Furniture Finishers

What the job really is

Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.

At a glance

• Sector: Production
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-7021
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner.
• 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.
• Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type.
• Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades.
• Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration.
• Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings.
• Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces.

Tools and technology

Intuit QuickBooks, Microsoft Office software, Adjustable hand clamps, Adjustable handwrenches, Air compressors, Automatic nail guns, Baking ovens, Barrel tumblers, Belt sanders, Canister-type face masks, Computer numerically control CNC spray painting machines, Cordless power drills

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Upholsterers
• Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
• Cabinetmakers and Bench Carpenters
• Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
• Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
• Floor Sanders and Finishers
• Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Furniture Finishers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.