Home / Tasks / Smooth surfaces with abrasive materials or tools
In 3 of the 17 jobs that do this, AI or robots already show up on it, most often as robots doing it. In the other 14, there's no evidence yet. Jobs spend a median of 21m of an 8-hour shift on it, and about 2.0 million U.S. workers hold these jobs.
Every job that does this
Each job words the task its own way. Minutes are that job's estimate for a typical shift; the label is the evidence for that job's version.
| Job and its version of the task | Per shift | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Floor Sanders and FinishersScrape and sand floor edges and areas inaccessible to floor sanders, using scrapers, disk-type sanders, and sandpaper. | 1h 33m | No evidence yet |
| Helpers for Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco MasonsSmooth surfaces of articles to be painted, using sanding and buffing tools and equipment. | 58m | No evidence yet |
| Carpet InstallersCut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer. | 47m | No evidence yet |
| Tire BuildersBuff tires according to specifications for width and undertread depth. | 38m | No evidence yet |
| Painters, Construction and MaintenanceSmooth surfaces, using sandpaper, scrapers, brushes, steel wool, or sanding machines. | 34m | No evidence yet |
| TapersSand or patch nicks or cracks in plasterboard or wallboard. | 26m | Robots |
| Terrazzo Workers and FinishersGrind curved surfaces or areas inaccessible to surfacing machine, such as stairways or cabinet tops, with portable hand grinder. | 25m | No evidence yet |
| Sheet Metal WorkersTrim, file, grind, deburr, buff, or smooth surfaces, seams, or joints of assembled parts, using hand tools or portable power tools. | 23m | No evidence yet |
| Cement Masons and Concrete FinishersChip, scrape, and grind high spots, ridges, and rough projections to finish concrete, using pneumatic chisels, power grinders, or hand tools. | 21m | No evidence yet |
| PaperhangersSmooth rough spots on walls and ceilings, using sandpaper. | 20m | Robots |
| Tile and Stone SettersCut, surface, polish, and install marble and granite or install pre-cast terrazzo, granite or marble units. | 19m | No evidence yet |
| Helpers for CarpentersSmooth or sand surfaces to remove ridges, tool marks, glue, or caulking. | 18m | No evidence yet |
| Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment OperatorsGrind ends of new or worn rails to attain smooth joints, using portable grinders. | 13m | Robots |
| StonemasonsSmooth, polish, and bevel surfaces, using hand tools and power tools. | 12m | No evidence yet |
| RoofersSmooth rough spots to prepare surfaces for waterproofing, using hammers, chisels, or rubbing bricks. | 7m | No evidence yet |
| GlaziersGrind or polish glass, smoothing edges when necessary. | 6m | No evidence yet |
| Construction LaborersGrind, scrape, sand, or polish surfaces, such as concrete, marble, terrazzo, or wood flooring, using abrasive tools or machines. | 6m | No evidence yet |
How to read this
This task type comes from O*NET's detailed work activities, which link similar tasks across jobs. A label applies to one job's version of the task: AI use comes from real AI conversations (Anthropic Economic Index) and robot evidence from deployments in real workplaces. "No evidence yet" may just mean the task is rare in the data. How we keep time.
See all 250 shared tasks, or find any job on the big clock.