The term Indoor/ Outdoor fabric- or the more designer oriented term Al Fresco- is used to describe fabrics, typically polyester and acrylic fabrics, that are suitable for indoor and outdoor use.
Why the distinction?
In the past outdoor fabrics had a distinctive texture (hand) which felt synthetic and uncomfortable. Some brands used to use chemicals such as formaldehyde to treat their fabrics. At first blush the very thought of putting formaldehyde in your home seems like a no-no... and in large concentrations you are probably right, but the US EPA website says that formaldehyde is in everybody's home due to its use in building products such as pressed wood and adhesives as well as in household appliences. Choosing to put more of this material in your home is your call. Household plants and good ventilation should help clean the air. A member of the Sunbrella team commented that they no longer use this chemical and that their products are safe for indoor use.
Today's outdoor fabrics are different. For the most part, the old ways of creating stiff plasticky outdoor fabrics has died out. Newer products are softer and more practical for use inside and out. Using outdoor fabrics for indoor use makes perfect sense in high sunlight areas, high traffic areas that need constant cleaning such as rental homes and places where children play, as well as spaces such as basements that tend to be a little moist.
The outdoor fabrics we choose to sell at www.draperyrow.com all meet exacting standards and are considered among the best fabrics on the retail and designer markets.
Just to clarify, Sunbrella furniture fabrics do not contain formaldehyde. In fact, our furniture fabrics are Greenguard Certified for Children and Schools. You should have no worries about using our furniture fabrics indoors or outdoors.
ReplyDelete-- The Sunbrella Team