If you are shopping for outdoor furniture at Ashley Furniture, you have likely found that its outdoor furniture comes with Nuvella performance fabric. But, you may be wondering, what is this fabric? How does Nuvella fabric compare to Sunbrella fabric?
In this post, we compare and contrast the two popular fabrics to help guide your outdoor furniture purchase.
So, read on below to make the perfect outdoor furniture purchase for you!
When you are done reading below, come back and check out these posts too:
👉 See why we think Ashley outdoor furniture is a great choice for your outdoor space
👉 Is Sunbrella worth it? Absolutely! Find out all of the pros and cons for Sunbrella
👉 Check out how Sunbrella compares to Olefin fabric – another popular outdoor furniture fabric
Summary
- How is Sunbrella Better? Longer warranty and available on many outdoor furniture brands
- How is Nuvella Better? Typically lower priced than Sunbrella
Nuvella and Sunbrella are both excellent outdoor fabrics, you can’t go wrong with either!
Sunbrella is a brand of solution-dyed acrylic used by many patio furniture manufacturers, whereas Nuvella is a fabric exclusive to Ashley Furniture. You can find these fabrics on outdoor furniture items such as sofas, sectionals, chairs, loveseats, and more.
Both Nuvella and Sunbrella are all-weather resistant designed to resist moisture, UV exposure, and normal backyard wear and tear. If you are looking to buy patio furniture with high-quality fabric, both of these are great options for your next purchase!
| Category | Winner | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture Resistance | Draw | Both are highly moisture resistant |
| Sun & Heat Resistance | Draw | Both are highly fade resistant |
| Durability | Draw | Both should last many years in your backyard |
| Warranty | Sunbrella | Sunbrella has a 5-year warranty; Nuvella has a 1-year warranty |
| Maintenance & Care | Draw | Both require little maintenance and care |
| Eco-Friendly | Draw | Both are sustainably made and can be reused or recycled |
| Price | Nuvella | Patio furniture with Nuvella typically costs less to comparable patio furniture with Sunbrella |
Sunbrella: Overview
Sunbrella is one of the most popular outdoor branded fabric used in many different items: cushions, shades, and marine fabrics. Sunbrella is made from solution-dyed acrylic. Solution-dyed means that the color of the fiber is dyed all the way through the fabric during the manufacturing process of the fabric, which results in highly color steadfast fabric that is great for outdoor use.
📣 See our full list of pros and cons for Sunbrella
You can find patio furniture with Sunbrella fabric at many retailers and many popular high-quality brands use Sunbrella in some of the patio furniture, like Neighbor, RST Brands, Yardbird, and SunHaven.
Patio Furniture Options with Sunbrella
Nuvella: Overview
Nuvella performance fabric is used exclusively at Ashley Furniture, and you can find this fabric on all outdoor furniture from Ashley.
Nuvella is a solution-dyed fabric designed to withstand the wear and tear of outdoor use. Solution-dyed means that the color is part of the fabric rather than being applied on top of the fabric. This means that the fabric is very fade-resistant.
Ashley Furniture also notes that this fabric is an all-weather fabric that is dirt, mold, mildew, and stain resistant. Most stains on the Nuvella fabric can be easily cleaned, and the cushion covers can be removed to be washed.
📣 See our full review of Nuvella fabric.
Patio Furniture Options with Nuvella
Key Similarities
- High Weather Resistance and Durability: Sunbrella and Nuvella are high-quality performance fabrics that are designed to endure the weather and wear and tear of your backyard.
- Solution-Dyed Fabrics (Great Fade Resistance): They are both solution-dyed fabrics, meaning the color is part of the fabric, not simply dyed on top of the fabric. This makes both fabrics very fade-resistant.
- Minimal Maintenance: Since these fabrics are designed to endure the outdoor elements, you shouldn’t have to spend too much time keeping these fabrics looking great throughout the year.
Key Differences
- Price: Although both of these products will likely be priced at the higher end of outdoor furniture options, you will typically find that patio furniture items from Ashley made with Nuvella tend to be less expensive than comparable items made with Sunbrella.
- Warranty: Sunbrella comes with an industry-leading 5-year warranty, whereas Nuvella has a 1-year warranty
- Availability: Nuvella is only available on Ashley outdoor furniture. Sunbrella, on the other hand, can be found across many different patio furniture brands.
Characteristics Comparison
We compare Nuvella and Sunbrella fabric on the following characteristics in the sections below. These are the main things we think you should consider before buying your next piece of outdoor furniture with Nuvella or Sunbrella.
- Moisture Resistance
- Sun & Heat Resistance
- Durability
- Warranty
- Maintenance & Care
- Eco-Friendly
- Price
- Comfort
Moisture Resistance
Winner: Draw
Reason: Both fabrics are designed to be highly moisture, mold, and mildew resistant
Sunbrella is designed to repel water and stains, enabling this material to be mold and mildew resistant. Sunbrella specifically engineered this water and stain resistance throughout each fiber to help it endure outdoor elements for many years.
Ashley’s Nuvella fabric is all-weather, which the company notes this means it is water-resistant. As a result, the material is also mold and mildew resistant.
No matter what, you should probably protect or store cushions with either fabric if you are expecting heavy rain because these fabrics are not waterproof! (Unless you have Sunbrella Rain fabric, which is designed to be waterproof)
Sun & Heat Resistance
Winner: Draw
Reason: Both fabrics are solution-dyed fabrics, meaning that the color is part of the fabric – not just on top of the fabric. This makes them both very colorfast fabrics that are hard to fade
Because Sunbrella is solution-dyed and treated with UV stabilizers throughout the manufacturing process of the fiber, this material is highly resistant to fading from UV exposure and normal backyard wear-and-tear. Additionally, this fabric should remain cool even if exposed to direct sunlight.
Ashley’s Nuvella fabric is designed to withstand UV exposure because it is a solution-dyed fabric. This means the fabric’s color is a part of the fabric, rather than simply applied on top of the fabric. As a result, the fabric is very fade-resistant.
Durability
Winner: Draw
Reason: These are both performance fabrics that have been designed to withstand the wear and tear of your backyard
Sunbrella fabric is a very strong material that is designed to last many years. This material is designed to withstand the harsh elements of your backyard by being water, stain, fade, and abrasion-resistant.
Nuvella is known as a versatile material that can be used for outdoor and indoor use. When used outdoors, this fabric is known to withstand the regular wear-and-tear that comes from outdoor use in any backyard.
Warranty
Winner: Sunbrella
Reason: Sunbrella’s leading 5-year warranty easily tops Nuvella’s one-year warranty
A great feature of Sunbrella fabric is that it carries a 5-year limited warranty, which is longer than warranties for most outdoor furniture and other items.
Ashley Furniture offers a 1-year limited warranty on its outdoor furniture, including its Nuvella fabric. A one-year warranty is the industry average.
Maintenance & Care
Winner: Draw
Reason: The high weather resistance and durability of both fabrics mean less year-round maintenance and care will be needed from you.
Usually, all that is needed to clean Sunbrella is mild soap and water to clean away any dirt or dust on the fabric.
Nuvella fabric, too, requires little maintenance since this fabric is designed with stain resistance in mind. Most stains that do appear on the fabric can be cleaned simply with warm water, mild soap, and a soft bristle brush.
For stubborn stains on either fabric, refer to manufacturer guidelines on how to clean the fabric properly.
Eco-Friendly
Winner: Draw
Reason: Both of these fabrics are manufactured with sustainable practices, and the fabrics can be reused or recycled.
Sunbrella fabric is manufactured without any harmful chemicals, and the manufacturing process produces little wastewater. Although Sunbrella fabric is not directly recyclable, Sunbrella has a “Recycle My Sunbrella” program that allows end-users to send fabric that has reached the end of its useful life back to Sunbrella to find additional applications for the fabric like automotive insulation and felt.
A great aspect of Nuvella is that it is very eco-friendly. Ashley Furniture’s Nuvella fabric is eco-friendly because no waste water is generated in the solution-dyed manufacturing process of the fibers, and the fabric is 100% recyclable.
Price
Winner: Nuvella
Reason: You can typically find Ashley outdoor furniture with Nuvella fabric at a lower price than a comparable set made with Sunbrella.
Winner: Nuvella
You will typically find that Sunbrella fabric and patio furniture with Sunbrella fabric carries a higher price than other fabrics or outdoor furniture made with different fabrics. However, we find that the higher price is justified given the fabric’s high weather resistance and durability coupled with the industry-leading 5-year warranty.
On the other hand, Ashley furniture is usually found at lower prices to comparable outdoor furniture sets made with Sunbrella.
Comfort
Winner: Draw
Reason: We have tried out multiple furniture sets with both of these fabrics and found both fabrics to be plenty comfortable. The only other comfort differentiation is in the cushion material and size.
Winner: Draw
Despite all of the outdoor protection Sunbrella provides, this very soft and comfortable material is an excellent choice for cushions where comfort is a must.
Nuvella is known to be a very comfortable outdoor fabric (and this is true based on our experience!). So, not only do you get a highly weather-resistant fabric to use in your outdoor living space, but Nuvella provides a comfortable fabric option for your patio furniture.
