Furniture Finishers
The occupation Furniture Finishers covers people who shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish. One core duty is to brush, spray, or hand-rub finishing ingredients, such as paint, oil, stain, or wax, onto and into wood grain and apply lacquer or other sealers. Interest ratings put Realistic on top at 7.0 out of 7 and Artistic second, so the code is RAC and the day leans toward hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world. Plan on a few months to a year of learning on the job; O*NET labels this some preparation. Strength in monitoring, critical thinking, and active listening helps most here. If you want hands-on work with tools, machines or the physical world, keep it on your list. If you need leading, persuading and making business decisions, it may feel thin.
What they do
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
Main tasks
- Brush, spray, or hand-rub finishing ingredients, such as paint, oil, stain, or wax, onto and into wood grain and apply lacquer or other sealers.
- Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws.
- Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders.
- Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances.
- Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths.
- Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors.
Skills
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Time Management
- Speaking
- Operations Monitoring
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like ending the day with a physical result you can point to.
- You want to start work after a short stretch of training.
- You are comfortable relying on monitoring and critical thinking.
May not suit you if
- You would rather stay away from physical, hands-on tasks.
- You want to lead people or run the business side. Enterprising rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
- You want a career built on years of advanced study.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code RAC takes the three highest, and Realistic comes first here.
Preparation
Some preparation. Most people start with a high school diploma, then learn from experienced coworkers over a few months to a year.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED). This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Finish Repair Worker
- Finisher
- Furniture Finisher
- Hand Sander
- Lacquer Sprayer
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.