Furniture Finishers Career, Salary and Skills
Furniture Finishers have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $44,540 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 14,480. Wage data is published for 107 locations.
Occupation description
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
O*NET code
51-7021.00
Job zone
2
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$44,540
Hourly median
$21.41
Employment
14,480
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Monitoring | 3.12 | 2.88 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Active Listening | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Speaking | 3.00 | 2.38 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.00 | 2.75 |
| Time Management | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Coordination | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Service Orientation | 2.88 | 2.62 |
Typical tasks
- 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.
- 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.
Technology
- DuPont ColorNet
- DuPont Spies Hecker Wizard
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Microsoft Office software
- Web browser software
Furniture Finishers salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Furniture Finishers Salary in FLMedian $45,600 · Employment 1,470
- Furniture Finishers Salary in INMedian $43,220 · Employment 1,280
- Furniture Finishers Salary in CAMedian $49,080 · Employment 1,010
- Furniture Finishers Salary in NYMedian $48,340 · Employment 1,000
- Furniture Finishers Salary in TXMedian $36,350 · Employment 980
- Furniture Finishers Salary in NCMedian $39,920 · Employment 950
- Furniture Finishers Salary in New York, NYMedian $50,020 · Employment 870
- Furniture Finishers Salary in PAMedian $47,450 · Employment 790
- Furniture Finishers Salary in TNMedian $32,160 · Employment 620
- Furniture Finishers Salary in MIMedian $45,260 · Employment 570
- Furniture Finishers Salary in Los Angeles, CAMedian $47,660 · Employment 560
- Furniture Finishers Salary in Miami, FLMedian $46,710 · Employment 450
Related careers
- Cutters and Trimmers, HandNational median $38,020
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and PlasticNational median $46,550
- Drywall and Ceiling Tile InstallersNational median $58,930
- Shoe and Leather Workers and RepairersNational median $37,800
- Structural Metal Fabricators and FittersNational median $51,330
- Painters, Construction and MaintenanceNational median $49,400
- Fiberglass Laminators and FabricatorsNational median $46,880
- Carpet InstallersNational median $50,340
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.