Upholsterer Job Descriptions

As an upholsterer you would pad and cover furniture such as chairs, bedheads and sofas. Your job could involve either of the following:
· production work in a factory, upholstering complete items or particular parts such as chair or sofa arms

· Craft work on individual pieces of new furniture or renovating or re-upholstering old and antique furniture.
Your day-to-day tasks would typically include:
· planning the work, advising on fabrics and estimating costs
· preparing patterns and templates
· cutting out fabric
· fixing webbing and springs
· covering frames with padding and fabric using stitching, staples, tacks or glue
· making cushions
· adding trimmings such as piping, fringing and buttons

Key Skills
· the ability to take accurate measurements and work out amounts of materials
· accuracy and attention to detail
· practical skills
· patience and perseverance
· safety-awareness
· self-motivation and the ability to work without supervision, if self-employed
· Good business skills, if self-employed.