Floor Sanders and Finishers build operation and control, coordination and operations monitoring skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Furniture Finishers (87%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Furniture Finishers | 87% | $44,540 | −12% | None |
| 2 | Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | 86% | $47,550 | −6% | None |
| 3 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic | 81% | $46,170 | −8% | None |
| 4 | Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 79% | $49,450 | −2% | None |
| 5 | Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | 78% | $57,430 | +14% | None |
| 6 | Fence Erectors | 78% | $47,980 | −5% | None |
| 7 | Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 78% | $46,960 | −7% | None |
| 8 | Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | 78% | $49,880 | −1% | None |
| 9 | Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand | 78% | $42,660 | −15% | None |
| 10 | Rock Splitters, Quarry | 77% | $48,740 | −3% | None |
Compared with Floor Sanders and Finishers, median $50,440. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as floor sanders and finishers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
87% skill match · $44,540 · −12% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Operations Analysis · Instructing
86% skill match · $47,550 · −6% pay
Troubleshooting · Operations Analysis · Technology Design
81% skill match · $46,170 · −8% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Management of Material Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Furniture Finishers (87% skill match, median $44,540), Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters (86% skill match, median $47,550) and Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic (81% skill match, median $46,170), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 9 pay more than floor sanders and finishers at the median. The biggest increases: Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic (+27%, $63,870), Riggers (+24%, $62,640) and Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining (+14%, $57,430).
25 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.