This occupation is found in the furniture and interiors industry. Furniture finishers prepare and treat wood and manufactured boards, for example MDF and veneered boards to give it a smooth finish and bring out its natural beauty. Items to be finished could range from tables, chairs, lounge suites, cabinets, chests of drawers, bespoke furniture, kitchen units and shop fittings. They may also work on fitted items such as staircases, wall panels and doors and on musical instruments like pianos. With antique furniture and some specially commissioned modern pieces, polishing and finishing are carried out by hand. Building up layers of polish is a slow and methodical process. With modern manufacturing and mass-produced items, furniture finishers also use a pressure spray-painting method. Furniture finishers may also be involved in carrying out simple repairs. Employers vary in size from micro to large.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to finish furniture by applying modern and traditional finishing products. Furniture finishers analyse and agree requirements and prepare hand crafted or production furniture for finishing. They identify and apply different types of finishes creating decorative effects or specialist finishes on furniture such as French polishing. They operate machinery and carry out routine maintenance. They also solve routine problems and issues and contribute to continuous improvement activities. Furniture finishers can work in a range of environments from small workshops to large factories and may be required to work various shift patterns.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with furniture manufacturers, designers, production or manufacturing managers, quality technicians, cabinet makers and joiners, production leaders and product developers. In smaller organisations they may also interact with customers. They usually report to a supervisor or shift team leader.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for preparing and treating a wide range of timbers and man-made boards, using a range of techniques. They are responsible for the quality of their own work and meeting production targets. All work must be completed in line with health, safety and environmental regulations and considerations. They must wear personal protective equipment such as goggles, masks and protective clothing.
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Duty 1 Review tasks and agree furniture finishing requirements with stakeholders and plan the day’s activity. |
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Duty 2 Identify, select and use the appropriate tools and materials for furniture finishing. For example, using the correct stain for the type of surface to build depth of colour; allowing sufficient drying times between multiple coats. |
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Duty 3 Prepare furniture for finishing. Inspect furniture and report issues. For example knots, wane, blue stain or resin pockets. |
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Duty 4 Set up and operate furniture finishing machinery, tools and equipment. For example, spray equipment. |
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Duty 5 Match the colour of the finishing product and furniture, mix applications and record ratios. |
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Duty 6 Create and apply decorative effects or specialist finishes on furniture. For example, patinas, distressing, rag rolling, shabby chic, stipple feathering, liming, crackle, grading, scumble, French polishing. |
K4 K5 K9 K11 K12 K14 K17 K18 K23 |
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Duty 7 Revive existing finishes by sanding and cleaning surface, then applying a protecting finish. For example, oil, lacquer, shellac or varnish. |
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Duty 8 Identify and report issues relating to quality, quantity, specifications, workload, equipment, plans and deadlines. |
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Duty 9 Complete documentation relating to the furniture finishing process. For example, job sheets, work to lists, production records. |
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Duty 10 Identify problems with furniture finishes and apply solutions. For example blooming, moisture, temperature, blotching, runs, streaks, curing, and silicones – orange peel, fish eye. |
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Duty 11 Conduct preventative maintenance on finishing machinery, tools and equipment. For example, checking, cleaning and lubricating tools. |
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Duty 12 Support continuous improvement activities to address business needs. |
K2 K3 K9 K17 K18 K20 K21 K22 K23 |
K1: The furniture industry. Types of services and products. Types of employers. Types of customers. Supply chain. Stakeholders.
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K2: The furniture finishing process and the role of the furniture finisher. Responsibilities, limits of role and escalation procedures.
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K3: Work organisation and time management techniques.
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K4: Awareness of health and safety regulations, standards, and guidance and impact on role. Fire safety. Hazards and risks. Health and Safety at Work Act. Isolation and emergency stop procedures. Manual handling. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Safety equipment: guards, signage, fire extinguishers. Safety signage. Situational awareness. Slips, trips, and falls. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) and Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR).
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K5: Safe systems of work including PPE, tools, equipment and materials, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH).
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K6: Storage requirements for hand tools, power tools and equipment.
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K7: Principles and techniques of preventative maintenance activities for furniture finishing machinery, tools and equipment.
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K8: Environment and sustainability regulations, standards and guidance.
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K9: Impact of the sector on the environment. Efficient use of resources. Recycling, reuse and disposal of waste.
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K10: Preparation of furniture and materials for finishing, sanding, stripping and repair techniques.
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K11: Machinery tools and equipment used in preparing furniture for finishing, limits of use, purpose, safe set up, monitoring and operation, working limits.
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K12: Principles and techniques of colour matching and mixing, material compatibility and recording materials and ratios.
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K13: Techniques, materials including storage, equipment, and timescales for preparing, applying and drying spray finishes to furniture.
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K14: Techniques, materials including storage, equipment, and timescales for preparing, applying and drying hand finishes to furniture to create decorative effects and specialist finishes. For example, patinas, distressing, rag rolling, shabby chic, stipple feathering, liming, crackle, grading, scumble, French polishing.
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K15: Techniques for reviving and protecting finishes.
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K16: Documentation requirements - electronic and paper.
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K17: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), quality assurance requirements and monitoring processes.
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K18: Common faults and issues with furniture and finishing and how to rectify them.
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K19: Basic continuous improvement techniques, for example 5 Why's, 5S, KAIZEN.
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K20: Principles of good team working.
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K21: Legislation, guidance and principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace.
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K22: Verbal communication techniques.
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K23: Information technology and digital: digital manufacturing management systems. General data protection regulation (GDPR). Cyber security.
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S1: Agree scope of work and timescales with customers and plan activity.
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S2: Prepare work area and maintain before, during and after tasks.
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S3: Store materials, tools, and equipment.
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S4: Apply health and safety procedures and safe systems of work.
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S5: Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs), quality assurance requirements and monitoring procedures.
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S6: Select and check tools, equipment and machinery.
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S7: Set up, operate and monitor machinery, hand and power tools and equipment use to prepare furniture for finishing.
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S8: Follow environmental and sustainability regulations, standards, procedures and guidance. Segregate resources for reuse, recycling and disposal.
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S9: Inspect, sand, strip and repair surfaces for finishing and report issues.
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S10: Apply colour matching and mixing techniques including checking compatibility and recording materials and ratios.
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S11: Identify, select and prepare materials, tools and equipment to finish furniture by hand.
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S12: Apply and adjust hand finishing techniques to create decorative effects or specialist finishes to furniture.
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S13: Apply techniques to revive and protect existing finish.
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S14: Record information - paper based or electronic.
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S15: Identify and resolve common faults and issues in furniture finishing.
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S16: Escalate issues or concerns.
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S17: Apply preventative maintenance techniques to machinery, tools and equipment. For example checking, cleaning and lubricating.
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S18: Apply basic continuous improvement techniques for example, 5 Why's, 5S, KAIZEN.
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S19: Apply team working principles.
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S20: Follow equity, diversity and inclusion legislation and guidance.
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S21: Communicate with others verbally for example, internal and external customers, colleagues, and managers.
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S22: Use information technology and digital systems. Comply with GDPR and cyber security.
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S23: Carry out and record learning and development activities.
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S24: Identify, select and prepare materials, tools and equipment to spray finish furniture.
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S25: Apply and adjust spray techniques to finish furniture.
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B1: Take ownership of given work.
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B2: Put health and safety first.
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B3: Consider the impact on the environment when using resources and carrying out work.
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B4: Team-focus to meet work goals.
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B5: Support an inclusive workplace for example, respectful of different views.
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B6: Seek learning and development opportunities.
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English and maths qualifications form a mandatory part of all apprenticeships and must be completed before an apprentice can pass through gateway. The requirements are detailed in the current version of the apprenticeship funding rules.
| Version | Change detail | Earliest start date | Latest start date |
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| 1.0 | Approved for delivery | 22/08/2024 | Not set |
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