What You Need to Know About Floor Sanders and Finishers

Position Description Scrape and sand wooden floors to smooth surfaces using floor scraper and floor sanding machine, and apply coats of finish.

Life As a Floor Sander & Finisher

• Attach sandpaper to rollers of sanding machines.
• Inspect floors for smoothness.
• Scrape and sand floor edges and areas inaccessible to floor sanders, using scrapers, disk-type sanders, and sandpaper.
• Remove excess glue from joints, using knives, scrapers, or wood chisels.
• Guide sanding machines over surfaces of floors until surfaces are smooth.
• Apply filler compound and coats of finish to floors to seal wood.

Qualities of a Floor Sander & Finisher

When polled, Floor Sanders and Finishers say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

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.

Operation and Control: Controlling operations of equipment or systems.

Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

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.

Types of Floor Sander & Finisher Jobs

• Floor Renovator
• Hardwood Floor Installer
• Wood Floor Refinisher
• Hardwood Floor Refinisher
• Floor Sanding Machine Operator

Job Outlook for Floor Sanders and Finishers

There were about 7,300 jobs for Floor Sanders and Finishers in 2016 (in the United States).

New jobs are being produced at a rate of 9.5% which is lower than average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 700 new jobs for Floor Sanders and Finishers by 2026. There will be an estimated 700 positions for Floor Sander & Finisher per year.

The states with the most job growth for Floor Sanders and Finishers are Colorado, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Watch out if you plan on working in Wyoming, Pennsylvania, or Iowa. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for Floor Sanders and Finishers

The salary for Floor Sanders and Finishers ranges between about $25,380 and $56,850 a year. A Floor Sander and Finisher median salary is $37,510.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for jobs of this type in different U.S. states.

Annual Mean Salary by State

State	Annual Mean Salary
Illinois	$62,090
California	$50,470
New Jersey	$50,360
Washington	$50,160
New York	$45,950
Michigan	$43,570
Oregon	$41,680
Ohio	$41,620
Texas	$40,940
Maryland	$40,120
Delaware	$39,770
New Hampshire	$39,140
Massachusetts	$38,480
Tennessee	$38,200
Virginia	$37,900
Wisconsin	$37,570
Pennsylvania	$37,350
Nevada	$36,890
Colorado	$35,540
Nebraska	$34,300
Arkansas	$33,470
North Carolina	$31,180
Missouri	$30,970

Tools & Technologies Used by Floor Sanders and Finishers

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Floor Sanders and Finishers:

• Microsoft Excel
• Floor planning software

Becoming a Floor Sander & Finisher

Education needed to be a Floor Sander and Finisher:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where Floor Sanders and Finishers Work

References

Bureau of Labor Statistics

College Factual

O*NET Online

Image Credit: Via Wikimedia Commons