Decorate furniture

Use techniques such as gilding, silver-plating, framing or engraving to add specific decorations in the material of the furniture.

renovate furniture
decorate the furniture
paint furniture
spruce up furniture
decorating furniture
adorn furniture

skill/competence

cross-sector

Decorate furniture is an essential skill of the following occupations:

Antique furniture reproducer: Antique furniture reproducers duplicate and recreate antique furniture. They prepare drawings and templates of the article, create, fit and assemble parts and finish the article after original specifications.
Furniture upholsterer: Furniture upholsterers provide furniture with padding, springs, webbing and covers. Sometimes they have to remove old padding, filling and broken strings before to replace them using tools such as a tack puller, chisel or mallet. The aim is to provide comfort and beauty to seats as backs of the furniture.

Decorate furniture is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this skill may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Frame maker: Frame makers build frames, mostly out of wood, for pictures and mirrors. They discuss the specifications with customers and build or adjust the frame accordingly. They cut, shape and join the wooden elements and treat them to obtain the desired colour and protect them from corrosion and fire. They cut and fit the glass into the frame. In some cases, they carve and decorate the frames. They may also repair, restore or reproduce older or antique frames.
Decorative painter: Decorative painters design and create visual art on different kinds of surfaces such as pottery, casings, glass and fabric. They use diverse materials and a variety of techniques to produce decorative illustrations ranging from stenciling to free-hand drawing.
Furniture restorer: Furniture restorers analyse materials and techniques in order to assess the state of an old piece of furniture and to identify and classify it according to art and cultural history. They use old or modern tools and techniques to restore the piece and give advice to customers as to the restoration, conservation and maintenance of such objects.
Upholsterer: Upholsterers provide objects such as furniture, panels, orthopaedic devices, fixtures or vehicle parts with padding or soft covering. They can install, repair or replace the upholstery of objects with materials such as fabrics, leather, suede or cotton. Upholsterers install the webbings and springs necessary to cover the material.
Wood painter: Wood painters design and create visual art on wooden surfaces and objects such as furniture, figurines and toys. They use a variety of techniques to produce decorative illustrations ranging from stenciling to free-hand drawing.
Woodcarver: Woodcarvers manually shape wood into the desired shape using equipment like knives, gouges and chisels. Woodcarvers produce wooden products to serve as decoration, to be integrated into a composite product, as utensils or as toys.
Cabinet maker: Cabinet makers build cabinets or other pieces of furniture by cutting, shaping and fitting pieces of wood. They use different kind of power and hand tools, such as lathes, planers and saws.
Furniture finisher: Furniture finishers treat the surface of wood furniture using hand and power tools to sand, clean and polish. They apply wood coatings onto wooden surfaces by using different techniques such as brushing or using a spray gun. They choose and apply the right coatings with protective and/or decorative purposes.

References

1. Decorate furniture – ESCO