Details for Furniture Finishers
Description
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
Tasks
- 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.
- 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.
- Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths.
- Follow blueprints to produce specific designs.
- Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools.
- Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application.
- 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.
- Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes.
- Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish.
- 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.
- 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.
Interests
- Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Education, training, experience
- Education - These occupations usually require a high school diploma.
- Training - Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
- Experience - Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is usually needed. For example, a teller would benefit from experience working directly with the public.
Knowledge
None found.
Skills
None found.
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