With upholstery, it takes a few objectives to make a career out of it, one being do you enjoy it? Because if you are here thinking about making money then it might be the wrong career for you. Sure, you might make a bit of money someday but know that the starting salary is £15,000 in the UK. However, if you are lucky, living in Southeast London you could earn about £46,000 yearly but know that the average upholster earns £35,433, so remember that you are in the business for the craft and everything else is a plus.
So, are you ready to make DIYing furniture as your 9-5? Read on for more guidance on how to trade in your mundane office job for a potentially lucrative career in upholstery.
Take upholstery classes
Upholstery classes and workshops can help you rise from a beginner to someone ready to start your own business.
Taking in-person courses might be helpful for your growth as an upholsterer but know it comes at a cost.
So, it might be advisable to first start by reading a book and watching free YouTube content before investing in courses.
Apprenticeships and internships
Look into upholstery apprenticeships and internships to acquire the skills needed to build a career in upholstery.
With an advanced upholstery apprenticeship, you can learn traditional or modern upholstery, which will be useful if you want to immediately find work as a trainee upholsterer.
And with internships and apprenticeships, you can work on the job, but they are hard to come by.
For more learning opportunities, start by emailing your local upholsterers asking if you can shadow them, which could lead to further work experience opportunities.
Invest in tools: the staple gun
To be an upholster you will need some essential tools, tools that will help you master any project.
Read below to find out which tool is not only a major time saver, but also is a tool that every serious upholsterer needs.
Staple gun- a staple gun for upholstery jobs is necessary as it can help you be more efficient and quicker with your workload.
There are 3 main staple guns used in upholstery 1. electric staple guns 2. hand-held staple guns and 3. pneumatic staple guns.
Using a staple gun helps you quickly ‘hold’ fabrics in place and will save you from doing everything manually.
So, make sure to invest in a staple gun to fix your fabric in place, ensuring a neater finish.
Other tools you will need
- Staple lifter
- Tack remover
- Mallet
- Fabric scissors
- Tack remover.
- Mallet
- Fabric scissors
- Pliers
- Garment tape measure
- Tucking tool
- Flat head screwdriver
- Hammer
- Gloves
- Safety glasses
Advertise yourself for all of your friends and family’s projects
Work for ‘free’, upholstery jobs can be expensive, so make sure to charge the materials used and the time you spend, but be open to working for a reduced rate to start with so you can build your portfolio. This is how you market yourself, and who knows if you do a good job, you might get another project to work on via word of mouth.
It might take some convincing that your family and friends might not need to buy new furniture and could consider having their furniture reupholstered. Be prepared to fund yourself partially on a lot of these projects before you get your first upholstery job.
And don’t just stop there- promote your services on social media and advertise your services across your local communities. Post on platforms like Facebook, providing a quick introduction to who you are, your experience, your services, your education and certifications, and photos of your projects.
Document work on social media
Document your upholstery journey on social media. Get on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. Building a social media presence is a great way of showing off your work and being transparent with your potential customers.
You can make your content educational, or you could use it as a way of sharing your portfolio.
Dabble with long and short-form content. Think about how you can maximise the footage you take, by using one video multiple ways.
Final thoughts
Being an upholsterer is an exciting career choice for those passionate about transforming furniture.
Don’t be intimidated by big projects—perseverance will get you there.
Embrace every learning opportunity, as you never know what amazing possibilities might come your way.
Hard work pays off, and seeing your vision come to life is incredibly rewarding.
