Also called: Furniture Upholsterer
Re-covers and rebuilds sofas, chairs, car seats, and boat cushions.
They strip old fabric, replace springs and foam, and stretch new fabric tight with staples and tacks. Classic car and boat interiors are popular specialties. Most work in small shops.
Based on BLS upholsterers, May 2024 estimates.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0 years after high school. On-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Ways in: On-the-job training, Apprenticeship. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Upholstery (trade school).
Shrinking (about -3% over 10 years). Slight decline projected.
Low risk for 10 years. Stripping and rebuilding sofas, car seats and boat cushions by hand is physical work machines don't do.
Age 18+. One way to start: Ask upholstery shops and furniture or boat upholsterers for a helper job; they train you
Classes: Sewing or fashion CTE, Woodshop, Auto tech CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-6093.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.