Furniture Finishers: Career Overview
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
Featured schools near , edit
What Do Furniture Finishers Do?
Typical responsibilities of furniture finishers span:
- 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.
Key Skills and Knowledge
Successful furniture finishers rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Top Skills
The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Knowledge Areas
Related Job Titles
People in this occupation may also be known by titles such as:
- Antique Finisher
- Antique Refinisher
- Antiquer
- Cabinet Finisher
- Caner
- Chair Finisher
- Finish Patcher
- Finish Repair Worker
How Many Furniture Finishers Are There?
There are roughly 389,685 furniture finishers working in the United States today. Employment is projected to grow by +7.3% over the projection horizon.
Furniture Finishers Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $37,305 |
| Hourly median | $17.94 |
| 10th percentile | $26,414 |
| 25th percentile | $31,860 |
| 75th percentile | $42,751 |
| 90th percentile | $48,196 |
Pay can vary substantially based on experience, location, and industry.
Furniture Finishers Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $62,590 |
| Connecticut | $57,530 |
| Nebraska | $49,860 |
| Rhode Island | $48,790 |
| Colorado | $48,380 |
| Minnesota | $48,370 |
| Maine | $47,310 |
| Utah | $46,380 |
| Indiana | $46,300 |
| California | $46,060 |
| Maryland | $45,800 |
| Florida | $45,800 |
| Michigan | $45,770 |
| Iowa | $45,480 |
| Ohio | $45,350 |
| Illinois | $44,950 |
| New York | $44,760 |
| West Virginia | $44,420 |
| Oregon | $43,780 |
| Missouri | $43,680 |
| Washington | $43,320 |
| Idaho | $42,390 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,090 |
| South Carolina | $40,650 |
| South Dakota | $40,580 |
| Texas | $40,160 |
| Wisconsin | $40,010 |
| New Mexico | $40,000 |
| Kentucky | $39,110 |
| North Carolina | $39,100 |
| Vermont | $38,530 |
| Arizona | $38,110 |
| Kansas | $38,100 |
| Arkansas | $37,830 |
| Nevada | $37,480 |
| New Jersey | $37,460 |
| Georgia | $36,860 |
| Virginia | $36,710 |
| Oklahoma | $32,570 |
| Alabama | $32,420 |
| Mississippi | $31,540 |
| Tennessee | $31,170 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Pay for furniture finishers differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | $54,737 | 2.6% | 1.07 |
| Rocky Mountains | $45,583 | 3.5% | 1.33 |
| Great Lakes | $45,205 | 18.5% | 2.51 |
| Far Western US | $44,378 | 12.1% | 0.85 |
| Plains States | $43,984 | 8.2% | 1.35 |
| Middle Atlantic | $42,498 | 13.3% | 1.09 |
| Southeast | $39,526 | 28.7% | 1.43 |
| Southwest | $39,400 | 13.1% | 1.18 |
Top Metro Areas
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $65,260 | 90 |
| Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | RI | $60,000 | 130 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $54,080 | 100 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | MN | $50,480 | 180 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | CO | $50,280 | 50 |
| Elkhart-Goshen, IN | IN | $49,510 | 340 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | MO | $49,290 | 100 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | MI | $48,690 | 80 |
Which Industries Hire Furniture Finishers
The largest employers of furniture finishers work in these industries:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 10,150 | $40,880 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) | 1,600 | $44,310 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 1,040 | $46,730 |
| Retail Trade | 880 | $45,260 |
| Construction | 150 | $46,230 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 150 | $45,870 |
| Wholesale Trade | 140 | $37,630 |
Furniture Finishers work in the following industries:
Tech Stack
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
Work Environment
The work environment for furniture finishers is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Exposed to Contaminants
- Spend Time Standing
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
Getting Started in This Career
Entry-level furniture finishers positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Some Preparation Needed (Job Zone 2), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Other Careers to Consider
Similar Occupations
- Carpet Installers (Supplemental)
- Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles (Primary-Long)
- Floor Sanders and Finishers (Primary-Long)
- Tile and Stone Setters (Supplemental)
- Terrazzo Workers and Finishers (Supplemental)
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (Supplemental)
- Painters, Construction and Maintenance (Supplemental)
- Structural Metal Fabricators and Fitters (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for furniture finishers typically earn programs in:
Precision Production
1 programs across 1 majors
About the Data
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 51-7021.00 (Furniture Finishers).
Course Advisor provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© Course Advisor – All Rights Reserved.