polyurethane vs vinyl

[DU]

I am thinking about adding polyurethane as a premium choice to my costomers does anyone have any insight on.
Most of my work is in medical and some fitness environments.

[JuneC]

I don't know anything about that environment, but I know it wears REALLY well on boats - not outdoors, of course, but inside the cabin.  Seems to wipe clean easily, doesn't show age after many years of use and having been sat on with wet, salty bathing suits, and holds its color in a very high UV environment.  Most won't go for it though due to the cost.  I love the stuff, but at $50 to $95 a yard, it's a tough sell.  Some high end manufacturers use it as an OEM fabric - Formula Yachts, for instance. 

In your case, I wouldn't hesitate to spend the $10 or $15 for a swatch card and see how it goes.  In healthcare, though, I don't think it comes with the antimicrobial properties that would be required for exam tables and such.  Might work well for waiting rooms though. 

June

[Rich]

There used to be a coated fabric called Finesse that was becoming quite popular with dental chair mfgrs. back in the 90's b/c it had the look and feel of genuine leather. That is, until the finish started to flake off. Now you don't see it at all anymore in that industry. Today, Ultraleather, which is a polyurethane is all the rage in dental chairs and it looks and feels even more like the real stuff than Finesse did. Lately, however, I've been seeing chairs made with this stuff tearing at the seams and b/c it has such an unyielding backing it must be sewn. It doesn't seem to have the strength of traditional vinyls like Naugahyde to withstand stresses when perforated by a needle.
That's my take so far.
Rich

[Mike8560]

 had to redo the upholstery on a carvers  sette to match the dinette that was already redone it was ultralsather all t worn out