Is Auto Upholstery an Under-Appreciated Craft?

[TheHogRing]

How often does this happen to you? A customer brings his project car to your auto upholstery shop wanting a full interior restoration, but has blown most of his budget on the body, paint and mechanics. Now, he wants to spend as little as possible for a showroom-quality interior.

Sadly, it often seems that professional auto upholsterers are under-appreciated and under-valued. Ironically, though, car owners spend more time sitting inside the cabins than staring at their vehicles parked in the streets.

Case in point: http://tinyurl.com/c8xz8z6

[206RB]

Absolutely! But the biggest problem is when Trimmers undervalue themselves.

[mike802]

When I first went into business all those years ago my sole intention was to only do auto trim.  I learned real fast if I wanted to eat I would have to branch out.  I ended up doing anything I could, cars, boats, heavy equipment, bikes, and furniture even tried my hand at awnings. I still dabble in auto trim, I have a few restorers who bring a couple interiors a year, but I have focused on upholstering furniture and building handcrafted furniture today.  Once someone masters auto trim all other types of upholstery is easy, at least in my experience, others my have a different opinion.  And it is very under appreciated, people just do not comprehend the time and skill involved.  Where I live the interior out last the body, so people needing interior repair are mostly low income trying to get by driving a 15 + year old vehicle, or do it yourselfers building a custom car because they couldn't afford one otherwise.