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Skilled Trades

Floor Sanders and Finishers

Scrape and sand wooden floors to smooth surfaces using floor scraper and floor sanding machine, and apply coats of finish.

Median salary (BLS)

$50,440

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$37k – $70k

Job outlook

+3% (about average)

AI exposure

Plan a path to Floor Sanders and Finishers

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Education

Typical entry: No degree required

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How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Floor Sanders and Finishers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Floor Sanders and Finishers

    Entry / Junior

    $37,070

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Floor Sanders and Finishers

    Established

    $50,440

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Floor Sanders and Finishers

    Senior

    $60,390

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.