John John,
Take it from someone who has been through it (and still going through it), getting a Green Card is a very long-winded affair. We came here from the UK 10 years ago. Myself on an H1 visa. My wife and daughter (11 y/o at the time) on H4 visas.
I work in IT, an area short on very talented individuals, and had a hard time getting a visa.
10 years on, we are still waiting on a green card. Hope to get that completed next year. The bad news... Our daughter aged-out of the system when she turned 21 and will no longer qualify for a GC when ours finally arrives. If she cannot find a sponsor after graduating college, she has to return to the UK.
As an upholsterer, I think you will have a very tough time getting a visa.
An alternative would be capital investment (start a business which employs US citizens).
I feel your pain. Much of Europe is sliding down a slippery slope due to EU legislation.
The UK (and most of Europe) is over-taxed, over-priced, over-populated and over-legislated. I was glad to escape and love this country we now call home.