http://www.cbsalary.com/salary-calculator/chart/Upholsterer?usd=1&uas=&kw=Upholsterer&ujt=&jn=&tid=220297&ns=1
sound about right?
I don't know about the national average, but I punched in the little town I live in and it came up with $46,000. Then I compared with Washington DC and it said $45,000. I'd like to see where they get their stats from.
Since most upholsterers are self-employed, does that stat only apply to those who are employed by someone else? I mean, is there a difference between "Upholsterer" and "Upholstery shop owner"?
Looks like a pretty generic graph that could apply to most any trade.
Since my house would go for 3X's as much on the east coast, or California, I don't put much stock in those "National averages".
Another problem is that it is difficult to verify the income of many self-employed people.
Yeah I wondered the same thing. I did a search for upholstery buisness owner, and nothing but upholsterer came up.
The numbers come from the IRS, tax returns. The graph shows a range from approximately $40k to $60K and it would include anyone with that job description.
The numbers should be representative of IRS returns, my understanding.
It would not include part timers or anyone who works under the radar.
Doyle
Quote from: sofadoc on July 07, 2011, 07:39:06 pm
Since most upholsterers are self-employed, does that stat only apply to those who are employed by someone else?
I wonder what the ratio of employed to self-employed upholsterers is? That would be a neat stat to look up.
Yes, there are a lot of variables and that should influence the wide range in the statistics and a major player in this issue is in a family owned business there might only be one tax return filed but that return is assisted by other members of the family. In that case, the person filing will likely have a higher number.
Too many variables to guess, skill level, the particular dimension, location and on and on will influence statistics.
The numberof owner/operators has to be represently heavily in the numbers we are reading. Also, the percentage of part timers is another number that would not surprise me. The percentage working in their homes is significant, I would think.
Like we all see, there are many varying factors that influence any statistic presented.
Good subject Christwo,
Doyle
I don't know for sure, but I would doubt that these numbers come from IRS tax returns.
I did read something a few months ago about how HR (Human Resource) people who do the hiring for big companies hate these kind of web sites. They say that the numbers are made up and are over-inflated. People looking for specific jobs expect to be paid what these sites say. This, I guess, is the other side of the story.
gene
I hope my boss doesn't see this! :)
This type of information did come up a few years ago and indeed it was traced back to IRS data.
In dealing with statistics they have to be sorted out for specific jobs if that is what you want. For instance, upholsterers in aircraft work ranked much higher than furniture people.
If there is a specific you want to know, look for those statistics.
Doyle
After factoring in overhead, how does the $100hr. labor (Rich's "Hourly rate" post) jibe with this national average yearly salary stat?
I think they must've looked at my paystubs for the upholsterer helper salary... only a few hundred off what I made each of the last two years... guess I had a little Anakin Skywalker syndrome for nothing...
Is anyone paying $20 to $30 an hour for a full time well experienced upholsterer?
Last time I worked for a shop, not my own, was in 1995.
I got $10.50 an hour and no benefits at all.
This was with 10 years in furniture upholstery and antique restoration. I was there number one upholsterer with more knowledge and experience then the owner.
I'd close my shop in a heart beat for $60,000 a year with none of the risk of ownership. I wish. Sounds like the job I have been wishing for.
I applied for an upholstery job about 6 years ago, with over 20 years under my belt, and the best they could do for me was $15 an hour and a 3 hour commute. I was better off staying with my own shop and they admitted to that.
Quote from: OneBoneHead on August 03, 2011, 03:29:36 pm
Is anyone paying $20 to $30 an hour for a full time well experienced upholsterer?
Last time I worked for a shop, not my own, was in 1995.
I got $10.50 an hour and no benefits at all.
This was with 10 years in furniture upholstery and antique restoration. I was there number one upholsterer with more knowledge and experience then the owner.
I'd close my shop in a heart beat for $60,000 a year with none of the risk of ownership. I wish. Sounds like the job I have been wishing for.
I applied for an upholstery job about 6 years ago, with over 20 years under my belt, and the best they could do for me was $15 an hour and a 3 hour commute. I was better off staying with my own shop and they admitted to that.
In the Jacksonville / St Augustine I was offered $12 to $15 an hr. Go 4 hours south and their offering $18 to $25 an hour. Of course a lot of that gets eaten up by cost of living. It all depends on where you want to live. Like you I decided to figure how to make it myself.
Quote from: kodydog on August 03, 2011, 08:43:06 pm
In the Jacksonville / St Augustine I was offered $12 to $15 an hr. Go 4 hours south and their offering $18 to $25 an hour.
I had a guy come in last year from the Boca Raton area looking for a job.
The wage that he was expecting me to pay him, was more than the final price that I charge to the customer.
I've said it before here on this forum. I really don't understand why any upholsterer who is any good would want to work for someone else, when they can make more money working part time out of their own garage.
You might say "Well, he's a good upholsterer, BUT he doesn't have a good head for business".
There are a lot of trades that require a good business sense. I don't think that a "one-man" upholstery shop is necessarily one of them.
I don't consider myself to be business savvy, but I know how to use a calculator, and figure myself a profit on every job. The business end of things just seems to take care of itself.
Quote from: sofadoc on August 04, 2011, 05:35:58 am
I've said it before here on this forum. I really don't understand why any upholsterer who is any good would want to work for someone else, when they can make more money working part time out of their own garage.
The thought of working for someone else and letting them handle all the headaches is enticing. I would only do it if I could make a fair wage, and a lot of shops can barley afford to pay themselves.
There is a lot of pride in owing your own successful business. You lose that when you work for someone else.
Although the thought of getting weekends off has a certain appeal.
Having second thought about posting this but I bet a lot feel the same way.
I've had my own shop for what seems to be about 18 years if I count working for other shops as a sub-contractor, code for can't afford employee liabilities. 15 years if you count simply owning my own shop. Over 25 years in total in upholstery I might add.
But it seems as my experience and skill grows, my income keeps getting cut and expenses keep going up.
For me upholstery is more about a life style then income. But it's becoming a hobby do to the market lows.
To be honest, in 2009 I made what I made my first year in business in 1995 or there abouts.
I'm lucky to pay myself $10 an hour any more.
Pretty sad to say.
My basic over head has doubled at last in the last 3 years from a $500 a month working from my home to close to $1,200 a month now.
It's a lot harder and people want to pay a lot less as well.
Increases in gas, supplies, banking, debt to make it though this depression and so on have all added to the lack of pay and income.
I went from owning everything free and clear ie no debt, including my home/shop, to having to barrow $14,000 to survive the last 3 years. Plus my wife has had to go out and start another business, since no jobs to be found, just to keep our heads above water.
I know guys on unemployment who take home more money each week then I do working full time each and every week.
This sucks.
One can get pretty mean thinking about it to much.
Also the state took a contract I used to have to a prison some 200 miles way to save money.
The joys of business ownership.
9 out of 10 businesses fail in the first 5 years and in the next 5 years 9 out of 10 of those close as well. A solid 15 year run is pretty good but it could be better.
As they say, "I'm self employed and my boss is an idiot."
Try putting an ad for your job as a business owner and for what you get paid. My guess is no one would ever take the job in their right mind.
And don't you just want to slap someone who says,
* You own your own business, you must be rich
* You are lucky, you can write that off.
And really slug someone who says:
* I am living on a fixed income...
for most of my working life, I would have been pleased to have a predictable fixed income.
Quote from: OneBoneHead on August 04, 2011, 11:36:10 am
Having second thought about posting this but I bet a lot feel the same way.
I've had my own shop for what seems to be about 18 years if I count working for other shops as a sub-contractor, code for can't afford employee liabilities. 15 years if you count simply owning my own shop. Over 25 years in total in upholstery I might add.
But it seems as my experience and skill grows, my income keeps getting cut and expenses keep going up.
For me upholstery is more about a life style then income. But it's becoming a hobby do to the market lows.
To be honest, in 2009 I made what I made my first year in business in 1995 or there abouts.
I'm lucky to pay myself $10 an hour any more.
Pretty sad to say.
My basic over head has doubled at last in the last 3 years from a $500 a month working from my home to close to $1,200 a month now.
It's a lot harder and people want to pay a lot less as well.
Increases in gas, supplies, banking, debt to make it though this depression and so on have all added to the lack of pay and income.
I went from owning everything free and clear ie no debt, including my home/shop, to having to barrow $14,000 to survive the last 3 years. Plus my wife has had to go out and start another business, since no jobs to be found, just to keep our heads above water.
I know guys on unemployment who take home more money each week then I do working full time each and every week.
This sucks.
One can get pretty mean thinking about it to much.
Also the state took a contract I used to have to a prison some 200 miles way to save money.
The joys of business ownership.
9 out of 10 businesses fail in the first 5 years and in the next 5 years 9 out of 10 of those close as well. A solid 15 year run is pretty good but it could be better.
As they say, "I'm self employed and my boss is an idiot."
Try putting an ad for your job as a business owner and for what you get paid. My guess is no one would ever take the job in their right mind.
Quote from: OneBoneHead on August 04, 2011, 11:36:10 am
This sucks.
One can get pretty mean thinking about it to much.
Also the state took a contract I used to have to a prison some 200 miles way to save money.
The joys of business ownership.
9 out of 10 businesses fail in the first 5 years and in the next 5 years 9 out of 10 of those close as well. A solid 15 year run is pretty good but it could be better.
As they say, "I'm self employed and my boss is an idiot."
Try putting an ad for your job as a business owner and for what you get paid. My guess is no one would ever take the job in their right mind.
Gotta keep your head up and always moving forward. Its tough when times get slow and your wondering where your next job is. The best advice I can give is to always exude confidence. Especially to your customers. Never talk of times being hard or business slow. When someone asks, "hows business", the last thing they want to hear is "work is slow" or "I'm not sure I'm going to make it".
Everybody's feeling the crunch right now but times will get better. Question is how long will it take.
Bad economy? Refuse to participate.
I used to be a talk radio junkie. I had to quit cold turkey. I got tired of hearing all the gloom and doom they were spewing.
Two years ago I contacted SCORE and found a mentor in Naples Fl. Retired interior designer. He reviewed my business and came up with three ideas to make more money.
1. Work harder
2. Charge more
3. Move to a more affluent area
Of course these ideas seem obvious but it got me thinking, and acting. Two years later I'm charging more and have expanded my business to coastal Fl. And have plenty of work.
Try reading The Science Of Getting Rich, by Wallace Wattles. A short book with good ideas.
Quote from: kodydog on August 09, 2011, 07:09:52 am
Never talk of times being hard or business slow. When someone asks, "hows business", the last thing they want to hear is "work is slow" or "I'm not sure I'm going to make it".
Oh so true! Telling them that business sucks is just like saying "Hey, I'm desperate.....I'll work CHEAP"
After the 911 attacks on the World Trade Center, the U.S. economy was hit pretty hard. My wife was managing a department store at the time. The local newspaper did a story on how the event had affected retail sales. They interviewed my wife. She gave honest answers. BIG MISTAKE.
The other department stores lied their ass off, saying things like "Oh everything is just great! Couldn't be better!!"
The corporate office got wind of the article, and chewed my wife out for telling the truth.
"Never let 'em see you sweat!"
In NYC you can get $35.00 to $45.00 per hour with benefits and vacations.
But here's the catch:
You need to know how to work with hair, if you can build a Chesterfield all with coils and with hair, down cushions, English spring edge, sprung arms and sprung back..from the frame up you'll make good money here.
You also need to know upholstered walls, clean finish, no double welt, no gimp.
If anyone is interested to know where i will gladly pass on the company names.
Gene asked for an explanation on the "general" thread. But I'd like to know more about the specifics of qualifications required in NYC, too.
I'm no upholsterer. But I'm a very skilled seamstress (tailoring/alterations, marine canvas/awnings/drapery work/slipcovers) and my "radar" is always keyed in to areas that will increase my exposure ("usefulness") to any and all that may require my skills. I'm all about increasing my skill set; the way I see it I have "the basics" well mastered and adding to that will be fun and potentially lucrative.
Quote from: tapissier on September 30, 2011, 06:29:55 pm
In NYC you can get $35.00 to $45.00 per hour with benefits and vacations.
But here's the catch:
You need to know how to work with hair, if you can build a Chesterfield all with coils and with hair, down cushions, English spring edge, sprung arms and sprung back..from the frame up you'll make good money here.
You also need to know upholstered walls, clean finish, no double welt, no gimp.
If anyone is interested to know where i will gladly pass on the company names.
That is good money in Florida. NYC has got to have the highest cost of living in the nation, next to DC. what kind of housing can you get at $35 to $45 per hour? Would I be living in a 2 room shack?
You can get a 1 bedroom in Brooklyn for $1,200.00.
Its a tough city and a tough crowd.
The top shops are full of Eastern Europeans and Latinos and these guys went to trade schools in their country, they know their stuff.
These shops have buying power and will hire the best gun money can buy, if you're a top gun, housing won't be an issue.
Quote from: tapissier on October 03, 2011, 02:53:38 pm
You can get a 1 bedroom in Brooklyn for $1,200.00.
Its a tough city and a tough crowd.
The top shops are full of Eastern Europeans and Latinos and these guys went to trade schools in their country, they know their stuff.
These shops have buying power and will hire the best gun money can buy, if you're a top gun, housing won't be an issue.
If that is a monthly rent, that's cheaper than any inner city apartment in Australia.
Quote from: tapissier on September 30, 2011, 06:29:55 pm
In NYC you can get $35.00 to $45.00 per hour with benefits and vacations.
Quote from: tapissier on October 03, 2011, 02:53:38 pm
You can get a 1 bedroom in Brooklyn for $1,200.00.
My friend has a daughter that moved to NY to be a dancer on Broadway.
She shared a not-so-nice apartment with 3 other girls. Her share of the rent was $800.
40 bucks an hour @40 hrs.....$1600 per week. After taxes and insurance....maybe $1200 left each week. Subtract another $300 for rent.
$900 a week might sound like a lot....but not for New York.
And the $40hr. is only attainable after expensive training, and a lengthy apprenticeship (at a meager hourly wage).
It's not hard to see why more people don't persue upholstery as a career.
I know guys in Melbourne that get $70 plus dollars an hour plus a company car, but it is for office / school furnture, these guys are guns though and it is not an art to them
there is a lot of people that live here on less than $900.00 /wk.
lets not forget NY is NOT only Manhattan, its 5 boroughs.
http://www.cbsalary.com/salary-calculator/chart/Boat+Canvas+Maker+Installer?usd=1&uas=&kw=Marine+Canvas&ujt=&jn=jn013&tid=12483&ns=1
here's one on canvas makers. Maybe right figures material costs and overhead I could not afford to pay a worker boat are just a luxery item I'm just glad it a low cost of livin in SWFL
Quote from: Mike8560 on November 29, 2011, 02:50:31 pm
http://www.cbsalary.com/salary-calculator/chart/Boat+Canvas+Maker+Installer?usd=1&uas=&kw=Marine+Canvas&ujt=&jn=jn013&tid=12483&ns=1
Interesting site Mike. I took it one step further. A little further down where it says, "the average salary in your area". After answering three pages of questions, the last page asks for $29 to see the answer. Hmmm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Y50hE5ri8