Profession upholsterer

Upholsterers provide objects such as furniture, panels, orthopaedic devices, fixtures or vehicle parts with padding or soft covering. They can install, repair or replace the upholstery of objects with materials such as fabrics, leather, suede or cotton. Upholsterers install the webbings and springs necessary to cover the material.

Personality Type

• Realistic / Enterprising

Knowledge

• Upholstery fillings

  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 feathers, of vegetal origin such as cotton wool or of synthetic fibers.

• Manufacturing of small metal parts

  The manufacture of metal cable, plaited bands and other articles of that typr, uninsulated or insulated cable not capable of being used as a conductor of electricity, coated or cored wire as well as barbed wire, wire fencing, grill, netting, cloth etc. Manufacture of coated electrodes for electric arc-welding, nails and pins, chain and springs (except watch springs): as well as leaves for springs.

• Textile materials

  Have a good understanding of the properties of different textile materials.

• Types of spring

  Types of metal springs such as leaf, coil, torsion, clock, tension and extension spring.

• Upholstery tools

  Set of tools used for upholstering furniture, walls and floors such as staple gun, foam cutter, staple remover.

Skills

• Provide customized upholstery

  Install custom upholstery, according to the customer's individual requests and preferences.

• Perform upholstery repair

  Repair/restore damaged upholstery for a wide range of vehicles; use materials such as fabric, leather, plastic or vinyl.

• Sew pieces of fabric

  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 are selected according to specifications.

• Install spring suspension

  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 for defects and fix the layers of protective fabrics to cover the spring suspension.

• Fasten components

  Fasten components together according to blueprints and technical plans in order to create subassemblies or finished products.

• Sew textile-based articles

  Sew different products based on textiles and wearing apparel articles. Combine good hand-eye coordination, manual dexterity, and physical and mental stamina.

• Create patterns for textile products

  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.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB