Furniture Upholsterer Food, Wood & Garment Trades Workers
SaveWhat Does a Furniture Upholsterer Do?
Furniture upholsterers provide furniture with padding, springs, webbing and covers. Sometimes they have to remove old padding, filling and broken strings before to replace them using tools such as a tack puller, chisel or mallet. The aim is to provide comfort and beauty to seats as backs of the furniture.
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Where Do I Start?
Furniture Trends
The latest trends and manfacturers in the furniture industry.
Sign up to trackReady to go deeper? Pick up to 3 skills to focus on from the list below.
These are common skills for this role. Real-world experience matters more than ticking every box — use this as a guide, not a checklist.
Skills You Need to Become a Furniture Upholsterer
Essential Skills
Essential Skills
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EssentialFurniture Trends knowledge
The latest trends and manfacturers in the furniture industry.
Recommended Books
1 bookThe Practical Illustrated Guide to Furniture Repair and Restoration -
EssentialTextile Materials knowledge
Have a good understanding of the properties of different textile materials.
Recommended Books
2 booksA Beginner's Guide to Upholstery -
EssentialUpholstery Tools knowledge
Set of tools used for upholstering furniture, walls and floors such as staple gun, foam cutter, staple remover.
Recommended Books
2 books -
EssentialFurniture Industry knowledge
Companies and activities involved in the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of functional and decorative objects of household equipment.
No book recommendations available yet.
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EssentialUpholstery Fillings knowledge
Materials used to fill soft furniture like upholstered chairs or mattresses must have several properties such as resilience, lightness, high-bulk properties. They can be fillings of animal origin such as …
Recommended Books
2 books -
EssentialClean Furniture skill
Remove dirt, marks and other unwanted material from furniture.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCreate Patterns For Textile Products skill
Create a two-dimensional model used to cut the material for textile products such as tents and bags, or for individual pieces needed for upholstery work.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialCut Textiles skill
Cut textiles fitting to customers' desires and needs.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialDecorate Furniture skill
Use techniques such as gilding, silver-plating, framing or engraving to add specific decorations in the material of the furniture.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialFasten Components skill
Fasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialProvide Customized Upholstery skill
Install custom upholstery, according to the customer's individual requests and preferences.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialSew Pieces Of Fabric skill
Operate basic or specialised sewing machines whether domestic or industrial ones, sewing pieces of fabric, vinyl or leather in order to manufacture or repair wearing apparels, making sure the threads …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialSew Textile-based Articles skill
Sew different products based on textiles and wearing apparel articles. Combine good hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, and physical and mental stamina.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialUse Manual Sewing Techniques skill
Use manual sewing and stitching techniques to manufacture or repair fabrics or textile-based articles.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialInstall Spring Suspension skill
Nail down the springs to the wooden frame of a chair or other piece of furniture to be upholstered. In the case of mattresses, check the structure holding the springs …
Course recommendations coming soon.
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EssentialPerform Upholstery Repair skill
Repair/restore damaged upholstery for a wide range of vehicles; use materials such as fabric, leather, plastic or vinyl.
Course recommendations coming soon.
Optional Skills (5 of 18 displayed)
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OptionalApply A Protective Layer skill
Apply a layer of protective solutions such as permethrine to protect the product from damage such as corrosion, fire or parasites, using a spray gun or paintbrush.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalApply Restoration Techniques skill
Select and apply appropriate restoration techniques in order to achieve the required restoration goals. This encompasses preventive measures, remedial measures, restoration processes and management processes.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalDesign Prototypes skill
Design prototypes of products or components of products by applying design and engineering principles.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalEstimate Restoration Costs skill
Estimate the cost implications of restoring and replacing products or parts.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalEvaluate Restoration Procedures skill
Evaluate the outcome of conservation and restoration procedures. Evaluate the degree of risk, success of treatment or activity and communicate the results.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalHandle Delivery Of Furniture Goods skill
Handle the delivery and assemble the furniture and other goods, according to customer's needs and preferences.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalIdentify Customer's Needs skill
Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManipulate Metal skill
Manipulate the properties, shape and size of metal.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalManipulate Wood skill
Manipulate the properties, shape and size of wood.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalPaint Decorative Designs skill
Apply designs in paint, using paint sprayers, paintbrushes or spray cans.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalPass On Trade Techniques skill
Pass on knowledge and skills, explain and demonstrate the application of equipment and materials and answer questions about trade techniques for the manufacturing of products.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalPrepare Furniture For Application Of Paint skill
Set up furniture for standard or custom paint job, protect any parts that should not be painted and prepare painting equipment.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalRepair Furniture Parts skill
Repair locks, pegs, braces, frames or other parts of furniture.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalSell Furniture skill
Sell pieces of furniture in accordance to the client's personal preferences and needs.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalSell Household Goods skill
Sell household devices and goods such as microwaves, blenders and kitchen supplies in accordance to the client's personal preferences and needs.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalArtificially Age Furniture skill
Use various techniques such as sanding, denting, painting and others to make new furniture look distressed and aged.
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalDesign Original Furniture skill
Master and develop industrial aesthetics through ongoing research of new shapes, adapted to the function of the objects the research deals with (domestic objects, urban furnitures, etc.).
Course recommendations coming soon.
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OptionalFix Minor Scratches skill
Fix minor dents and scratches on the surface with touch-up paint or scratch remover.
Course recommendations coming soon.