Marathon Tweed Fabric (Duramax) - 54" Wall Panel Upholstery

The fabric that is on the walls of most professionally converted vans in North America. Sold by the linear yard, 54 inches wide.

Marathon Tweed — also sold as Duramax — is the default wall covering in the van conversion trade, and it earned that position for unglamorous reasons: it is 100% polyolefin, so it is chemically inert and hydrophobic, it does not absorb spills or stains, it is static resistant, and it spot-cleans instead of needing to be replaced.

The other reason matters more than people realize. Marathon’s High Ultraviolet yarn colors carry extra UV stabilizer specifically because RV and camper van interiors sit in direct sun through glass for years. House fabrics fade on a van wall. This one is formulated not to.

Where this fabric belongs in a van — and where it does not

• Use it for wall panels and ceiling panels. That is what it is for and what it is best at.
• It is a woven, non-stretch fabric. It will not conform to a compound curve. Flat and gently curved panels wrap beautifully; a tightly domed shape will pucker at the corners.
• For seating, look at the Nassimi lines instead — Bleecker, Minetta, Varick or the PVC-coated Moxie — which are built for abrasion and wipe-clean seat use.
• Want the padding done for you? Marathon Plus is this same tweed heat-welded to 1/8" closed-cell foam, which halves your adhesive work.

How it is sold

Screens lie about color. Monitor calibration, ambient light and camera processing all shift what you see, and dye lots vary slightly batch to batch. Order a physical sample before committing to a whole van — it costs a few dollars and saves a repeat order.

Specifications

MVSS 302 is the US federal motor vehicle flammability standard for interior materials. If your build is ever inspected, or if you are converting for resale, using a material that meets it is not optional.

What you receive

• Marathon Tweed fabric, cut to the number of linear yards you order, 54" wide

Working with it

Wall panels get wrapped, not glued flat. Cut your panel, cut the fabric 3–4" oversize all round, lay the fabric face down, panel on top, then pull and staple from the center of each edge outward, working opposite edges alternately so the weave stays square.

Because it is non-stretch, you cannot pull a wrinkle out with tension the way you can with a knit. Get the weave straight before the first staple and keep checking it. Corners want to be notched and folded, not stretched.

• Cut 3–4" oversize on every edge for the wrap.
• Staple from the center of each edge outward, alternating opposite edges.
• It is non-stretch — keep the weave square from the start.
• Notch and fold the corners; do not try to stretch them.
• Spot-clean with mild soap and water. Polyolefin does not absorb, so most spills lift off if you get to them.

Questions we get asked about this part

How much do I need?

Measure each panel, add 3–4 inches on every side for wrapping and stapling, lay the shapes out on a 54" wide strip on paper, and count the linear yards. Then add ten percent. Every upholsterer we know has run out on the last panel at least once, and dye lots do not match perfectly between orders.

What is a double rub, and does 100,000 matter in a van?

A double rub is one back-and-forth cycle of the Wyzenbeek abrasion test (ASTM D4157). Contract furniture is generally specified at 30,000 and heavy-duty commercial at 100,000. A van dinette gets a fraction of the traffic of an airport lounge chair, so a 100,000 double rub rating is comfortably ahead of what your build will ever ask of it.

Is Marathon Tweed the same thing as Duramax?

Yes. It is the same fabric under two names, which is why you will see both used interchangeably by builders and suppliers.

Can I use it on seat cushions?

You can, but it is not what we would specify. It is a wall fabric: non-stretch, and not rated for the abrasion cycles a seat sees. For seating, the Nassimi polyester lines or the PVC-coated Moxie are the right tools.

Will the color I get match the photo?

Approximately, not exactly. Digital cameras and uncalibrated monitors both shift color, and dye lots vary batch to batch. Order a sample if the exact shade matters, and order all the yardage for one van in a single order so it comes from one lot.

Pairs well with

• Nassimi Moxie PVC Coated Fabric
• Van conversion interior materials

Sold and shipped by Campervan Parts R Us, the parts counter of Noke Van Co. — a working van conversion shop in Roanoke, Virginia. If you are unsure whether this fits your van, email us the year, model and wheelbase and we will check it against a build sheet before you order.