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Boston Career Explorer

Construction and Extraction

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 in Greater Boston
$63,290
$30.43/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
Not published
Massachusetts 2024–2034
Not published
Typical U.S. entry requirement
No formal educational credential
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$48,170$48,170$63,290$63,580$69,050

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • 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.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Lower exposure2 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 2
  • Language-model AIOE 2
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 3

Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. The core work is physical: running sanding machines, scraping edges by hand, and applying finish. AI tools might help a little with paperwork or planning, but they do not do the hands-on work.

Likely to change

  • Job planning and estimating paperwork
  • Scheduling and customer messages

Still relies on people

  • Guiding sanders and hand-scraping tight edges
  • Judging smoothness by sight and touch

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Roofers

    You already inspect surfaces and apply coatings. Roofing uses similar skills, pays a Boston median of $66,350, and needs no formal credential.

    Pay difference
    +$3,060 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +7.7%
    To get started
    No formal educational credential

  • Brickmasons and Blockmasons

    Careful surface work and attention to detail carry over to masonry. It pays a Boston median of $96,960 and is learned through an apprenticeship.

    Pay difference
    +$33,670 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +5.3%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

  • Structural Iron and Steel Workers

    Your checking of finished work carries over to checking alignment. It pays a Boston median of $120,840 and is learned through an apprenticeship.

    Pay difference
    +$57,550 median
    AI exposure
    Lower
    MA growth
    +6.1%
    To get started
    High school diploma or equivalent

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.

Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.

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