Furniture Finishers
Also called: Finisher, Furniture Finisher, Lacquer Sprayer, SprayerShape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 4 of its 22 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 3.5% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.4 hires for every 10 job openings in durable goods manufacturing, which employs about 73% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.4 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $34,950 | $32,600 to $43,450 | 190 |
| Arizona | $39,660 | $38,410 to $46,840 | 410 |
| Arkansas | $39,140 | $37,300 to $43,340 | 30 |
| California | $49,080 | $43,130 to $59,140 | 1,010 |
| Colorado | $50,000 | $42,430 to $59,060 | 170 |
| Connecticut | $59,830 | $49,280 to $62,770 | 90 |
| Florida | $45,600 | $38,700 to $48,930 | 1,470 |
| Georgia | $38,880 | $31,850 to $45,760 | 290 |
| Idaho | $39,510 | $31,350 to $45,070 | 160 |
| Illinois | $47,600 | $38,300 to $51,110 | 170 |
| Indiana | $43,220 | $38,650 to $48,000 | 1,280 |
| Iowa | $46,530 | $45,810 to $49,790 | 70 |
| Kansas | $39,450 | $39,310 to $41,600 | 200 |
| Kentucky | $42,950 | $36,610 to $47,840 | 50 |
| Louisiana | $38,920 | $33,520 to $42,310 | 50 |
| Maine | $45,560 | $43,650 to $46,570 | 80 |
| Maryland | $43,880 | $38,480 to $48,970 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $56,300 | $49,990 to $62,240 | 340 |
| Michigan | $45,260 | $37,950 to $50,320 | 570 |
| Minnesota | $48,640 | $47,140 to $56,890 | 340 |
| Mississippi | $38,430 | $29,470 to $44,450 | 130 |
| Missouri | $46,220 | $37,060 to $48,620 | 410 |
| Nebraska | $45,540 | $45,540 to $59,210 | 80 |
| Nevada | $46,980 | $40,640 to $49,590 | 190 |
| New Hampshire | $56,050 | $37,820 to $60,300 | 30 |
| New Jersey | $37,690 | $35,720 to $47,860 | 260 |
| New Mexico | $41,290 | $39,200 to $48,310 | 50 |
| New York | $48,340 | $41,600 to $57,720 | 1,000 |
| North Carolina | $39,920 | $36,470 to $46,310 | 950 |
| Ohio | $46,290 | $37,890 to $49,630 | 190 |
| Oklahoma | $37,190 | $29,320 to $46,430 | 30 |
| Oregon | $42,760 | $39,600 to $45,120 | 190 |
| Pennsylvania | $47,450 | $40,590 to $55,310 | 790 |
| South Carolina | $43,310 | $38,270 to $46,300 | 120 |
| South Dakota | $39,340 | $35,850 to $49,000 | 110 |
| Tennessee | $32,160 | $32,160 to $36,680 | 620 |
| Texas | $36,350 | $28,170 to $45,450 | 980 |
| Utah | $45,160 | $39,640 to $46,520 | 250 |
| Vermont | $47,280 | $45,090 to $50,440 | 30 |
| Virginia | $38,020 | $32,140 to $45,200 | 230 |
| Washington | $42,990 | $38,340 to $50,440 | 360 |
| West Virginia | $41,600 | $40,640 to $46,080 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $43,180 | $38,790 to $47,810 | 260 |
Nationally: $44,540. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 4 of its 22 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | 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. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths. | Not published |
| Not much | Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances. | Not published |
| Not much | Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws. | Not published |
| Not much | Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration. | Not published |
See all 22 tasks
| AI + software | Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type. | Not published |
| Not much | Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors. | Not published |
| Not much | Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades. | Not published |
| Not much | Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings. | Not published |
| Not much | Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner. | Not published |
| Not much | Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces. | Not published |
| Not much | Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools. | Not published |
| Not much | Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Follow blueprints to produce specific designs. | Not published |
| Not much | Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment. | Not published |
| Not much | Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish. | Not published |
| Not much | Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color. | Not published |
| Not much | Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets. | Not published |
| Not much | Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 22 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 22 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #8 Read documents or materials to inform work processes
- #38 Select materials or equipment for operations or projects
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply protective solutions or coatings | |||
| Repair workpieces or products | |||
| Shape materials to create products | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Disassemble equipment | |||
| Read documents or materials to inform work processes | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications |
Show all 15 activities
| Prepare mixtures or solutions | |||
| Advise others on business or operational matters | |||
| Inspect characteristics or conditions of materials or products | |||
| Design structures or facilities | |||
| Apply materials to fill gaps or imperfections | |||
| Operate cutting or grinding equipment | |||
| Operate industrial processing or production equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Advice or a recommendation46%
- A plan or strategy11%
- A document or report9%
- A design mockup9%
- An explanation or answer8%
How they worked with Claude
19% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for furniture finishers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 587 moves out
- 1 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General Low +4.2% 15%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 3 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 5%
- 4 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 778 moves in
- 1 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 11%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 7%
- 3 Production Workers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 4 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 4%
- 5 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 36% less than high school
- 61% high school
- 3% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 25 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 16% less than high school
- 38% high school
- 23% some college
- 2% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 1% master's
- 3% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 93 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
1 program: Furniture Design and Manufacturing.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
11.3% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 1 registered apprenticeship in this occupation (FURNITURE FINISHER). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Furniture Finishers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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