath the sample
Pen
To test pen marks I just drew a quick line, trying to simulate sitting on a cushon with a pen in your pocket.
Pen is difficult to clean up. I tried a wet sponge with Dawn diswashing soap, then 409 then powerhouse orange solution degreaser. None of these worked on any of the samples. Then I tried isopropyl alcohol, which successfully removed the pen from all three samples.
BBQ Sauce
To test BBQ sauce I put a bit of BBQ sause on the sample and lightly moved a finger across it one time simulating a spill, and an attempt to quickly remove it, like you would do during a meal.
I was able to clean up the BBQ sauce leaving no trace from al 3 samples using a wet sponge and Dawn dishwashing liquid.
Mayonnaise
To test Mayonnaise I did the same as the BBQ sauce. I put a bit of Mayonnaise on the sample and lightly moved a finger across it one time simulating a spill, and an attempt to quickly remove it, something you would do during a meal.
Mayonnaise was a challenge for the fabrics, but wiped right off the Nauga Soft vinyl. I tried to remove the Mayonaise using a wet sponge with Dawn dishwashing liquid. I tried repeated scrubbings. This resulted in a very light noticiable discoloration of the "Canvas Antique Beige" fabric. The "Spectrum Sand" shows a very noticiable stain.
Possible even more repeated scrubbings would reduce the stains on the fabrics, but I spent considerable effort to get the results I did.
Attached are several photos of the testing and the results.
Because of this testing I have eliminated the Sunbrella "Spectrum Sand" from consideration. My boat gets used, and the testing I did represents spills that I almost guarantee will happen during the expected life of the upholstery.
I might go with the Sunbrella "Canvas Antique Beige" fabric, but I'm really leaning towards the Nauga Soft. If I boated in a hot climate I would probably go with the fabric, but in the PACNW sticking to Vinyl is a non issue and the vinyl seems to clean up much easier.
They were:
Nauga Soft "Doeskin"
Sunbrella upholstery fasbric Canvas collection "Antique Beige"
Sunbrella upholstery fabric Spectrum collection "Sand"
All 3 are light beige in color.
The Nauga Soft is a vinyl product
The Antique Beige is a soft canvas fabric
The Sand is a medium weave fabric
I decided to test each sample using four common "spills" that we encounter on boats. These were:
Water
Ball Point Pen
BBQ sauce
Mayonaise
Here are the results
Water
To test water spills I put 1/2 teaspoon on each sample, let it sit for 5 minutes and then cleaned it up with a paper towel.
On all three samples the water beaded up, and upon cleaning only the "spectrum Sand" sample allowed any water to pass through to a paper towel beneath the sample
Pen
To test pen marks I just drew a quick line, trying to simulate sitting on a cushon with a pen in your pocket.
Pen is difficult to clean up. I tried a wet sponge with Dawn diswashing soap, then 409 then powerhouse orange solution degreaser. None of these worked on any of the samples. Then I tried isopropyl alcohol, which successfully removed the pen from all three samples.
BBQ Sauce
To test BBQ sauce I put a bit of BBQ sause on the sample and lightly moved a finger across it one time simulating a spill, and an attempt to quickly remove it, like you would do during a meal.
I was able to clean up the BBQ sauce leaving no trace from al 3 samples using a wet sponge and Dawn dishwashing liquid.
Mayonnaise
To test Mayonnaise I did the same as the BBQ sauce. I put a bit of Mayonnaise on the sample and lightly moved a finger across it one time simulating a spill, and an attempt to quickly remove it, something you would do during a meal.
Mayonnaise was a challenge for the fabrics, but wiped right off the Nauga Soft vinyl. I tried to remove the Mayonaise using a wet sponge with Dawn dishwashing liquid. I tried repeated scrubbings. This resulted in a very light noticiable discoloration of the "Canvas Antique Beige" fabric. The "Spectrum Sand" shows a very noticiable stain.
Possible even more repeated scrubbings would reduce the stains on the fabrics, but I spent considerable effort to get the results I did.
Attached are several photos of the testing and the results.
Because of this testing I have eliminated the Sunbrella "Spectrum Sand" from consideration. My boat gets used, and the testing I did represents spills that I almost guarantee will happen during the expected life of the upholstery.
I might go with the Sunbrella "Canvas Antique Beige" fabric, but I'm really leaning towards the Nauga Soft. If I boated in a hot climate I would probably go with the fabric, but in the PACNW sticking to Vinyl is a non issue and the vinyl seems to clean up much easier.
Attachments
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