Upholsterers
Under the title Upholsterers, workers make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles. The job can ask you to fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples. The strongest interest signal is Realistic (6.8 of 7), then Artistic (2.9) and Conventional, which gives it the code RAC. Plan on a few months to a year of learning on the job; O*NET labels this some preparation. Strength in critical thinking, reading comprehension, and time management helps most here. Expect to measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need leading, persuading and making business decisions, it may feel thin.
What they do
Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.
Main tasks
- Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples.
- Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications.
- Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces.
- Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods.
- Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces.
- Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects.
Skills
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
- You are comfortable relying on critical thinking and reading comprehension.
May not suit you if
- You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
- You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You want a career built on years of advanced study.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RAC takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.
Preparation
Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Box Spring Upholsterer
- Furniture Upholsterer
- Inside Upholsterer
- Sofa Back Upholsterer
- Stapler
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.