Careers · Explore one path
Furniture Finishers
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
Other titles employers use
Finish Repair Worker · Finisher · Furniture Finisher · Hand Sander · Lacquer Sprayer · Sander · Sealer Sander · Sprayer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Operations Monitoring
- Judgment and Decision Making
Subjects to know
- Production and Processing
- Mechanical
Useful strengths
- Near Vision
- Visual Color Discrimination
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Manual Dexterity
- Control Precision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.2 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 4.7 | Standing or moving for most of it |
| Talking face to face | 3.9 | A regular part of the day |
| Working with your hands | 4.8 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 97%
- A certificate or some college 3%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Accounting software
- Office suite software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 2,500
- Job openings each year
- 300
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 16.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,500 | 300 | 16.8% |
| Indiana | 1,530 | 170 | — |
| Florida | 1,340 | 160 | 12.6% |
| North Carolina | 1,180 | 140 | 8.3% |
| California | 1,000 | 110 | −9.1% |
| New York | 980 | 0 | −6.7% |
| Pennsylvania | 940 | 110 | — |
| Georgia | 720 | 90 | 18.0% |
| Washington | 690 | 70 | −6.8% |
| Ohio | 630 | 70 | — |
| Arizona | 600 | 70 | 15.4% |
| Wisconsin | 590 | 70 | 7.3% |
| Minnesota | 550 | 60 | 5.8% |
| Kentucky | 500 | 60 | 6.4% |
| Michigan | 500 | 60 | −2.0% |
| Iowa | 410 | 50 | 10.8% |
| Utah | 410 | 50 | 13.9% |
| New Jersey | 380 | 50 | 2.7% |
| Virginia | 370 | 40 | — |
| Illinois | 360 | 40 | 2.9% |
| Missouri | 340 | 40 | — |
| Colorado | 300 | 40 | 11.1% |
| Oregon | 260 | 30 | 4.0% |
| Arkansas | 200 | 20 | −4.8% |
| Oklahoma | 200 | 20 | 11.1% |
| Alabama | 190 | 20 | 5.6% |
| South Dakota | 190 | 20 | 5.6% |
| Vermont | 130 | 20 | — |
| Nevada | 110 | 10 | 10.0% |
| South Carolina | 90 | 10 | — |
| Mississippi | 70 | 10 | — |
| New Mexico | 70 | 10 | 16.7% |
| West Virginia | 70 | 10 | — |
| Maryland | 60 | 10 | — |
| Wyoming | 50 | 10 | — |
| Nebraska | 40 | 0 | — |
| Idaho | 30 | 0 | — |
| North Dakota | 30 | 0 | — |
Career to college
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Where to study
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