What does a furniture finisher do?

Updated January 8, 2025

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Furniture finisher responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real furniture finisher resumes:

Work closely with owner and other finishers to learn the trade, specializing in tilt-up wall construction.
Assist ICM with project management responsibilities and updating and editing documentation for ISO compliance.
Scout out free or inexpensive furniture - refinish it and market it for resale on Craigslist and via personally design flyers.

Furniture finisher skills and personality traits

We calculated that 79% of Furniture Finishers are proficient in Hand Tools, Grinders, and Steel Wool. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Mechanical skills.

We break down the percentage of Furniture Finishers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Hand Tools, 79%
Disassembled items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools.
Grinders, 9%
Smoothed, shaped, and touched up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, sanders, or grinders.
Steel Wool, 5%
Removed old finish from surfaces, using steel wool, sandpaper and solvent and putty knife.
Custom Colors, 4%
Mix finish ingredients to obtain custom colors or shades, smooth, shape, and touch up cabinets and front doors.
Custom Furniture, 2%
Repaired custom furniture - Delivered furniture to commercial and residential sites - Provided customer service
Furniture Repair, 2%
Apprentice learning furniture repair and refinishing methods.

Common skills that a furniture finisher uses to do their job include "hand tools," "grinders," and "steel wool." You can find details on the most important furniture finisher responsibilities below.

Detail oriented. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a furniture finisher to have is detail oriented. Their role and responsibilities require that "woodworkers must pay attention to details in order to meet specifications and to keep themselves safe." Furniture finishers often use detail oriented in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "committed to customer service, quality, and attention to detail. "

Mechanical skills. This is an important skill for furniture finishers to perform their duties. For an example of how furniture finisher responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "the use of handtools, such as screwdrivers and wrenches, is required to set up, adjust, and calibrate machines." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a furniture finisher: "operated manual and mechanical equipment in a safe and efficient manner. ".

Dexterity. furniture finisher responsibilities often require "dexterity." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "woodworkers must make precise cuts with a variety of handtools and power tools, so they need good hand-eye coordination." This resume example shows what furniture finishers do with dexterity on a typical day: "performed morning pre-post trip on delivery vehicle basic math skills lifts up to [50-300] pounds"

All furniture finisher skills

The three companies that hire the most furniture finishers are:

Knoll
1 furniture finishers jobs

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Compare different furniture finishers

Furniture finisher vs. Sealer sander

If we compare the average furniture finisher annual salary with that of a sealer sander, we find that sealer sanders typically earn a $4,835 lower salary than furniture finishers make annually.Even though furniture finishers and sealer sanders are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require assembly line, customer specifications, and kitchen cabinets in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, furniture finisher responsibilities require skills like "hand tools," "grinders," "steel wool," and "custom colors." Meanwhile a typical sealer sander has skills in areas such as "cabinet doors," "furniture pieces," "shares knowledge," and "check quality." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

On average, sealer sanders reach similar levels of education than furniture finishers. Sealer sanders are 2.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Furniture finisher vs. Wood filler

On average, wood fillers earn a $4,150 lower salary than furniture finishers a year.A few skills overlap for furniture finishers and wood fillers. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "hand tools," "custom furniture," and "customer specifications. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that furniture finisher responsibilities requires skills like "grinders," "steel wool," "custom colors," and "furniture repair." But a wood filler might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "paint rollers," "caulking," "drop cloths," and "spray guns."

In general, wood fillers achieve similar levels of education than furniture finishers. They're 2.3% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Furniture finisher vs. Refinisher

On average scale, wood finishers bring in lower salaries than furniture finishers. In fact, they earn a $1,727 lower salary per year.By looking over several furniture finishers and wood finishers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "furniture repair," "coats," and "antique furniture." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from furniture finisher resumes include skills like "hand tools," "grinders," "steel wool," and "custom colors," whereas a refinisher is more likely to list skills in "physical labor," "customer service," "fiber glass," and "commercial buildings. "

When it comes to education, wood finishers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to furniture finishers. In fact, they're 1.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Furniture finisher vs. Wood finisher

Finishers average a lower salary than the annual salary of furniture finishers. The difference is about $299 per year.While both furniture finishers and finishers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like steel wool, custom colors, and furniture repair, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between furniture finishers and finishers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a furniture finisher might have more use for skills like "hand tools," "grinders," "custom furniture," and "faux." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of finishers require skills like "sand paper," "customer samples," "uv," and "spray guns. "

Finishers enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $39,244. For comparison, furniture finishers earn the highest salary in the manufacturing industry.The average resume of finishers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to furniture finishers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.1%.

Types of furniture finisher

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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