Furniture Finishers

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

• 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.
• Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner.
• Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration.
• Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings.
• Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces.