Skills
Furniture Finisher Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in furniture finishers, and how to build and show them.
What skills do furniture finishers need?
Furniture Finishers need technical skills such as surface prep, staining, and spray finishing, plus people skills like patience and color eye. They also use tools such as Spray guns and Sanders.
Technical (hard) skills
- Surface prep
- Staining
- Spray finishing
- Color matching
- Touch-up
- Stripping
People (soft) skills
- Patience
- Color eye
- Attention to detail
- Craftsmanship
Tools, equipment and technology
- Spray guns
- Sanders
- Spray booths
- Touch-up kits
- Strippers
- Color charts
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how furniture finishers put their skills to work:
- How to match a wood finish color
- How to spray a smooth lacquer finish
- How to touch up a scratch in a finish
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Surface prep” and “Staining.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “patience,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as Finishing course near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our furniture finisher glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our Furniture Finisher training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.