Construction and Extraction · Holland code RC

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: Floor Finisher, Floor Mechanic, Floor Sander, Hardwood Floor Sander, Finisher, Floor Refinisher, Floor Sander and Finisher, Hardwood Floor Finisher and Sander.

O*NET 47-2043.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $50,440; Middle half earn $41,600 to $59,620. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Less than a High School Diploma; 47% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Active Listening3.0 / 5
Monitoring2.9 / 5
Speaking2.8 / 5
Critical Thinking2.8 / 5
Reading Comprehension2.6 / 5
Active Learning2.6 / 5

Knowledge areas

Building and Construction4.1 / 5
Customer and Personal Service4.1 / 5
English Language3.6 / 5
Production and Processing3.3 / 5
Administration and Management3.0 / 5
Mechanical3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic100
Investigative6
Artistic6
Social7
Enterprising9
Conventional39

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

terrazzo setter supervisor · DE Polier Fußbodenlegearbeiten/Polierin Fußbodenlegearbeiten · FR superviseur de carreleurs spécialisés en terrazzo/superviseuse de carreleurs spécialisés en terrazzo
concrete finisher · DE Betonoberflächenfertiger/Betonoberflächenfertigerin · FR cimentier enduiseur/cimentière enduiseuse
terrazzo setter · DE Terrazzomacher/Terrazzomacherin · FR carreleur spécialisé en terrazzo/carreleuse spécialisée en terrazzo
carpet fitter · DE Teppichbodenleger/Teppichbodenlegerin · FR poseur de moquette/poseuse de moquette
hardwood floor layer · DE Parkettleger/Parkettlegerin · FR parqueteur/parqueteuse
resilient floor layer · DE Bodenleger für Elastikböden/Bodenlegerin für Elastikböden · FR poseur de revêtements souples de sols/poseuse de revêtements souples de sols

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Plasterers (5321)38,800 employed
Construction and building trades supervisors (5330)53,100 employed
Floorers and wall tilers (5322)35,600 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Craft and related trades workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Craft and related trades workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€40,086
Germany	€38,638
Austria	€38,194
Sweden	€37,856
Netherlands	€37,077
Ireland	€36,098
France	€27,145
Italy	€26,488
Spain	€22,817
Portugal	€11,142
Poland	€10,099

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.75. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (47-2043).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test