Furniture finishers apply different stains or varnish to finish furniture to a specified colour, besides applying touchups. Finishing used furniture or restoring antique furniture (conservation of museum pieces) are other possible career paths for these workers.
Finishers employed by kitchen-cabinet manufacturers, for example, work at the end of the production line. By this stage, the cabinets have already been sanded and stained. These specialists now apply a coat of lacquer (the final varnish) and adjust the colours. They must apply these products as uniformly as possible. Furniture finishers often use special formulas to prepare their mixes. Graduates of the Furniture Finishing program work in cabinetmaking and varnishing shops, in furniture stores, and for furniture manufacturers.
Desirable Qualities and Skills
sense of aesthetics
patience and meticulousness
aptitude for mathematics and chemistry
good eyesight
manual dexterity
ability to work under pressure
Did you know?
Moving time is the busiest time of year for furniture finishers. In the summer, they may work up to 65 hours a week.
Persons holding a Secondary School Diploma (SSD) or its recognized equivalent are not subject to any additional admission requirements. OR Persons who are at least 16 years of age on September 30 of the school year in which their vocational training is to begin must meet the following additional admission requirement: they must have Secondary IV credits in language of instruction, second language and mathematics, or have been granted recognition of equivalent learning. OR Persons who are at least 18 years of age must have the following functional prerequisites: they must pass a general development test (GDT) and have the specific prerequisites for the desired program (as stipulated in Schedule I of the Vocational Education Directives 2003-2004), or have been granted recognition of equivalent learning. OR Persons who have earned Secondary III credits in language of instruction, second language and mathematics in the programs of study established by the Minister must continue their general education courses concurrently with their vocational training in order to obtain the credits they are missing in the following areas: Secondary IV credits in language of instruction, second language and mathematics in the programs of study established by the Minister.
