How to Start an Upholstery Business

Part 1 - How to start an Upholstery business - Background

Furniture wears out over time, and must eventually either be repaired or replaced. Many people who have nice pieces of furniture would prefer to get their furniture reupholstered rather than replace it. Upholstery businesses offer to reupholster furniture when it wears out.

According to IBISWorld, the United States’ furniture repair and upholstery industry has an annual revenue of $2 billion and is growing at a rate of 1.7 percent. Moreover, there are no businesses with a dominant market share. Thus, there’s plenty of opportunity for small business owners who want to start their own upholstery business.

Our guide is in 3 parts:

• Part 1 - How to start an Upholstery business - Background
• Part 2 - Our planner tool to see if this idea is the right fit for you
• Part 3 - Action plan to get started

What are the costs involved in opening an upholstery business?

The startup expenses for an upholstery business are fairly minimal. Business owners need a workspace and tools, and many have a vehicle for transporting furniture to and from client’s sites.

Many business owners keep their upfront costs low by using a workspace in their home, and a van or SUV they already have for transporting furniture. When setting up a workspace, it’s important to keep the space on the ground level (i.e. not in a basement or attic) so that items don’t have to be carried up or down stairs. When choosing a vehicle, it’s important to have a large and covered vehicle (i.e. not an open pickup truck) so items can be safely transported even if it’s raining or snowing.

The tools that are required include:

• general tools (e.g. screwdrivers, hex wrenches, a hammer and a cordless drill)
• commonly available tools (e.g. an electric carver’s knife for cutting foam)
• specialized tools (e.g. a gooseneck webbing stretcher, upholstery shears, upholsterer’s pins and marking chalk)

Business owners may already have a number of the tools they need, and additional tools typically cost only a few hundred dollars. For example, Upholster.com offers kits of specialized tools for between $78.80 and $145.80.

Finally, business owners also will need samples of fabric to show customers. These can be obtained from a fabric representative for free, though.

What are the ongoing expenses for an upholstery business?

As long as business owners have a workspace in their home, the ongoing expenses for an upholstery business are low. Business owners must cover their vehicle’s fuel and maintenance costs, and they may occasionally need to replace a broken tool.

Business owners must also need to purchase any fabric and cushioning that jobs require. These costs, however, are paid for by customers.

Who is the target market?

An upholstery business’ ideal customer is someone who has high-quality, expensive furniture.

People who buy low-priced furniture will frequently buy new furniture when their current chairs and sofas wear out. Since reupholstering pieces frequently costs about the same as new budget-friendly furniture, they’re less likely to have worn-out pieces reupholstered.

People who have expensive furniture, however, are often willing to pay to have their pieces reupholstered when the upholstery wears out. Reupholstering is often much cheaper than purchasing a new high-end piece of furniture.

How does an upholstery business make money?

An upholstery business charges customers for reupholstering their worn-out furniture. Work may be charged on a per-piece basis or according to an hourly wage.

How much can you charge customers?

According to HomeAdvisor, the average furniture upholstery job costs $648, but how much a job actually costs can vary a lot. Reupholstering a single dining room chair may be just $40, while reupholstering a big sofa can run $1,200.

How much profit can an upholstery business make?

How much upholsterers make varies depending on their location and level of expertise. One 30-year veteran of the industry reports charging customers $44 per hour of “bench time” (hour of labor).

Running an upholstery business involves a lot more than reupholstering furniture, though. Another upholsterer reports that only one-third to one-half of his time is spent working at his bench. Based on these two figures, an upholstery business owner might expect to earn between $586 and $880 per 40-hour week.

How can you make your business more profitable?

An upholstery business can increase its profitability by upcycling used furniture. Worn-out furniture can sometimes be found for free, reupholstered and then sold at a significant profit.

Day-to-Day and Growth

What happens during a typical day at an upholstery business?

Upholstery business owners spend a lot of their time reupholstering furniture. This may involve:

• removing cushioning and fabric from existing furniture
• cutting and installing new cushioning and fabric
• making minor repairs as needed

When not working directly on furniture, business owners spend time:

• providing estimates for prospective clients
• picking up and delivering clients’ furniture
• ordering supplies
• paying bills
• marketing their business

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful upholstery business?

In order to run an upholstery business, business owners must know how to upholster furniture. There are several ways to learn these skills.

First, many local community groups and vocational schools offer on-site classes and workshops. For example, The Elliott School in Massachusetts and National Upholstery Association both offer courses.

Second, several online upholstery courses are available. Kim’s Upholstery offers a variety of classes for members, and bestaccreditedcolleges.org has a list of several websites that provide free courses or lessons.

Finally, there are a number of books on upholstery. Spruce: A Step-by-Step Guide to Upholstery and Design, and Upholstery: A Complete Course are a couple to begin with.

What is the growth potential for an upholstery business?

Most upholstery businesses serve a single geographic area. This may be a city or a larger region depending on the area’s population density. However, if your business grows a large enough, there is the possibility to serve multiple locations.

What are some insider tips for jump starting an upholstery business?

While business owners must know how to upholster furniture to start an upholstery business, they don’t need to be masters of the trade. Because reupholstering is usually done in a workshop, customers don’t see pieces mid-project. Thus, upholsterers can fix mistakes they might make without customers ever knowing.

Additionally, some customers may be interested in hiring an upholsterer who’s still learning the trade if they can save money. New upholsterers may be able to learn while working by underbidding their competitors.

How and when to build a team

Many upholsterers never hire an employee, instead running their business themselves. Those who want to grow their business beyond what a single person can manage may hire an assistant once their incoming revenue supports an employee’s salary.

Part 2 - Is an Upholstery business the right fit for you?

Part 3 - Action plan to launch your Upholstery business in 90 days