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Furniture Finishers

ManufacturingO*NET 51-7021.00United States

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

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$43,662

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
−1.6%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

96.8% of the workforce

Employment
17.78K jobs

Growing to 17.5K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

Showing United States

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What furniture finishers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • 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.
  • Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type.
  • Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors.
  • Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades.
  • Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner.
  • 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.
  • Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$28,860
25th percentile
$35,326
50th percentile
$43,662
75th percentile
$54,037
90th percentile
$86,872

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $43,662 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

−1.6%projected to decline
202517,778 jobs
2035 projected17,500 jobs

278 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
96.8%
Certificate
3.3%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Lifting Ability
  • Furniture Cleaning
  • Furniture Assembly
  • Warehousing
  • Merchandising
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Hand Tools
  • Loading And Unloading
  • Upholstery
  • Office Supply Management
  • Carpentry
  • Good Driving Record
  • Construction
  • Showrooms
  • Painting
  • Woodworking
  • Planogram
  • Project Management
  • Interior Design
  • Mechanical Aptitude

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
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.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
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.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
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.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Furniture Assembly Technicians848 postings
  2. 02Furniture Repair Technicians460 postings
  3. 03Furniture Installers343 postings
  4. 04Office Furniture Installers193 postings
  5. 05Fixture Installers165 postings
  6. 06Installers164 postings
  7. 07Furniture Managers152 postings
  8. 08Shop Helpers136 postings
  9. 09Furniture Delivery Drivers114 postings
  10. 10Furniture Technicians107 postings
  11. 11Woodworkers103 postings
  12. 12Design Consultants95 postings
  13. 13Furniture Service Technicians86 postings
  14. 14Cleaning Technicians76 postings
  15. 15Home Stagers65 postings
  16. 16Shop Technicians65 postings
  17. 17Design Studio Specialists62 postings
  18. 18Display Assistants56 postings
  19. 19Floor Associates56 postings
  20. 20Vehicle Technicians56 postings

Top employers

  1. 01SFS442 postings
  2. 02SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels208 postings
  3. 03Ait Worldwide Logistics136 postings
  4. 04Floor & Decor96 postings
  5. 05Signature Retail Services94 postings
  6. 06Williams-Sonoma83 postings
  7. 07Rooms to Go80 postings
  8. 08Haverty Furniture Companies71 postings
  9. 09Aerotek63 postings
  10. 10Ashley Furniture55 postings
  11. 11Randstad54 postings
  12. 12Davaco51 postings
  13. 13Winn-Dixie47 postings
  14. 14Ashley International Limited40 postings
  15. 15U-Haul39 postings
  16. 16American Furniture Warehouse33 postings
  17. 17Arc Thrift Stores30 postings
  18. 18Fun Town Rv30 postings
  19. 19Ashley Global Retail28 postings
  20. 20Valiant Enterprises28 postings

Keep looking

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