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Furniture Finishers

Tasks

Core Tasks Include:

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.
Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders.
Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type.
Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws.
Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings.
Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration.
Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths.
Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools.
Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances.
Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors.
Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner.
Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces.

Supplemental Tasks Include:

Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment.
Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles.
Follow blueprints to produce specific designs.
Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application.
Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes.
Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish.
Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets.
Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color.
Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish.

The data sources for the information displayed here include: O*NET™. (Using onet291)