Furniture finisher
Also called French polisher, furniture sander, furniture sprayer
Furniture finishers treat the surface of wood furniture using hand and power tools to sand, clean and polish. They apply wood coatings onto wooden surfaces by using different techniques such as brushing or using a spray gun. They choose and apply the right coatings with protective and/or decorative purposes.
What you'd do
Cabinet-makers and related workers · ILO- Operating woodworking machines, such as power saws, jointers, mortisers and shapers, and using hand tools to cut, shape and form parts and components
- Studying plans, verifying dimensions of articles to be made, or preparing specifications and checking the quality and fit of pieces in order to ensure adherence to specifications
- Trimming joints and fitting parts and subassemblies together to form complete units using glue and clamps, and reinforcing joints using nails, screws or other fasteners
- Making, restyling and repairing various wooden articles, such as cabinets, furniture, vehicles, scale models, sports equipment and other parts or products
- Decorating furniture and fixtures by inlaying wood, applying veneer and carving designs
- Finishing surfaces of wooden articles or furniture
- On your feet most of the day
- Some contact with people, mostly with colleagues
- Some freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Varied tasks, little repetition
Will there be jobs?
Yes, good prospects10 EU countries are short of cabinet-makers and related workers now, but fewer jobs than in most work will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
Below averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,000 a month (Bulgaria) to €4,800 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among craft and related trades workers in the EU, women earn 26% less per hour than men. Craft and related trades workers · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Upper secondary or vocationalUpper secondary or vocational training in materials (glass, paper, plastic and wood) is the usual route.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.16 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 6 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for cabinet-makers and related workers. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).