Upholsterer

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Search for upholstereres in the area, it ill be more convenient for both about prices and delivery

Search about their experience and also for references if it is possible

Get few different estimates about price and time to make it (the price not necessary means that will be better because it is cheaper or expensive, the price is related directly with the quality of labor and materials)

Get advices from them

If it is required do not pay the full amount of the project in advance, a porcentaje of it that definetely will be less or equal than the 50% it is fair, because the upholsterer will need it to buy materials, and supplies, pay the difference until the project is done

Ask for guarantee in case that something happen with the piece related to the reupholstery and also if it is possible for a receipt for you advance and final payment

If the piece is really antique and you want to keep it, I recommend you to reuphoslter but if it is the kind of new furnitures (commercial), it will be more convenient to buy a new one instead to reupholster it.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. I would like to learn a little bet how to fix a piece such as a sofa, chair, or cushion without take it to the upholsterer, and pay for it.

I don't have any secret, but I can tell to the customers that if they want to learn a little bet how to fix their pieces (little reparation), they can search by internet basic steps to upholstery at home, but they will need to have either buying, renting, or borrowing some tools.

Also if they know to an upholsterer with experience, they can ask him for an advice.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I give very reasonable prices in comparison with others.
I have enough experience to work on difficult and complicated projects.
I try to establish a respectful and friendly relationship with the customers.
I give them suggestions about materials, fabrics, and prices, and sometimes it is to buy a new furniture or piece instead re-upholster the old one because the cost of labor, materials, and fabrics will be too expensive.
I guarantee my job, if something dislike to the customer or something happen with the reupholstered piece I fix it.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I start to learn this kind of job at the age of 8 years old, so I love to create, design, and give a new and confortable look to the pieces to reupholster.

The sense of satisfaction when the customer is happy with the job, make me feel proud of myself.

This is a skill that require concentration, detail, and imagination too, so it is a job that makes me to be focus on it.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. How much do I charge for reuphoslter something?
The price depends of the kind of piece, the size, the materials and the new fabric to use, and the time to work on it.

What kind of fabric do I recommend them?
It depends of the piece, and the use that they will give it, could be fabric, vynil, or leather, and also depends on how much they are able to spent on it.

How long will I take to reupholster it?
Depends of the difficult of easier of the piece, if they already have the fabric, or if it is necessary to order it, the time of waiting for the delivery, and finally of the order of receiving other projects, I based on the first entrance first to work on it.

Can I show them pictures of some of my finished and similar projects? Yes, I have an album with pictures of a lot of finished projects, also I show them if they want the kind of machines, materials, samples of fabrics, vynils, and leathers, and any other stuff that I use to work.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. This profession requires patience, detail, attention, strenght, creativity, and imagination.

It is a big compromise to work on a piece because it is not only the proper use of the materials, but it is also to take care on all the details, do not damage the piece, use the fabric on the proper way, and at the end to give it to the customer as he really expect, with a new look, comfortable, and with all the details that he wanted.

This is a profession that it does not matter how many years of experience you have because always we are learning something new, new ways to work, new machines and technology, new designs of the pieces, new materials, fabrics, vynils, and leathers, new tools, and new supplies.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I am from El Salvador, country where sometimes people needs to learn an occupation/profession when they are very young, so I started at the age of 8 to learn the skills to be an upholsterer. Since that moment it was my profession for all my long life until today in the United States, now with all the experience that I have I am general upholsterer that means that I can work with any kind of project: antiques, new furniture, cars, boats, airplanes, restaurants, night clubs, canvas, etc, I know all the steps of the upholstery, cutting, sewing, upholsterying, etc. I know how to use any kind of machine, tool, or any other stuff related with it.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. Different countys have some training programs for the comunity, in the San Mateo County there is a program where they give basic classes of upholstery, the interested person should get first these classes to see if he/she really like it to become a profession as an upholsterer.

The interested can search on the internet for more information about places where he/she can learn it, and general information about this profession.

If it is possible he/she can looking for a job as an assistant in a upholstery shop, it will be a good starting to learn it too.