Floor Sanders and Finishers
Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 47-2043.00United States
Scrape and sand wooden floors to smooth surfaces using floor scraper and floor sanding machine, and apply coats of finish.
- Median annual earnings
- $45,709
- Projected change
- −8.6%
- Typical education
- High school diploma or less
- Employment
- 5.98K jobs
50th percentile, United States
2025 to 2035
81.2% of the workforce
Growing to 5.46K by 2035
Explore this career by location
Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.
Showing United States
Loading available locations…
Build the skills
ASU learning related to this career
These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.
Loading related ASU learning
The work
What floor sanders and finishers do
Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.
- Buff and vacuum floors to ensure their cleanliness prior to the application of finish.
- Inspect floors for smoothness.
- Scrape and sand floor edges and areas inaccessible to floor sanders, using scrapers, disk-type sanders, and sandpaper.
- Attach sandpaper to rollers of sanding machines.
- Guide sanding machines over surfaces of floors until surfaces are smooth.
- Apply filler compound and coats of finish to floors to seal wood.
- Remove excess glue from joints, using knives, scrapers, or wood chisels.
Pay and outlook
What the job pays and where it is heading
Annual earnings range
Reported earnings by percentile, United States
- 10th percentile
- $29,546
- 25th percentile
- $35,682
- 50th percentile
- $45,709
- 75th percentile
- $59,510
- 90th percentile
- $80,952
The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $45,709 and half earn less.
Employment outlook
2025 to 2035 projection
−8.6%projected to decline
20255,975 jobs
2035 projected5,461 jobs
514 fewer positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.
Preparation
Education levels
What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.
- High school diploma or less
- 81.2%
- Certificate
- 16.4%
- Some college
- 2.3%
Skills
Skills employers ask for
Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.
How the work gets done
Core competencies
Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.
- Operation and Control
- Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
- Coordination
- Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Active Listening
- Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Monitoring
- Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Time Management
- Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Operations Monitoring
- Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
- Complex Problem Solving
- Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
- Critical Thinking
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
- Speaking
- Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Quality Control Analysis
- Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
- Reading Comprehension
- Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
- Active Learning
- Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
- Service Orientation
- Actively looking for ways to help people.
- Social Perceptiveness
- Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
- Instructing
- Teaching others how to do something.
- Troubleshooting
- Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
- Repairing
- Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
- Learning Strategies
- Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
In the market
Job titles and employers
Recent job postings in United StatesCommon job titles
- 01Floor Finishers57 postings
- 02Wood Finishers6 postings
- 03Environmental Services Representatives4 postings
- 04Environmental Services Floor Technicians2 postings
- 05Caulkers1 postings
- 06Floor Technicians1 postings
- 07Grinders/Polishers1 postings
- 08Polishers1 postings
- 09Psychiatric Hospitalists1 postings
Top employers
- 01BJC HealthCare14 postings
- 02UF Health8 postings
- 03Cgh Medical Center7 postings
- 04Methodist Hospitals3 postings
- 05South Central Regional Medical Center3 postings
- 06St. Jude Children's Research Hospital3 postings
- 07Citizens Memorial2 postings
- 08Princeton Community Hospital2 postings
- 09Salina Regional Health Center2 postings
- 10United Hospital Center2 postings
- 11West Flooring & Design2 postings
- 12Aaa World Floors1 postings
- 13Baptist Memorial Health Care1 postings
- 14Bethesda Health Group1 postings
- 15Citizens Memorial Hospital1 postings
- 16Dk Floors1 postings
- 17Easy Home Solutions1 postings
- 18Euro Floors1 postings
- 19Gk's Custom Polishing1 postings
- 20Mission Health1 postings
Keep looking