FINISHES

The word "finish" means all the different treatments applied to a fabric to change such things as its appearance, feel or hand, wearability or care requirements. Finishes are said to be durable if they can withstand several launderings or drycleanings without being removed. Permanent last the lifetime of the fabric. Renewable or nonpermanent finishes are those that rub off easily by washing or drycleaning.

Finishes can change the appearance, hand or properties of a fabric. Napping (a fabric finish that produces short fuzzy fibres on the surface of a fabric like flannelette) and flocking (an effect created when short fibres are glued on the surface of a fabric in a some sort of pattern) are examples of functional finishes which change a fabric's appearance. Other examples of appearance-altering finishes are sizing (gives limp fabric more body) and glazing (rollers are used to produce a highly-polished, shiny surface on a fabric).

All finishes that change a fabric's properties are applied chemically. Property-changing functional finishes provide the added qualities desired for a particular fabric or they may be used to change an undesirable property to a more desirable one. Many such finishes add more than one property to a fabric. The label may indicate which finishes have been applied to the fabric. Examples of functional finishes that change the properties of fabric include:

Crease Resistant Finishes are applied to cellulose fibres (cotton, linen and rayon) that wrinkle easily. Permanent Press fabrics have crease resistant finishes that resist wrinkling and also help to maintain creases and pleats throughout wearing and cleaning.

Stabilization Finishes - Sanforized indicates that a fabric has been treated so that it will shrink or stretch not more than 1 or 2%. Preshrunk fabrics have been preshrunk to a certain extent but still may shrink considerably.

Waterproof Finishes -Aallows no water to penetrate, but tend to be uncomfortable because they trap moisture next to the body. Recently, fabrics have been developed that are waterproof, yet are also breathable (e.g. GORE-TEX, Bion II and Dicrylan).

Water-Repellent Finishes - Water-repellent finishes resist wetting. If the fabric becomes very wet, water will eventually pass through. Applied to fabrics found in raincoats, all-weather coats, hats, capes, umbrellas and shower curtains (e.g. Cravaneete, Huydor-Pruf, Syl-mer, Scotchgard and Zepel).

Flame-Retardant Finishes - Are applied to combustible fabrics used in children's sleepwear, carpets and curtains and prevent highly flammable textiles from bursting into flame. In Canada, laws require that children's sleepwear and certain household furnishings meet certain standards for flammability resistance.

Absorbent Finishes increase fibres' moisture holding power. Such finishes have been applied to towels, cloth diapers, underwear, sports shirts and other items where moisture absorption is important.

Mothproofing Finishes protect protein-containing fibres, such as wool, from being attacked by moths, carpet beetles and other insects.

Stain and Soil Resistant Finishes - prevent soil and stains from being attracted to fabrics. Such finishes may be resistant to oil-bourne or water-bourne soil and stains or both. Stain and soil resistant finishes can be applied to fabrics used in clothing and furniture. Scotchgard is a stain and soil resistant finish commonly applied to carpet and furniture.

Soil Release Finishes - These finishes attract water to the surface of fibres during cleaning and help remove soil.

Anti-Static Finishes - reduce static electricity which may accumulate on fibres. The most common type of anti-static finishes are fabric softeners.

Source: Saskatchewan 4-H Council