https://www.learntoupholster.com/ The Working Upholsterer’s Bible by Shaun Greenwood — traditional and modern upholstery, free to read. en-GB Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:54:40 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/best-upholstery-fabric-for-dogs https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/best-upholstery-fabric-for-dogs The construction matters more than the fibre. Why loops are the thing to avoid, which fabrics genuinely survive claws and hair, and the colour trick nobody mentions. Sat, 08 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/is-it-cheaper-to-reupholster-or-buy-new https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/is-it-cheaper-to-reupholster-or-buy-new Usually not, if you compare it to the cheapest new sofa in the sale — but that is the wrong comparison. What actually decides it is the frame, and how to check yours in two minutes. Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/buying-and-costs https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/buying-and-costs Blog posts on buying & costs from a working upholsterer’s bench. Fri, 07 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/why-has-my-sofa-gone-saggy https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/why-has-my-sofa-gone-saggy Something under the cushions has failed, and it is usually not the cushions. How to tell whether it is the foam, the webbing, the springs or the frame — and which of those is worth fixing. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/problems-and-repairs https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/problems-and-repairs Blog posts on problems & repairs from a working upholsterer’s bench. Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/why-does-velvet-go-patchy https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/why-does-velvet-go-patchy Velvet does not go patchy — it shades. Why pile fabric changes colour as it is pressed, which velvets recover and which mark permanently, and what pile direction does to your fabric quantity. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/fabrics https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/fabrics Blog posts on fabrics from a working upholsterer’s bench. Wed, 05 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/ https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/ Notes from the workshop bench: materials, problems, and the questions customers actually ask. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/why-does-leather-peel https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/why-does-leather-peel Real leather does not peel. What peels is bonded leather or a polyurethane coating — how to tell which you have, why it fails, and what can actually be repaired. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/leather-and-vinyl https://www.learntoupholster.com/blog/category/leather-and-vinyl Blog posts on leather & vinyl from a working upholsterer’s bench. Tue, 04 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing Industrial sewing for upholsterers: thread, needles, machines and troubleshooting, explained from an upholstery bench rather than a sail loft. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-needles https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-needles Upholstery needle sizes by thread size, needle systems, round and leather points, and why a blunt needle causes skipped stitches. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-thread https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-thread Which upholstery thread for which job: bonded nylon or polyester, Tex sizes, commercial and government numbering, and needle pairing. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-selector https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-selector Three questions returning the thread, size, needle, point and stitch length for an upholstery job, with the reasoning for each. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-machines https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-machines Industrial sewing machines for upholstery: drop, needle, walking foot and compound feed explained, plus flat, cylinder, post and long arm beds. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-troubleshooting https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-troubleshooting Upholstery sewing machine troubleshooting: skipped stitches, thread breaking, puckering, tension and feed problems, in the order worth checking. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-setup https://www.learntoupholster.com/sewing-setup Servo against clutch motors, speed reducers, presser feet for upholstery, and the order to set tension in. Mon, 03 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-usa https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-usa Federal standard since 2021, and it names reupholstery — but not when the piece keeps the same owner. Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/outreach/supplier-outreach https://www.learntoupholster.com/outreach/supplier-outreach Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations Upholstery fire regulations by country: United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia & New Zealand. Domestic and commercial requirements, sourced and date Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-australia-new-zealand https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-australia-new-zealand The AS/NZS upholstery flammability standards are voluntary. There is no mandatory domestic requirement in either country. Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-canada https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-canada No flammability standard for upholstered furniture. All three provincial schemes were repealed between 2019 and 2021. Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-ireland https://www.learntoupholster.com/fire-regulations-ireland Its own 1995 Order and Irish Standard, close to the British regime but a separate legal instrument. Sun, 02 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/the-contract-i-turned-down https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/the-contract-i-turned-down Judge it on what it pays per hour after materials, not on the headline value. Seventy-six chairs at £75 each sounds like a serious job until the… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/caravan-and-holiday-park-work https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/caravan-and-holiday-park-work It is maintenance, not upholstery in the way most of us mean the word. Holiday parks want their existing furniture kept in service as long as possible —… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/winning-contract-clients https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/winning-contract-clients Not by cold emailing them, on the evidence. We have sent a lot of approaches to care homes, hotels and facilities management firms and had almost no… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/the-maintenance-retainer https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/the-maintenance-retainer Upholstery income arrives in lumps, and the gaps between them are what break small workshops. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/can-you-make-a-living-from-upholstery https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/can-you-make-a-living-from-upholstery Yes, but almost certainly not in the way you are picturing. Very few people make a living from one kind of upholstery. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/subcontracting-for-other-workshops https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/subcontracting-for-other-workshops Yes, and it is one of the most reliable sources of work in the trade, because manufacturers and busy workshops need capacity they cannot justify… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/workshop-forms https://www.learntoupholster.com/workshop-forms Four free printable forms for an upholstery workshop: customer enquiry, condition report, job sheet, and delivery note. No download, no account. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/moving-into-campervan-work https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/moving-into-campervan-work Find the converters near you and ask. They are small businesses that are good at joinery, electrics and plumbing and usually have no upholstery capability… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/the-physical-toll https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/the-physical-toll It is a physical trade and the damage is cumulative rather than dramatic. Mine came from piecework — the same wing chair ten times a day for six months… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/insurance-for-an-upholstery-workshop https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/insurance-for-an-upholstery-workshop More than most workshops carry, and in a different shape than they expect. Public liability is the one everybody buys — but it usually excludes damage to… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/projects/jensen-s-v8-carpet-set https://www.learntoupholster.com/projects/jensen-s-v8-carpet-set Replacing a car carpet set is a patterning job before it is a fitting job: strip the interior, lift the worn original out whole, and cut the new one to its shape. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/working-with-your-partner https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/working-with-your-partner It can, and ours does, but the arrangement matters more than the goodwill. The single best decision we made was separate spaces — my wife has her office… Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/suppliers https://www.learntoupholster.com/suppliers Verified upholstery suppliers in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: traditional materials, foam, fabric, tools and sundries. Nobody pays to be listed. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/ https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/ Free business resources for working upholsterers: pricing, quoting, finding customers, running a workshop and making a living from the craft. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/busy-but-not-making-money https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/busy-but-not-making-money Almost always because your hourly rate is set from what you hope customers will pay rather than what the workshop costs to run. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/charging-for-estimates https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/charging-for-estimates Charge for anything that requires travel or takes real time, and give free quotes from photographs. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000 https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/customer-supplied-fabric https://www.learntoupholster.com/business/customer-supplied-fabric You can, but set the terms in writing first. You cannot guarantee cloth you did not source, you lose the fabric margin that forms part of a job's profit… Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0000