Upholsterers: Career & Application Guide

What do upholsterers do?

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

This describes a U.S. occupation, not a live vacancy. Individual employers may use different titles and requirements.

O*NET reports these titles for this occupation. Compare the responsibilities in each posting before treating titles as equivalent.

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.
Remove covering, webbing, padding, or defective springs from workpieces, using hand tools such as hammers and tack pullers.
Attach fasteners, grommets, buttons, buckles, ornamental trim, and other accessories to covers or frames, using hand tools.

Check the employer’s requirements, location, schedule and any licenses against your situation.
Choose two or three tasks above that match the posting and your actual experience.
Build a resume evidence worksheet using the skills and software relevant to that employer.
Practice explaining your contribution, decisions and results before an interview.

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