Furniture Finishers
Production Occupations- O*NET-SOC code
- 51-7021.00
Shape, finish, and refinish damaged, worn, or used furniture or new high-grade furniture to specified color or finish.
- Data source: BLSPublished: 2026-08
Low· relative
LowFour relative bandsVery highGroup-level value
Scale, basis and source
Four relative bands (Low / Moderate / High / Very high)
831 detailed occupations in the BLS Employment Projections table. Assigned per National Employment Matrix (NEM) code, so occupations sharing a NEM code carry the same band
- Data source: AnthropicPublished: 2026-03
0.000
0.000Range of values carried here0.745Scale, basis and source
Observed exposure index, 0–1 as published
Mapped onto O*NET tasks
Published per SOC 2018 occupation; every O*NET occupation with the same SOC 2018 code carries this value
- Data source: ILOPublished: 2025
0.16
0.09Range of values carried here0.70Group-level value
Scale, basis and source
Generative AI exposure index, 0–1 as published
Published per ISCO-08 unit group. Linked to this occupation, wholly or in part, by applying U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (ISCO-08 to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to 2018 SOC) as published
What kind of figure this source publishes
The BLS category is a relative rank, not an absolute level, and it is not a first-hand measurement: it groups an occupation's percentile ranks across several published studies into four bands. It is not an employment or wage forecast, not a probability of adoption, and it does not separate automation from augmentation.
Task-level exposure
Exposed tasks only22 rated tasks · 2 tasks with β ≥ 0.5 (9.1%)
β = direct exposure (E1) + 0.5 × exposure when tools are available (E2), per the source repository's definition.
- Source unit: O*NET 27.2 tasks → O*NET 31.0 occupation code
- All rated tasks are in the O*NET 31.0 task list.
- Source
- OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" exposure rubric
- Release
- gh-main-0471612
- License
- MIT License, Copyright (c) 2024 OpenAI
| Task (O*NET 30.2) | Claude.aiRaw / share % |
|---|---|
Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles.51-7021.00 | 0.0100100.0 |
| Not observed on any surface — 21 task(s) — These tasks have no row in the source for this release. The 0 in the share row is a display-stage composition ratio; absence is what the — in the raw row states. | |
Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades. | —0 |
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. | —0 |
Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders. | —0 |
Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type. | —0 |
Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws. | —0 |
Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings. | —0 |
Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration. | —0 |
Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths. | —0 |
Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools. | —0 |
Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances. | —0 |
Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors. | —0 |
Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner. | —0 |
Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces. | —0 |
Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment. | —0 |
Follow blueprints to produce specific designs. | —0 |
Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application. | —0 |
Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes. | —0 |
Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish. | —0 |
Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets. | —0 |
Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color. | —0 |
Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish. | —0 |
Values in this tab are predicted labels, not observations. Eloundou et al. (2023) published two rating regimes — human raters and GPT-4 — and the β shown here is derived from the GPT-4 rater basis alone; the same task can take a different value under the other regime. The unit and the meaning differ from the observed shares (%) in the other tabs, so do not place them on the same axis.
| Task (O*NET 27.2) | βE1 + 0.5 × E2 |
|---|---|
Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles.O*NET Task ID 14258 | 0.5 |
Follow blueprints to produce specific designs.O*NET Task ID 14260 | 0.5 |
Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades.O*NET Task ID 14250 | 0.0 |
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.O*NET Task ID 14251 | 0.0 |
Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders.O*NET Task ID 14252 | 0.0 |
Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type.O*NET Task ID 14253 | 0.0 |
Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws.O*NET Task ID 14254 | 0.0 |
Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings.O*NET Task ID 14255 | 0.0 |
Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration.O*NET Task ID 14256 | 0.0 |
Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment.O*NET Task ID 14257 | 0.0 |
Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths.O*NET Task ID 14259 | 0.0 |
Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools.O*NET Task ID 14261 | 0.0 |
Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application.O*NET Task ID 14262 | 0.0 |
Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances.O*NET Task ID 14263 | 0.0 |
Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors.O*NET Task ID 14264 | 0.0 |
Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes.O*NET Task ID 14265 | 0.0 |
Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish.O*NET Task ID 14266 | 0.0 |
Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner.O*NET Task ID 14267 | 0.0 |
Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces.O*NET Task ID 14268 | 0.0 |
Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets.O*NET Task ID 14269 | 0.0 |
Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color.O*NET Task ID 14270 | 0.0 |
Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish.O*NET Task ID 14271 | 0.0 |
β = E1 + 0.5 × E2 · E1 = tasks where direct LLM access alone cuts time by at least 50%, E2 = tasks where software built on top of an LLM cuts time by at least 50%. Values take only 0 / 0.5 / 1.0.
Data sources & licenses — O*NET®, Anthropic Economic Index, Eloundou et al. (2023): see full notices on the Credits page
All O*NET 31.0 task statements (22)
All O*NET 31.0 task statements for this occupation (English, as published; task type core or supplemental). Exposure values are not listed here; they are in the table above, next to each task statement as worded in the O*NET version each source used.
| Task (O*NET 31.0) | Type |
|---|---|
| Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades. | Core |
| 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. | Core |
| Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders. | Core |
| Select appropriate finishing ingredients such as paint, stain, lacquer, shellac, or varnish, depending on factors such as wood hardness and surface type. | Core |
| Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws. | Core |
| Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings. | Core |
| Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration. | Core |
| Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths. | Core |
| Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools. | Core |
| Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances. | Core |
| Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors. | Core |
| Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner. | Core |
| Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces. | Core |
| Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment. | Supplemental |
| Recommend woods, colors, finishes, and furniture styles, using knowledge of wood products, fashions, and styles. | Supplemental |
| Follow blueprints to produce specific designs. | Supplemental |
| Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application. | Supplemental |
| Confer with customers to determine furniture colors or finishes. | Supplemental |
| Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish. | Supplemental |
| Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets. | Supplemental |
| Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color. | Supplemental |
| Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish. | Supplemental |
0.60/ 3· Robot exposure index
Scale, basis and source
Each physical task is graded 0–3 by the setting in which robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated could do it (0 none · 1 purpose-built robot settings such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line · 2 structured facilities such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port · 3 unstructured settings such as a private home or a construction site), and the grades are averaged by share of working time
Physical tasks among this occupation's O*NET 29.3 tasks
Anthropic estimated the grades and time shares with Claude Opus 5 using web search, as of 2026.
The robot exposure index is a different measure from the AI exposure figures on this site and cannot be added to or compared with them. It does not measure actual adoption or cost, and 0 also covers occupations with no physical tasks.
Tier of each physical task
Robot environment tiers (E0–E3)
E0 noneDetails
Rated not doable by robots that have been deployed, sold or demonstrated, even in a purpose-built setting
E1 purpose-built robot settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting built around the machine, such as a fenced machine cell or a bottling line
E2 structured facilitiesDetails
Rated doable in a human work facility that an institution keeps to a working standard, such as a hospital pharmacy or a container port
E3 unstructured settingsDetails
Rated doable in a setting that no institution keeps to a working standard, such as a private home or a construction site
Only tasks classified as physical are listed; other tasks have no tier in the source.
| Task (O*NET 29.3) | Robot environment tier |
|---|---|
| Mix finish ingredients to obtain desired colors or shades. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| 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. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Smooth, shape, and touch up surfaces to prepare them for finishing, using sandpaper, pumice stones, steel wool, chisels, sanders, or grinders. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Fill and smooth cracks or depressions, remove marks and imperfections, and repair broken parts, using plastic or wood putty, glue, nails, or screws. | E0 none |
| Distress surfaces with woodworking tools or abrasives before staining to create an antique appearance, or rub surfaces to bring out highlights and shadings. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Examine furniture to determine the extent of damage or deterioration, and to decide on the best method for repair or restoration. | E0 none |
| Remove old finishes and damaged or deteriorated parts, using hand tools, stripping tools, sandpaper, steel wool, abrasives, solvents, or dip baths. | E0 none |
| Disassemble items to prepare them for finishing, using hand tools. | E0 none |
| Remove accessories prior to finishing, and mask areas that should not be exposed to finishing processes or substances. | E0 none |
| Treat warped or stained surfaces to restore original contours and colors. | E0 none |
| Remove excess solvent, using cloths soaked in paint thinner. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Stencil, gild, emboss, mark, or paint designs or borders to reproduce the original appearance of restored pieces, or to decorate new pieces. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Paint metal surfaces electrostatically, or by using a spray gun or other painting equipment. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Follow blueprints to produce specific designs. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Wash surfaces to prepare them for finish application. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Replace or refurbish upholstery of items, using tacks, adhesives, softeners, solvents, stains, or polish. | E0 none |
| Design, create, and decorate entire pieces or specific parts of furniture, such as draws for cabinets. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Brush bleaching agents on wood surfaces to restore natural color. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
| Spread graining ink over metal portions of furniture to simulate wood-grain finish. | E1 purpose-built robot settings |
Occupation information
Employment outlook (BLS)
- Employment, 2025
- 16K
- Projected employment, 2035
- 15K
- Change (2025–35)
- -3.5%
- Median annual wage, 2025
- $44,540
- Typical education needed for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
Korea classification links (KSCO)
Links from the current release of the Korea Occupation Direct Crosswalk v1.1, made by AI Changing Work. Relation values are read from the O*NET-SOC occupation side.
| KSCO code | KSCO title | Relation | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 73022 | 가구 수리원 | Overlapping, not the same | confirmed |
Relation and status definitions(kr-direct v1.1)
ILO occupational description
AI Changing Work links the ISCO-08 unit groups below to this occupation by applying the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics crosswalks (2018 SOC to 2010 SOC, 2010 SOC to ISCO-08) as published, without case-by-case selection; each link may be whole or partial.
- ISCO-08 7522Cabinet-makers and Related Workers
Sources: ILO ISCO-08 — details: Credits
ESCO occupational vocabulary
Each entry below is matched to this occupation in the published ESCO-O*NET Crosswalk (version 1, 2022). The match types are that crosswalk's; the wording is AI Changing Work's.
- furniture restorerESCO 7522.6This occupation is broader
Furniture restorers analyse materials and techniques in order to assess the state of an old piece of furniture and to identify and classify it according to art and cultural history. They use old or modern tools and techniques to restore the piece and give advice to customers as to the restoration, conservation and maintenance of such objects.
- furniture cleanerESCO 9112.3Overlapping, not the same
Furniture cleaners maintain furniture items by removing dust, applying furniture polish, cleaning stains and maintaining colouring.
- furniture finisherESCO 7522.5Overlapping, not the same
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.
Source: European Commission, DG EMPL — ESCO API 2026-08-08 (bridge v1.2.1)
License: CC BY 4.0 (EU Reuse Notice)
ESCO reuse terms and the modification notice are in Credits.
France classification links (ROME)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and ROME 4.0 job profiles, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side. Links marked “provisional” were adopted on the judgments of two judges from the same model family (Claude) alone, or by an operator rule applied to their judgments, so they rest on weaker evidence than confirmed links.
| ROME code | ROME title (French) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| B1302 | Décorateur / Décoratrice d'objets d'art | Related, not a match |
| H2207 | Ebéniste | Related, not a match |
| H3404 | Peintre industriel / Peintre industrielle | Related, not a match |
Source: France Travail — Répertoire Opérationnel des Métiers et des Emplois (ROME 4.0), version 61, last updated 15 June 2026 (https://www.data.gouv.fr/datasets/repertoire-operationnel-des-metiers-et-des-emplois-rome). Licence Ouverte 2.0.
ROME codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET-SOC occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a France Travail correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: fr-direct v1)
Spain classification links (CNO-11)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and CNO-11 occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| CNO-11 code | CNO-11 title (Spanish) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 7232 | Pintores en las industrias manufactureras | Related, not a matchprovisional |
| 7820 | Ebanistas y trabajadores afines | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), National Classification of Occupations 2011 (CNO-11, Royal Decree 1591/2010) — www.ine.es · Licensed CC BY 4.0. CNO-11 codes and Spanish titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not an INE correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: es-direct v1)
Germany classification links (KldB)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and KldB occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| KldB code | KldB title (German) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 22202 | Berufe in der Farb- und Lacktechnik (ohne Spezialisierung) - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a match |
| 22342 | Berufe im Holz-, Möbel- und Innenausbau - fachlich ausgerichtete Tätigkeiten | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: © Statistik der Bundesagentur für Arbeit — Klassifikation der Berufe 2010 – überarbeitete Fassung 2020, https://statistik.arbeitsagentur.de. KldB codes and titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own mapping (eigene Zuordnung) and are not a Bundesagentur für Arbeit correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: de-direct v1)
Japan classification links (JSCO)
AI Changing Work's links between this occupation and JSCO occupations, judged with AI models. Relations are read from this occupation's side.
| JSCO code | JSCO title (Japanese) | Relation |
|---|---|---|
| 591 | 生産関連作業従事者 | This occupation is narrowerprovisional |
| 536 | 木・紙製品製造従事者 | Related, not a matchprovisional |
Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan Standard Occupational Classification (Dec. 2009, MIC Notification No. 555). JSCO codes and Japanese titles are reproduced unchanged; the links to O*NET occupations are AI Changing Work's own judgment and are not a MIC correspondence.
(AI Changing Work link release: jp-direct v1)
Sources, licenses and AI Changing Work's modification and translation notices for this page: Credits & sources