According to people in this career, the main tasks are...
| Task | Importance |
|---|---|
| Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes. | 86% |
| 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. | 85% |
| Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws. | 85% |
| Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders. | 84% |
| Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances. | 84% |
| Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths. | 83% |
| Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles. | 82% |
| Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors. | 81% |
| Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type. | 81% |
| Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades. | 80% |
| Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application. | 80% |
| Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner. | 80% |
| Follow blueprints to produce specific designs. | 80% |
| Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment. | 79% |
| Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration. | 78% |
| Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings. | 77% |
| Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces. | 77% |
| Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools. | 77% |
| Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish. | 76% |
| Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets. | 76% |
| Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish. | 75% |
| Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color. | 71% |
