Production
Furniture finisher
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
Median pay
$44,540
Growth to 2035
−3%
declining
Openings a year
1,500
Time to qualify*
1 month
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Furniture finisher
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Hazardous conditions
Furniture finisher: 36% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core 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.
- 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.
Also called: Finish Repair Worker · Finisher · Furniture Finisher · Hand Sander · Lacquer Sprayer · Sander · Sealer Sander · Sprayer
Outlook and AI
Furniture finishers held 15,900 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 15,300 by 2035 (−3%, declining; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Furniture finisher vs. Upholsterer
- Furniture finisher vs. Painting, coating, and decorating workers
- Furniture finisher vs. Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
- Furniture finisher vs. Grinding and polishing workers, hand
- Furniture finisher vs. Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic
- Furniture finisher vs. Floor sanders and finishers
- Furniture finisher vs. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Furniture finisher vs. Floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles
- Furniture finisher vs. Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing