Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
National median · BLS
$44,540
▲ +4.73%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$45,300
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
14,480
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Furniture Finishers
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$32,160
25th
$37,670
Median (50th)
$44,540
75th
$49,730
90th — top pay
$61,020
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Furniture Finishers
BLS projects employment of furniture finishers to decline 3.5% from 2025 to 2035, while employment across all occupations grows 3.5%.
About 1,500 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
15,900 → 15,300
-600 jobs
Projected change
-3.5%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
1,500
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
9.7% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What furniture finishers do
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.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Furniture Finishers, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $44,540.
