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Upholsterers

Make, repair, or replace upholstery for household furniture or transportation vehicles.

What you’d do

  • 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.
  • Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place.
  • Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread.

Skills that matter

  • Critical Thinking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Learning
  • Active Listening
  • Complex Problem Solving
  • Judgment and Decision Making

How to get there

Little to some preparation: usually a high school diploma or GED, though some jobs do not need one

Also called

  • Box Spring Upholsterer
  • Upholstered Goods Crafter
  • Upholsterer
  • Upholstery Cutter
  • Furniture Upholsterer
  • Inside Upholsterer
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