Working with transit upholstery requires a lot of skill and knowledge, not to mention great materials. After all, durability and abrasion resistance due to high everyday usage is so crucial in this department.
If you want to learn more about what working with transit upholstery entails, keep reading!
Transit Seating Materials
When it comes to transit upholstery, it all starts with the right fabric. Since people will get in and out of the mass transit vehicle repeatedly, the materials you use need to be able take thousands of rubs a day. Apart from durability and abrasion resistance, the fabrics you choose for transit should also be easy to clean, stain/ soil/ flame resistant, plus moisture repellent with colorfastness and antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. It’s also worth mentioning that any materials being exposed to UV light for hours on end will also suffer if they’re not resistant enough.
What material would we recommend? In our opinion, vinyl meets all of the above requirements being so durable, comfortable and easy to maintain.
Design
Let’s be honest here. The good looks often get neglected in commercial transit upholstery because what matters most is uniformity. Another contributing factor is budget. However, there are companies who like to invest in the look they want, and they care more about specific colors, materials and logo placement.
Fun fact: Do you know why some transit materials feature a lot of busy patterns? Because it’s easier to hide stains that way!
Transit Upholstery
Doing upholstering for mass transit vehicles requires a lot of knowledge about the industry standards, let alone a professional skill set. According to this article, “you need to be able to balance aesthetics, both in color and design, with durability and robustness that are beyond normal furniture or upholstery norms.” Another important thing to take into consideration is the expected life span of mass transit seating. The seats you’re upholstering should be able to last up to 12 years, although realistically the fabrics are usually being replaced within 5 to 10 years.
There you have it! For more tips and interesting facts about different kinds of upholstery and the industry, visit our NEWS section!
Need help with transit upholstery? Call us today! Our staff has over 70 years of combined knowledge and experience in cleaning and repairs. In fact, there probably isn’t a job we have not done!
