How to become a Floor Sander or Finisher
Official title: Floor Sanders and Finishers
Also called: Finisher, Floor Finisher, Floor Mechanic, Floor Refinisher, Floor Sander, Floor Sander and Finisher, Hardwood Floor Finisher and Sander, Hardwood Floor Refinisher, Hardwood Floor Sander, Sander
Scrape and sand wooden floors to smooth surfaces using floor scraper and floor sanding machine, and apply coats of finish.
Main tasks
- Buff and vacuum floors to ensure their cleanliness prior to the application of finish.
- Scrape and sand floor edges and areas inaccessible to floor sanders, using scrapers, disk-type sanders, and sandpaper.
- Inspect floors for smoothness.
- Attach sandpaper to rollers of sanding machines.
- Guide sanding machines over surfaces of floors until surfaces are smooth.
- Apply filler compound and coats of finish to floors to seal wood.
- Remove excess glue from joints, using knives, scrapers, or wood chisels.
How to become one
Flooring installers and tile and stone setters typically need no formal educational credential. They learn their trade on the job, sometimes starting as a helper .
Typical education to start: No formal educational credential
Read the full guide from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $50,440 a year The middle half earn $41,600 to $59,620.
- About 4,700 people work in this job now, and about 4,700 are projected by 2035. (+1.4%)
- People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a Floor Sander or Finisher?
Flooring installers and tile and stone setters typically need no formal educational credential. They learn their trade on the job, sometimes starting as a helper .
How much does a Floor Sander or Finisher earn in the US?
Median full-time pay is $50,440 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). The middle half earn $41,600 to $59,620.
Is a Floor Sander or Finisher a growing career in the US?
Employment is projected to stay about the same by 2035: about 4,700 people now and 4,700 later (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Do you need a degree to become a Floor Sander or Finisher?
Usually not. Only 6% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
Will AI change the work of a Floor Sander or Finisher?
People use generative AI for relatively little of this work so far. Microsoft Research rates its AI applicability as low.
Sources
- Microsoft Research: Working with AI: AI applicability by occupation (2025-12-22 (built on O*NET 29.0)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employment Projections (2025-35 (released 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 edition (published 2026-08-27)), Public domain (BLS); photographs excluded, retrieved 2026-10-03
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), Public domain (BLS), retrieved 2026-10-03
Updated 2026-10-03
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.