What fabrics are Kuvr outdoor covers made from?

Hi guys, Duncan here at Kuvr.co Custom Covers. In this video I'm going to walk you through the two fabrics that we predominantly use in the manufacture of our own custom outdoor covers — as well as one fabric that we specifically do not use. And it's that one fabric that you'll find, unsurprisingly, is most commonly used in pretty much every single standard-size outdoor cover on the market. So sit tight and let's get into it.

At Kuvr, we primarily work with two different types of specialist outdoor fabric, known as PVCArmour® and NylonSafe®. Both of these are designed to stand up to the elements, both are seriously durable, and both come with long warranties. And trust me — we've worked with a lot of different materials over the years. These two fabrics are the ones we personally trust to protect your investment for the long term.

NylonSafe® is our go-to performance fabric. It's a 420-denier nylon, weighing in at around 380g per square metre, or about 12oz. It's going to handle wind, rain, snow and ice comfortably, and it's going to offer good UV protection as well, and it comes as standard with a 3-year warranty. The outer surface has a canvas-like feel to it, and the underside is fully backed with waterproof PVC. The seams are stitched, then sealed on the inside using our own HydroLok® technology, which is effectively a hot-air seam weld that prevents water from creeping in along the stitch lines. NylonSafe® is a great all-rounder, ideal for home, garden and light commercial use.

If you're looking for something a little bit tougher, then PVCArmour® is the option for you. This is equivalent to around 1,000 denier. It weighs in at 550gsm, or about 18oz, and it comes as standard with a 5-year warranty. It's got the same HydroLok® technology on the seams, so, as with our NylonSafe® fabric, these covers are 100% waterproof — not just showerproof, waterproof. PVCArmour® is really designed for long-term protection in high-exposure areas — that could be in the garden, or heavy-use commercial environments as well.

Now, let's talk about a material we do not use in our covers. It's one known as Oxford fabric — and trust me, you're going to find this fabric all over the internet if you go looking for outdoor covers. Retailers pitch it as a premium outdoor fabric with a fancy English name, but in reality what you're actually going to find is that it's what most low-cost, off-the-shelf furniture covers are made from. The issue is it's not actually fully waterproof, especially when the seam sealing begins to fail, as it has done here. And when it comes to UV resistance, it's just not up to the job. It might last you one year, maybe two years if it doesn't tear or blow away — but it's not going to give you that long-term peace of mind that you should be looking for.

Now, as it happens, this fabric does actually have a good use, and we even use it ourselves for our custom cover storage bags — because truthfully, that's what it's made for. And honestly, in my opinion, that's all it's really good for.

So here's a quick side-by-side comparison. Oxford fabric is typically 150 to 300 denier and around 120 to 180g per square metre, which is about 4 to 6oz. Now by comparison, our NylonSafe® is 420 denier — that's 380gsm, or 12oz — and our PVCArmour® is the equivalent of 1,000 denier, that's 550g per square metre and 18oz. So in simple terms, if you're comparing our fabrics with an off-the-shelf cover, then know this: NylonSafe® is up to three times the weight and thickness of a typical polyester Oxford fabric, and PVCArmour® is up to almost five times the weight and thickness. The quality difference simply is not comparable.

We will not use fabrics that don't go the distance. But I can't speak for others, and all I can really say is: whoever you choose to buy from, go check the reviews first. If you want to feel the difference yourself, head to samples.kuvr.co to order a free sample book and feel the quality before you buy. If you've been, thanks for watching, and I'll see you on the next one.