Occupation: Furniture Finishers

Furniture Finishers

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

51-7021.00 | 22 tasks | 10 job titles

Reported Job Titles

(10)
  • Finish Repair Worker
  • Finisher
  • Furniture Finisher
  • Hand Sander
  • Lacquer Sprayer
  • Sander
  • Sealer Sander
  • Sprayer
  • Stain Sprayer
  • Stain Wiper

Core Tasks

(13)
  • 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.
  • 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.

Supplemental Tasks

(9)
  • Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes.
  • Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles.
  • Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application.
  • Follow blueprints to produce specific designs.
  • Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment.
  • Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish.
  • Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets.
  • Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish.
  • Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color.