How to become a Furniture Polisher
Furniture polishers polish timber furniture and musical instruments by hand or machine to give them a protective and attractive finish. They also apply polyurethane-based finishes for flat panel products, such as kitchen doors and panels.
Personal requirements for a Furniture Polisher
- Enjoy practical and manual activities
- Able to cope with the physical demands of the job
- Normal colour vision
- Good hand-eye coordination
- Patient
- Able to pay attention to detail
- Good communication skills
- Able to work independently and in a team
- Free from allergies to the solvents, varnishes and other materials used.
Duties & Tasks of a Furniture Polisher
Furniture polishers may perform the following tasks:
- Read and interpret work documents
- Estimate job costs
- Dismantle and reassemble furniture
- Remove old finishes by stripping, scraping, sanding or applying solvents or paint strippers
- Mix and apply stains and paint to timber and other surfaces
- Spray on lacquers, varnish and two-pack finishes
- Polish with French polish, wax or lacquer
- Apply graining and decorative finishes
- Make minor repairs to damaged furniture
- Set up, operate and maintain mechanical coating and other furniture finishing tools and machinery.
Working conditions for a Furniture Polisher
Furniture polishers work in workshops, which may be noisy due to the operation of industrial machines and tools. They usually stand for most of the day and wear protective masks as some lacquers give off strong fumes.
Specializations
Spray Finisher
A spray finisher uses high-pressure spray equipment and guns to apply a finish.
