What requirements must laboratory chair upholstery meet?
A chair working in a laboratory serves a different function than an office chair, which is why its upholstery must meet a set of requirements unknown in other industries. The basic criterion is impermeability. Spilled liquid that soaks into the material becomes a source of contamination impossible to remove with any disinfectant. This is why the evaluation of laboratory chairs begins with surface tightness, not with its appearance or softness.
Equally important is the lack of pores and seams. Dirt and microorganisms inaccessible to the disinfectant accumulate in these places, and every stitch is a potential site for the upholstery to become unsealed in the future.
The material must also exhibit chemical resistance because disinfection takes place daily, and contact with a reagent is sometimes accidental. Added to this is mechanical resistance and UV radiation resistance; the seat works under technical lighting and is subject to intensive, multi-shift use.
For these reasons, classic upholstery fabrics are excluded in the laboratory: they absorb liquids, do not tolerate disinfectants, and cannot be effectively disinfected. The compliance of the seat with the above requirements is confirmed by strength tests conducted in accordance with PN-EN 16139 and PN-EN 1021 standards, as well as the PZH hygiene certificate.
Standards and certificates for laboratory furniture
Furniture intended for non-domestic use, including laboratory seating, is subject to the PN-EN 16139 standard, which specifies requirements for strength, durability, and structural safety. Upholstery materials are additionally covered by the PN-EN 1021 standard, which describes methods for assessing their flammability.
It is worth distinguishing the product standard from the material certificate. The standard describes the requirements and the method of conducting tests, while the certificate confirms a specific result obtained for a given material or finished product. When ordering laboratory furniture, you should therefore require an indication of the specific tests to which a given model was subjected, rather than a general assurance of "compliance with standards".
This is of practical importance, especially in the context of biocides used in the daily disinfection of equipment; alongside mechanical loads, they have the greatest impact on the quality of the upholstery during use.
Integral polyurethane, synthetic leather, and technical fabric - material comparison
The choice of upholstery material comes down in practice to three options: integral polyurethane, synthetic leather, and technical fabric. The key difference relates to the method of producing the upholstery. Integral polyurethane is molded together with the seat filling in a single technological process. Therefore, there is no connection between the upholstery and the core that could become unsealed over time. Synthetic leather, on the other hand, is stretched over the finished filling and joined with seams, while technical fabric has a layered structure prone to abrasion.
The differences between the materials are best seen when comparing their basic properties. Integral polyurethane has a homogeneous structure molded together with the seat core, has no seams, practically absorbs no liquids, and shows high resistance to both disinfectants and solvents, along with high mechanical durability. Synthetic leather has a layered structure and is stretched over the filling, which is why seams appear in it; its absorbency is low but increases with surface damage, and its resistance to disinfection and solvents is only medium or low, similarly to its mechanical durability. Technical fabric, even when coated, has a layered structure and seams, high absorbency, and low resistance to both disinfection and solvents, with mechanical durability comparable to synthetic leather.
The typical wear process of synthetic leather is well known from operational practice: repeated disinfection causes the loss of plasticizers, the surface stiffens, and cracks appear on the bends and seams, through which liquid begins to penetrate into the filling. Technical fabrics, even with a coating, rub off in places of greatest load, which is why they also do not work well in a laboratory environment. Integral polyurethane foam is used in laboratory seats, and polyurethane that does not absorb water or fats is used in stools.
Integral polyurethane: properties and scope of application
An integral structure means that the outer layer of the material is compact and tight, while the inside remains porous and flexible; the whole is created in a single molding process, without joining separate elements. In practice, this means there are no joints where dirt could accumulate, the entire surface can be wiped with the same preparation, and there is no risk of spilled liquid soaking in.
This material shows high resistance to disinfectants and UV radiation, and its mechanical strength allows for multi-shift operation without losing utility properties. This is of particular importance where the chair changes users several times a day.
Integral polyurethane has its limitations, however; upon prolonged contact with strong organic solvents, it degrades, like any other polymer. Therefore, spilled chemical reagents must be removed from the surface immediately, regardless of the upholstery material used.
What happens to the upholstery after contact with acetone and alcohol?
It is worth distinguishing two situations: planned disinfection with alcohol-based preparations and accidental contact with an organic solvent, for example, acetone. The mechanism of interaction is different in both cases. Alcohol evaporates from the surface and, with an appropriately resistant material, does not change its structure, whereas organic solvents can cause swelling and dulling of the upholstery.
Damage to the upholstery can be recognized by several characteristic symptoms: loss of gloss, stiffening of the surface, color change, and cracks appearing in bending places. If a reagent spills, the liquid should be collected as soon as possible with an absorbent material, the surface wiped, and then the condition of the upholstery checked.
Synthetic leather reacts to this type of contact much faster than integral polyurethane; its surface layer is thinner, and its damage immediately exposes the filling underneath. Integral polyurethane, thanks to its homogeneous structure, exhibits significantly higher chemical resistance in this regard.
How to clean and disinfect upholstery without damaging it?
Proper cleaning of laboratory upholstery is based on a few simple rules:
- wiping the surface instead of scrubbing,
- using a soft cloth without abrasive elements,
- applying the preparation to the cloth, and not directly to the chair mechanisms,
- thoroughly drying the surface after disinfection,
- checking the condition of the upholstery during each cleaning.
Rough sponges and abrasive preparations are contraindicated because they compromise the compact surface layer responsible for the material's impermeability. The entire seat should be subject to disinfection. Not only the upholstery, but also the base, castors, and adjustment elements.
The type of agent used and the frequency of disinfection result from the procedures in force in a given laboratory, including in cleanroom zones. Alcohol-based agents are the standard for surface disinfection, and materials such as integral polyurethane or medical vinyl are resistant to them, so there is no need to limit oneself exclusively to alcohol-free preparations.
Which upholstery to choose for which workstation?
It is worth linking the choice of upholstery to the specific nature of a given workstation. In a chemical laboratory, resistance to contact with reagents is crucial; in a microbiological and medical laboratory, the disinfection regime; at measuring and auxiliary workstations, frequent user changes; and in rooms with controlled cleanliness, material limitations resulting from cleanroom requirements. In all these cases, fabrics are excluded, and the differences rather concern the finish and design of the seat itself.
The type of furniture matters here: a laboratory stool works in conditions of more frequent movement and contact with the floor, while a chair with a backrest has a larger surface requiring regular disinfection. The offer includes various height adjustment ranges: swivel chairs 450-580 mm, 550-690 mm, and 550-800 mm, stools 420-550 mm and 560-690 mm.
What upholstery material to choose for the laboratory?
It is worth organizing the upholstery selection criteria by importance: in the first place is surface tightness, followed by resistance to disinfectants, lack of seams and joints, mechanical durability, and only at the end user comfort. The purchase price itself is sometimes misleading. Cheaper material usually requires replacing the seat after a much shorter time, and in a laboratory, replacement additionally means a break in the workstation's operation.
When placing an order, it is worth paying attention to a few elements: detailed information about the material of the seat and backrest, confirmation of strength tests, and the adjustment range tailored to the height of the worktop. When equipping an entire laboratory, the choice of seating should be determined together with other furniture, so that all elements create a coherent, functional system.
September 07, 2026