Waterproofing a suede sofa is not difficult. Many professionals avoid this type of fabric for fear that the protection will not be adequate or that the fabric will stain. The big problem is that suede and suede fabrics are the most sold fabrics for use in sofas and armchairs in Brazil.
What is the reason for fear of waterproofing suede?
A common feature of suede and suede fabrics is the down on the surface. These micro hairs can be oriented from side to side, from top to bottom, and often this change slightly changes the color. Because of this, these fabrics need additional care to have a perfect waterproofing. The care consists precisely in making the waterproofing material touch all sides of this fluff, which is sometimes lying down and does not receive contact with the product. Then the waterproofing is badly done and the headache begins.
Another extremely sensitive point is the coloring of the suede fabrics. The vast majority are super sensitive to petroleum-based solvents, normally used in solvent-based waterproofing. This causes wear of the paint and consequently irreversible damage to the sofa. When this happens, just changing the fabric to fix it.
How should I protect suede fabric?
To answer this question, let us go to the most basic principle of a waterproofing process: throw enough product to guarantee protection. The suede fabric does not have much liquid absorption. So you can do 2 to 3 applications, each in an orientation. As the fabric will not fully absorb the waterproofing material, you will notice that part of it will remain on the surface, giving the impression that there is some barrier that does not let the product penetrate.
Don't worry, this is great. After application use a manual squeegee, similar to the squeegees that we use in sinks, preferably with silicone. Spread the product in an oriented way by “combing” the sofa bristles from top to bottom, from left to right. Do this until you have complete uniformity. This way you guarantee that all the faces of these bristles will be touched by the waterproofing. The consequence is perfect protection after the drying time of the product.
Which products are most recommended for use in suede fabric?
We have already explained how sensitive suede, suede and velvet are in relation to their coloring in contact with solvents. In addition, solvent-based waterproofing is very fast drying and does not allow the use of the squeegee technique. This can be fatal when waterproofing the suede fabric.
For protection of suede, suede, velvet the recommendation is to use waterproofing products based on water or nanotechnology. These are products that will not react with the fabric's ink pigment and will allow the proper use of the correct technique. Below we recommend 2 products available in the Brazilian market:
- ECOTEXTIL - based on SiO2 nanoparticles, Ecotextil is the strongest, purest and safest product on the market. Totally odorless, colorless, non-toxic. It can be applied by anyone. Like all products based on SiO2 on a nanoscale, when placed next to a glass of water it is impossible to determine which glass is of the product and which is of water. It is the only product with this technology in Brazil. Prices range from R$ 42 to R$ 449 depending on the quantity. You can buy on here.
- PRO IMPER - water-based product with German silicon polymer technology. Extremely concentrated, light filled, slightly cloudy coloring. Easy application, drying in 24 hours. Prices range from R$ 160.00 to R$ 180.00. You can buy on here.
To better understand the application in suede fabric, short below the first video of the series “video lesson on waterproofing”, including protections in other suede categories such as animale, wrinkled, shine.