My Favorite Non-Upholstery Tools

When you’ve been doing upholstery for a while you, you begin to collect quite an assortment of tools.Over time some become your absolute go to tools. As I look around my shop, I realize quite a few are not actual upholstery tools but gosh do they make a difference. Here’s a round up of the non-upholstery tools I can’t live without!

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Centerpoint Tape Measure

If your math challenged like I am you’re going to love this one. It’s fairly new to me but I find myself reaching for it all the time. It looks like a regular tape measure along the top, but below the inches is another set of numbers. If you want to know the center point of a length, you measure it out then find that same number on the bottom scale and that’s your centerpoint! 
I’m always marking the centers on the frames I’m working on to make sure I’m aligning the fabrics straight and neat. The centerpoint tape measure makes quick work of this task.

Glue Tools

For those times we need to tighten up a frame with some glue, I love these glue tools. My favorites are the silicone brush, tray and the various size spatulas.

The brush is perfect for spreading glue along the rails of a frame. The spatulas lets you get the glue into the skinny little crevices and actually allow you to push the glue into the joints. So handy! I love the tray because you can pour glue in it and then brush or scoop the glue up and apply it to the frame. But the best part of these tools is that when you’re done, just walk away. Let the glue dry and it peels right off! Easy clean always wins in my book!

Irwin Clamps

You can’t very well glue a frame with out clamps to hold it tight till it dries, so my faves are the Irwin Clamps. I find these clamps to be easy to use and hold really tight.
They also have some unique features that add a little extra value to owning them. Some of the clamps have reversible ends which means you can not only pull a frame together, you can also push it outward if needed. For those frames that are just a bit wider than our longest clamp, here’s another neat trick, use two of them together to extend your clamping reach! Ta Da!

Ratcheting Pliers

These pliers are a gold star winner in my workshop for two reasons. First, I don’t have a lot of hand or upper body strength. Being able to ratchet down on fabric during tear down gives me extra oomph to get that fabric off. But here’s where this tool really shines.

When I have multiple layers to strip, like a welt cord, fabric layers and a tack strip, if I can get the end worked lose, I can grab onto it, ratchet down and roll the pliers back pulling all the layers up at once. Three layers pulled loose all at once and just a few staples left behind to pull out.

Oh my! Saves so much time and makes quick work of stripping so many layers.

Hook and Pick Tools

Here’s my other gold star tool set, the hook and pick tools. I believe these are an automotive tool but they are perfect for prying up staples next to show wood or for staples buried into those channels that are next to impossible to get out.

Now truth is, these will probably not pull the whole staple out, but pry it up enough where you can get to the staple with a needle nose pliers.

It’s still tedious work but with these there is much less risk of damaged show wood! And that’s a big plus for me. 

I hope you’ve found this round up of tools useful. Maybe you just discovered the next must have tool for your shop, one that will make your life a little easier. I’ve discovered most of these tools through my network of favorite and friendly upholsterers. I love having a community that shares the tips and tricks of our trade. We’re all better for it!