Upholstery & Dogs, BIG Dogs

[ShallowGal]

Wanting to learn the easy way, I'd love to hear about your experiences with the Oliver fabrics & dogs.  I like most of what they offer but worry about the weave and toenails. If you have a dog, is there a fabric you recommend or suggest avoiding?

[Free2Roam]

We don't have ours yet (going into production as of tomorrow!) but we had the same concern. We opted to choose our own fabric and went with Sunbrella. I had read a posting somewhere here on the Forum about someone choosing Sunbrella because of their dogs.  We bought the fabric and had it sent to the gentleman who makes the cushions.

[John E Davies]

We have two 38 lb labradoodles and our solution is they are not allowed up on the furniture. They have the floor, and a couple of well used dog beds, with their scent firmly imbedded in them.

 

 

If you cannot keep your big dog(s) off your stuff, I suggest dog training. Trying to keep the covers from getting damaged is a bandaid fix for a dog behavior issue. IMHO, of course. Our dogs sleep on the bed with us at home, they sleep on the floor when camping. It took very little time to get them to understand this. One is smart, the other is rather dim....

 

OTH Sunbrella is great stuff, looks good and is expensive.

 

No offense intended, I just want you to look at the other side of the equation.... when camping, your dogs are going to get really dirty, buggy (ticks), maybe wet and smelly... do you really want that on your cushions?

 

We need better pics of your dogs. Is one a doodle?

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[ShallowGal]

We opted to choose our own fabric and went with Sunbrella

Thank you for your response & congrats on your soon-to-be OTT! I love the fabric you chose & hope you will let me know how you like it.

[ShallowGal]

If you cannot keep your big dog(s) off your stuff, I suggest dog training.

 

... One is smart, the other is rather dim….

 

...We need better pics of your dogs. Is one a doodle?

 

You are absolutely right about the training & that will be my goal. The problem is that only one of us is a disciplinarian.

 

I have a smart doodle & a dim doodle too! The black one is 50/50 Lab & Poodle, the blonde one is full blown Goldendoodle. Guess which one is dim.

 

And twist my arm for more pics of my Doods. :)

 

Although we are at opposite ends of the US, I hope to one day meet you & your Doodles!

[Overland]

Oliver will upgrade to a marine vinyl if you ask.  We're using Morbern Prodigy (pdf sample card), which is essenitally a much more reasonably priced version of ultra leather.  It's puncture resistant, easy to clean, and frankly looks ten times better than any of their standard fabrics.  I have samples here at home that I've torture tested and it looks to hold up really well to abrasion and scratches.  It has a nice texture, matte finish and a soft feel to it, similar to what you'd find in any high end car these days.  If that's not your thing, then the sunbrella fabric mentioned above should do the trick.  Both Sunbrella and Prodigy run about $20/yd vs. I think $9 for the standard fabrics, which is an insignificant cost in context.  The standard Oliver fabrics have a loose weave that I doubt would hold up well at all with dogs, and their 'leather' options aren't nearly as nice as the Prodigy.

[Kayrae51]

I think I would stay away from the looser woven fabrics that Oliver offers. I chose a Crypton fabric for our couch setup & breathable vinyl fabric for our dinette cushions. Sunbrella is a great option & I may have gone that way if I had found a fabric I liked. The new vinyl fabrics are much nicer than they used to be & may be the best option for bigger dogs.

 

Crypton fabrics states: "Stain, moisture and odor resistant – Crypton is the ultimate performance fabric!" We will see about that! I like the fact that their fabrics are easily cleaned with a water-based cleaner and feel softer. Before you order please Have them send you several fabric samples so you can double check colors/quality. I found my fabrics at 40% off at https://www.discounteddesignerfabrics.com and I was very pleased with their service. I believe most online stores will ship directly to the upholsterer, mine did. Oliver lists a couple other online fabric stores (Miami Corp & Kovi) on their website. Note: All of these fabrics choices are more expensive than Oliver's base fabric choices.

[Kayrae51]

Oliver will upgrade to a marine vinyl if you ask. We’re using Morbern Prodigy (pdf sample card), which is essenitally a much more reasonably priced version of ultra leather. It’s puncture resistant, easy to clean, and frankly looks ten times better than any of their standard fabrics. I have samples here at home that I’ve torture tested and it looks to hold up really well to abrasion and scratches. It has a nice texture, matte finish and a soft feel to it, similar to what you’d find in any high end car these days. If that’s not your thing, then the sunbrella fabric mentioned above should do the trick. Both Sunbrella and Prodigy run about $20/yd vs. I think $9 for the standard fabrics, which is an insignificant cost in context. The standard Oliver fabrics have a loose weave that I doubt would hold up well at all with dogs, and their ‘leather’ options aren’t nearly as nice as the Prodigy.

 

 

Checked Morbern Prodigy out today....really looks like great stuff!

 

 

 

[Spike]

 

You call them big dogs?

 

Hank does OK on the floor and is patient as we maneuver around him. No upholstery for him.

[ShallowGal]

We’re using Morbern Prodigy (pdf sample card), which is essenitally a much more reasonably priced version of ultra leather. It’s puncture resistant, easy to clean, and frankly looks ten times better than any of their standard fabrics. I have samples here at home that I’ve torture tested and it looks to hold up really well to abrasion and scratches.

Great info! Thank you!

[ShallowGal]

I chose a Crypton fabric for our couch setup & breathable vinyl fabric for our dinette cushions.

Hmmmm, may steal your "couch" idea. My husband is 6'3"/300 lbs & I just can't see him sitting there comfortably in the dinette configuration. The blue you chose is very pretty.