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Furniture Finishers in Connecticut

Thinking about a career as a Furniture Finishers in Connecticut? Here’s what the data says. Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.

What do Furniture Finishers Make in Connecticut?

For a furniture finishers working in Connecticut, the typical annual salary is $57,530 per year (or about $27.66/hour).Earnings range from $35,940 at the 10th percentile to $62,480 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$35,940	$17.28
25th percentile	$52,150	$25.07
Median (50th)	$57,530	$27.66
75th percentile	$62,120	$29.87
90th percentile	$62,480	$30.04

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Connecticut compared to the national average — is 0.21, indicating fewer furniture finishers per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, furniture finishers earn a median of $37,305 per year ($17.94/hour), exceeding the Connecticut median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 389,685 furniture finishers nationwide. In Connecticut alone, around 30 people work in this role. That’s fewer than the typical state, which employs around 210 furniture finishers.

Top States for Furniture Finishers Employment

The table below shows the states where the most furniture finishers work.

State	Number Employed
Florida	1,300
Indiana	1,260
Texas	1,220
California	920
North Carolina	880
Pennsylvania	850
New York	690
Tennessee	570
Arizona	530
Michigan	440
Washington	430
Ohio	340
Georgia	340
Missouri	340
Minnesota	330
Wisconsin	310
New Jersey	280
Illinois	260
Kansas	250
Virginia	220

Highest-Paying States for Furniture Finishers

These states pay the most for furniture finishers.

State	Annual Median Salary
Massachusetts	$62,590
Connecticut	$57,530
Nebraska	$49,860
Rhode Island	$48,790
Colorado	$48,380
Minnesota	$48,370
Maine	$47,310
Utah	$46,380
Indiana	$46,300
California	$46,060

Skills

Key furniture finishers skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

Key abilities for furniture finishers, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, furniture finishers typically:

• 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.

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
• Handling and Moving Objects
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
• Performing General Physical Activities
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People
• Thinking Creatively
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards

Tools & Technology

Software and systems commonly involved: Hot technologies: Intuit QuickBooks

What Major Will Prepare You For This Career?

Programs that train for this career include:

• Woodworking

Related Careers

Other careers like furniture finishers include:

• Carpet Installers
• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
• Floor Sanders and Finishers
• Tile and Stone Setters
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers

Also Known As

Antique Finisher, Antique Refinisher, Antiquer, Cabinet Finisher, Caner, Chair Finisher, Finish Patcher, Finish Repair Worker, Finish Sprayer, Finisher, Frame Repairer, Furniture Assembly Technician (Furniture Assembly Tech), Furniture Builder, Furniture Finisher, Furniture Installer.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 51-7021.00