Furniture Finishers and Refinishers

Nature of work

Furniture finishers finish new wood or metal furniture to specified colour and finish. They work for furniture manufacturing plants, retail furniture stores or refinishing and repair shops. Furniture refinishers refinish repaired, used or old furniture. They work for furniture refinishing and repair shops or they may be self-employed.

Job duties

Furniture finishers:

• Set up and use finishing machines or finish furniture by hand.
• Stain or finish wood with stains, paints or other materials using brush or spray gun.
• Use toners, highlights, glazes or shaders to get desired finish.
• Use lacquer or other sealers.
• Decorate wood surfaces or mark surfaces to create antique or other effects using hand and power tools.
• Clean and polish furniture.
• Sand metal furniture to prepare for finish and spray with paint or other materials.

Furniture refinishers:

• Strip old finish from wood surfaces using steel wool, sandpaper and solvents.
• Smooth gouges with wood filler and sand wood.
• Match colours to get original finish and use appropriate finish on stripped wood.
• Polish and wax refinished surfaces.
• Sand or grind metal surfaces to prepare for coating, and paint metal surfaces using electrostatic method, spray gun or other painting equipment.
• Make minor repairs to furniture.
• May do duties of furniture finisher.

Sample job titles

• finishing machine operator
• furniture finisher
• furniture polisher
• furniture refinisher
• furniture stainer
• furniture stripper
• touch-up-person
• trimmer
• wash-off operator
• wood finisher

Skills

• These jobs need mechanical skill and physical fitness. Good spatial perception, form perception, and hand-eye coordination are important. You must be accurate and pay close attention to detail.

Job requirements

• Some high school education may be required.
• College, high school or industry courses in furniture finishing or refinishing may be required.
• On-the-job training is provided.

Other considerations

• Movement is possible between jobs in this group and progress to supervisor positions is possible with experience.

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Contacts

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