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Upholsterers Occupation Detailed Description

Upholsterers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Upholsterers

The main tasks and work activities of Upholsterers are to align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly, mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment, assemble garments or textile products, attach decorative or functional accessories to products. In general, for the Upholsterers, critical Thinking, reading Comprehension, complex Problem Solving, monitoring and other 6 skills are required.
Upholsterers Job Description
EducationThese occupations usually require a high school diploma.
Related ExperienceSome previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include orderlies, counter and rental clerks, customer service representatives, security guards, upholsterers, and tellers.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Upholsterers jobs. 56.18% of Upholsterers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and .
Less than a High School Diploma
43.82%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
56.18%
Post-Secondary Certificate
0.00%
Some College Courses
0.00%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
0.00%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
0.00%

Tasks and Work Activities of Upholsterers

  • Fit, install, and secure material on frames, using hand tools, power tools, glue, cement, or staples.
  • Build furniture up with loose fiber stuffing, cotton, felt, or foam padding to form smooth, rounded surfaces.
  • Examine furniture frames, upholstery, springs, and webbing to locate defects.
  • Attach fasteners, grommets, buttons, buckles, ornamental trim, and other accessories to covers or frames, using hand tools.
  • Remove covering, webbing, padding, or defective springs from workpieces, using hand tools such as hammers and tack pullers.
  • Read work orders, and apply knowledge and experience with materials to determine types and amounts of materials required to cover workpieces.
  • Draw cutting lines on material following patterns, templates, sketches, or blueprints, using chalk, pencils, paint, or other methods.
  • Make, restore, or create custom upholstered furniture, using hand tools and knowledge of fabrics and upholstery methods.
  • Measure and cut new covering materials, using patterns and measuring and cutting instruments, following sketches and design specifications.
  • Maintain records of time required to perform each job.
  • Discuss upholstery fabrics, colors, and styles with customers, and provide cost estimates.
  • Repair furniture frames and refinish exposed wood.
  • Operate sewing machines or sew upholstery by hand to seam cushions and join various sections of covering material.
  • Pick up and deliver furniture.
  • Interweave and fasten strips of webbing to the backs and undersides of furniture, using small hand tools and fasteners.
  • Sew rips or tears in material, or create tufting, using needles and thread.
  • Attach bindings or apply solutions to edges of cut material to prevent raveling.
  • Adjust or replace webbing, padding, or springs, and secure them in place.
  • Stretch webbing and fabric, using webbing stretchers.
  • Design upholstery cover patterns and cutting plans, based on sketches, customer descriptions, or blueprints.
  • Handling and Moving ObjectsUsing hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
  • Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or MaterialInspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Performing General Physical ActivitiesPerforming physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
  • Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or InformationEstimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or PeopleAssessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
  • Thinking CreativelyDeveloping, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Align parts or workpieces to ensure proper assembly.
  • Mount materials or workpieces onto production equipment.
  • Assemble garments or textile products.
  • Attach decorative or functional accessories to products.
  • Repair furniture or upholstery.
  • Read work orders or other instructions to determine product specifications or materials requirements.
  • Draw guide lines or markings on materials or workpieces using patterns or other references.
  • Cut fabrics.
  • Measure materials to mark reference points, cutting lines, or other indicators.
  • Record operational or production data.
  • Confer with customers or designers to determine order specifications.
  • Estimate costs of products, services, or materials.
  • Shape surfaces or edges of wood workpieces.
  • Operate sewing equipment.
  • Sew clothing or other articles.
  • Repair textiles or apparel.
  • Prepare fabrics or materials for processing or production.
  • Adjust fabrics or other materials during garment production.
  • Design templates or patterns.
  • Exchange information with colleagues.

Skills and Abilities for Upholsterers

  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Finger DexterityThe ability to make precisely coordinated movements of the fingers of one or both hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble very small objects.
  • Manual DexterityThe ability to quickly move your hand, your hand together with your arm, or your two hands to grasp, manipulate, or assemble objects.
  • Arm-Hand SteadinessThe ability to keep your hand and arm steady while moving your arm or while holding your arm and hand in one position.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Multilimb CoordinationThe ability to coordinate two or more limbs (for example, two arms, two legs, or one leg and one arm) while sitting, standing, or lying down. It does not involve performing the activities while the whole body is in motion.
  • Control PrecisionThe ability to quickly and repeatedly adjust the controls of a machine or a vehicle to exact positions.
  • Visual Color DiscriminationThe ability to match or detect differences between colors, including shades of color and brightness.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Extent FlexibilityThe ability to bend, stretch, twist, or reach with your body, arms, and/or legs.
  • Trunk StrengthThe ability to use your abdominal and lower back muscles to support part of the body repeatedly or continuously over time without 'giving out' or fatiguing.
  • Static StrengthThe ability to exert maximum muscle force to lift, push, pull, or carry objects.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Depth PerceptionThe ability to judge which of several objects is closer or farther away from you, or to judge the distance between you and an object.
  • Air compressorse.g. Air compressors
  • Staple gunse.g. Air staple guns
  • Punches or nail sets or driftse.g. Arch punches
  • Stamping dies or punchese.g. Button machines
  • End cut plierse.g. Caning nippers
  • Hand clampse.g. Canvas pliers
  • Pullerse.g. Clip remover tools
  • Squarese.g. Combination squares
  • Pattern cutting mats or boardse.g. Cutting pads
  • Pullerse.g. Door trim removers
  • Flat nose plierse.g. Duck bill pliers
  • Circle cuttere.g. Fabric hole cutters
  • Punches or nail sets or driftse.g. Fabric punches
  • Power sawse.g. Foam rubber cutters
  • Glue gunse.g. Glue guns
  • Punches or nail sets or driftse.g. Grommet inserting dies
  • Heat gunse.g. Heat guns
  • Hex keyse.g. Hex key sets
  • Retaining ring plierse.g. Hog ring pliers
  • Sewing machinese.g. Industrial sewing machines
  • Production and ProcessingKnowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
  • DesignKnowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.