Felt is one of those rare materials that can be thin enough to weave or thick enough to build a headboard. The thick, industrial-grade stuff can be hard to find, which is why Sutherland is a good resource.
Based out of Michigan, Sutherland is one of the largest suppliers of industrial felt in North America. For home projects, check out their selection of Architectural/Specialty Materials. They can custom-dye wool felt between 1/16" to 1" thick—the colors shown above are pre-dyed options for wool/nylon pool table felt.
They also have a line of 100% tan (undyed) wool "Eco-Felt" that ranges from 1/8" to 1" thick in soft, medium, or firm density. As an added bonus, the Eco-Felt is less expensive than SAE (industrial standard) white, gray, or custom-dyed felts.
To see Sutherland Felt in action, check out Maxwell's Felt Sliding Door project.
Photos: Maxwell Gilligham-Ryan / How to Make a Raw Felt Headboard, Sutherland Felt
Tina Wilson's Striking Style 
30 DIY Projects for the 3-Day Weekend
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Hose Jockey Wall Mount
20 Scrumptious Brunch Recipes 
Magic One-Ingredient Ice Cream 5 Ways: Peanut Butter, Nutella, and More
Comments (15)
also check out filz felt in boston ... http://www.filzfelt.com/
they carry some beautiful wool felt in 2mm, 3mm and 5mm thicknesses.
now someone just needs to come up with a tutorial on how to do a DIY version of the Anthropologie Felt lamp shade... volunteers? :)
What would be the best way to cut 1"-thick felt??
use a laser to cut thick felt, that works best.
A client had mentioned that she wanted felt wall"paper"...oh how I hate to admit that I am not familiar with that. I have researched (not extensively yet) but have not been very successful...can anyone share their knowledge of felt wallcovering? Pros, cons, resources...etc.
Okay, let's say I don't have a laser. (I don't have a laser.)
What's the second-best way to cut 1"-thick felt?
You can get a laser really cheap on Craigslist if you search over a few weeks. I did daily search until I found one. I only paid $9,350. Normally they go for 3 times that.
oh, a second option is to go to upholsterer, they usually have a table saw that cuts foam and the blades are fine enough to cleanly cut through thick felt as well.
what sort of home project would pay for itself when you have to pay $9,350 for a laser to cut some felt? hmmmm. love the resource though; saw some felt chair pads in Germany and they were yummy.
Well, lasers have many uses these days, so if you get savvy, you can really make it pay itself off.
Thanks, but I'm going to skip buying a laser.
Anyway, I do have a table saw (and fine blades), so that is probably a more reasonable option for me.
Hmmmmm, that really colorful ring of felt is from Aetna Felt ...
As for laser cutting, has anyone figured out how to stop the felt from singeing?
Another source for thick, colorful felt, feltplanet
Just LOVE felt!
Mary Nolte- I know <a rhef="http://www.Aenta Felt.com">Aetna Felt</a> sold a combination of their industrial felt and designer felt to an architecural firm who used it for wall covering at NYU, here's a link to some pictures....not sure how they applied it, or maintain it, but it looks awesome!
Your not using the correct power lens to condense the beam to a precise gauge to make a clean cut with the laser. practice on some cardboard until you get used to working with it and avoiding singeing issues.
I don't have a laser yet. I've spoken to several laser mfrs, and even had some ask for felt samples to test, they all say it singes so I haven't made the investment. Strictly a die cutter at this point. Have you successfully cut 100% wool felt with a laser? No Singeing? If yes, mind sharing who the mfr of your laser is?
Thanks!!