What does a wood finisher do?
Wood finisher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real wood finisher resumes:
- Climb scaffolding, staging, ladders and planks to reach work area structures.
- Repair and replace plumbing parts, including fixtures and drain lines.
- Change filters on all HVAC equipment along with diagnostic and repair.
- Sand, spray and/or brush successive coats of lacquer, stain, paint on pool-table wood parts.
- Unload trucks with wood products, sand and finish, put several coats of finish and polyurethane on.
- Assist ICM with project management responsibilities and updating and editing documentation for ISO compliance.
- Perform the artwork on Faux finish replenishment parts.
Wood finisher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 29% of Wood Finishers are proficient in Sand Paper, Customer Samples, and UV. They’re also known for soft skills such as Detail oriented, Math skills, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Wood Finishers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Sand Paper, 29%
Removed old damaged and deteriorated parts stripping tools, sand paper, and steel wool.
- Customer Samples, 19%
Worked directly under the lead person, doing customer samples, getting it ready to mail and get job approval.
- UV, 14%
Job Responsibilities: Prep and sand cabinets for UV, sand cabinet for application of clear coat etc.
- Spray Guns, 9%
Painted walls, exteriors and interiors of buildings and furniture using brushes, rollers, and spray guns.
- Coats, 9%
Buffed/Polished urethane and Polyester top coats.
- Kitchen Cabinets, 5%
Assist in installing kitchen cabinets and furniture and restoring damaged cabinets and furniture.
Common skills that a wood finisher uses to do their job include "sand paper," "customer samples," and "uv." You can find details on the most important wood finisher responsibilities below.
Detail oriented. The most essential soft skill for a wood finisher to carry out their responsibilities is detail oriented. This skill is important for the role because "woodworkers must pay attention to details in order to meet specifications and to keep themselves safe." Additionally, a wood finisher resume shows how their duties depend on detail oriented: "interpret material specifications to ensure finished product meets design requirements with a high level of quality and detail. "
Mechanical skills. wood finishers are also known for mechanical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to wood finisher responsibilities, because "the use of handtools, such as screwdrivers and wrenches, is required to set up, adjust, and calibrate machines." A wood finisher resume example shows how mechanical skills is used in the workplace: "apply finish to cabinets and other woodwork using spray equipment and other manual/mechanical methods. "
Dexterity. A big part of what wood finishers do relies on "dexterity." You can see how essential it is to wood finisher responsibilities because "woodworkers must make precise cuts with a variety of handtools and power tools, so they need good hand-eye coordination." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical wood finisher tasks: "concrete installation operated wide variety of equipment including power saws, sanders, grinders, forklift and basic hand tools. "
The three companies that hire the most wood finishers are:
- Automation Personnel Services1 wood finishers jobs
- Sun Mountain Door
1 wood finishers jobs
- Holly Hunt
1 wood finishers jobs
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Compare different wood finishers
Wood finisher vs. Sealer sander
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between wood finishers and sealer sander. For instance, wood finisher responsibilities require skills such as "sand paper," "customer samples," "uv," and "spray guns." Whereas a sealer sander is skilled in "cabinet doors," "furniture pieces," "shares knowledge," and "check quality." This is part of what separates the two careers.
The education levels that sealer sanders earn slightly differ from wood finishers. In particular, sealer sanders are 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a wood finisher. Additionally, they're 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Wood finisher vs. Furniture repairer
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, wood finisher responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "sand paper," "customer samples," "uv," and "spray guns." Meanwhile, a furniture repairer has duties that require skills in areas such as "chairs +," "customer service +," "office furniture," and "burn ins." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, furniture repairers achieve similar levels of education than wood finishers. They're 1.9% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Wood finisher vs. Furniture finishing technician
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from wood finisher resumes include skills like "sand paper," "customer samples," "uv," and "spray guns," whereas a furniture finishing technician is more likely to list skills in "cushions," "stitching," "repair furniture," and "delivery truck. "
When it comes to education, furniture finishing technicians tend to earn similar degree levels compared to wood finishers. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Wood finisher vs. Furniture finisher apprentice
Types of wood finisher
Updated January 8, 2025
