Description
FR Treated Skin Wadding for Traditional Upholstery
This 90cm (36″) wide FR treated skin wadding is a soft natural-fibre upholstery material used mainly in traditional furniture construction and restoration.
Supplied on a 10 metre roll, skin wadding is commonly positioned over horse hair and other coarse upholstery fillings to help prevent individual fibres from working through into the softer finishing layers above.
It also provides a smoother, softer intermediate layer beneath the final upholstery fabric and helps create a cleaner finished surface.
Product Specification
- Width: 90cm (36″)
- Roll length: 10 metres
- Material: Natural-fibre skin wadding
- Treatment: FR treated
- Application: Traditional upholstery padding and filling containment
- Suitable for: Chairs, sofas, seats, backs and furniture restoration
What Is Skin Wadding Used For?
Skin wadding is primarily used as a soft separating and smoothing layer within traditional upholstery.
Coarser filling materials such as horse hair can provide excellent resilience and structure, but individual fibres may otherwise work into the softer materials above.
Skin wadding helps contain these fillings while providing a more even surface for the subsequent upholstery layers.
Typical applications include:
- Traditional chair restoration
- Sofa and armchair upholstery
- Seat padding
- Back and arm padding
- Covering horse hair fillings
- Covering coir and other coarse materials
- Furniture restoration
- Softening traditional upholstery build-ups
- Creating a smoother layer beneath upholstery fabric
Why Use Skin Wadding Over Horse Hair?
Traditional horse hair is valued for its resilience, durability and ability to create shape within upholstered furniture.
However, horse hair is naturally coarse.
A layer of skin wadding above the filling helps prevent individual hairs from working through the upholstery build-up and provides a softer interface between the coarse filling and the finer finishing layers above.
For traditional upholstery fillings, browse Hair & Coir.
Skin Wadding with Hair and Coir
Skin wadding works particularly well as part of a traditional layered upholstery construction.
Hair & Coir provides firmer, resilient filling and body.
Skin wadding performs a different role by covering those coarser materials, helping contain loose fibres and creating a softer, more consistent surface above them.
The two materials are therefore complementary rather than alternatives.
Skin Wadding and Hessian
Traditional upholstery often uses Hessian & Lining Cloths as part of the structural foundation beneath the fillings.
Hessian may be fitted over springs or other support systems before hair, coir or other upholstery filling materials are added.
Skin wadding is normally used higher in the build-up, over the coarse fillings, where it helps create a softer transition towards the final upholstery surface.
The exact order will depend on the furniture construction and the method being used.
Skin Wadding or Firm Needled Felt?
Skin wadding and firm needled felt perform different jobs.
Choose skin wadding when you need:
- A soft natural-fibre layer
- Coverage over horse hair or coarse fillings
- A smoother traditional upholstery surface
- Help containing loose or protruding fibres
- A finishing layer within traditional upholstery
Choose firm needled felt when you need:
- Spring protection
- Platform padding
- A structural upholstery layer
- Coverage over webbing
- A firm, dense base beneath softer fillings
For structural felt products, browse Upholstery Felts.
Skin Wadding or Soft Layered Felt?
Skin wadding and soft layered felt can both be used as softer upholstery materials, but they are not identical.
Skin wadding is particularly associated with traditional upholstery and covering coarse natural fillings such as horse hair.
Soft layered felt provides a more substantial general-purpose comfort and smoothing layer where additional padding is required.
For heavier soft padding, consider Soft Layered Felt 750g or other soft felt options from the Livedale felt range.
Skin Wadding or Polyester Wadding?
Skin wadding should not be confused with Polyester Wadding.
Polyester wadding is commonly wrapped around foam cushions to add loft, soften edges and create a fuller modern cushion finish.
Skin wadding is a natural-fibre material associated primarily with traditional upholstery, where it helps cover horse hair and other coarse filling materials.
For foam cushion wrapping, polyester wadding is generally the more appropriate product.
For traditional hair-filled upholstery, skin wadding has a much more specific role.
Upholstery Needles and Twines for Traditional Work
Traditional upholstery often involves hand stitching, shaping and securing several separate layers.
Livedale’s Upholstery Needles, Pins & Skewers range includes specialist needles and tools used for hand upholstery, shaping and furniture restoration.
For securing traditional filling layers, stitching edges and other hand-upholstery operations, browse Upholstery Twines.
These tools and materials are particularly relevant when rebuilding older furniture using traditional construction methods rather than simply replacing the existing padding with modern foam.
Typical Traditional Upholstery Build-Up
Traditional furniture varies considerably, but a seat may include combinations of:
Furniture frame → webbing or springs → hessian → hair or coir filling → skin wadding → softer finishing layers → upholstery fabric
Some furniture will also incorporate firm felt, layered felt, additional hessian, calico or other materials.
The correct construction depends on the age, design and original upholstery method of the furniture.
When restoring an existing piece, photograph and record each layer during dismantling so the original sequence and shape can be reproduced where appropriate.
FR Treated Skin Wadding for Upholstery and Restoration
This 36″ wide skin wadding is FR treated and is suitable for professional upholsterers, furniture restorers and experienced customers carrying out traditional furniture repairs.
Its natural-fibre construction makes it particularly useful where a softer covering layer is needed above horse hair, coir and similar traditional upholstery fillings.
Browse Hair & Coir for traditional resilient fillings.
Browse Hessian & Lining Cloths for traditional upholstery foundation and lining materials.
For alternative soft and firm padding materials, browse Upholstery Felts.
For specialist hand-upholstery tools, visit Upholstery Needles, Pins & Skewers and Upholstery Twines.
For help choosing the correct traditional upholstery filling or padding layer, contact Livedale.
