Floor Sanders and Finishers
Scrape and sand wooden floors to smooth surfaces using floor scraper and floor sanding machine, and apply coats of finish.
Also called: Finisher · Floor Finisher · Floor Mechanic · Floor Refinisher · Floor Sander · Floor Sander and Finisher
Median pay (national)
$49,150
$35,790–$66,510 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
4,140
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2.6%
~400 openings/yr
Typical entry
No formal educational credential
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for floor sanders and finishers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $66,510 versus $35,790 at the bottom 10% — 1.9x. The median of $49,150 leaves roughly 35% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2.6% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 400 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 22 states with released data, Washington pays the most for this role (median $73,140, +49% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $21,600 — a 239% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Monitoring, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
Tailor your resume to Floor Sanders and Finishers
Honest tailoring
See how your resume lines up with Floor Sanders and Finishers
Refit re-angles your real experience toward this role using the skills above — and never invents skills you don't have. A no-fabrication gate checks every change before you see it.
Free. No account needed to see your first re-fit.
Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Learning Strategies
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
Tools & technology
- Floor planning software
- FloorCOST Estimator for Excel
- Flooring Technologies QFloors
- Measure Square
- Pacific Solutions FloorRight
- Vimeo
- Microsoft Excel
Knowledge areas
- Building and Construction
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Production and Processing
- Administration and Management
- Mechanical
- Mathematics
- Design