Finishing Trades Institute

The International Finishing Trades Institute (iFTI) is the education department for the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades and the Finishing Contractors Association. The iFTI's core purpose is to develop and expand a qualified and competitive workforce for the finishing trades industries and oversee the apprenticeship training program where those who wish to enter our trades learn their craft. The iFTI not only provides the necessary skills to do the job right the first time, but also provides the training to do it safely.

As a floor coverer, you'll install incredible flooring in everything from laminates to intricate tiles. Your floor covering apprenticeship will train you to work off of blueprints and other plans; measure, handle and how to store materials; inspect surfaces for imperfections and correct any flaws; use specialized tools to cut and install flooring; and create and match patterns. After completing your training, you'll be an expert in working with wood, carpeting, tile, vinyl and virtually every other flooring material.

Imagine turning ordinary surfaces into spectacular ones. As a commercial painter, you'll apply a variety of decorative and protective finishes to homes, offices, institutions and other buildings. After completing your training, you'll be an expert on how to apply paint, high performance coatings, and special decorative finishes to virtually any surface. And you'll also have the opportunity to learn stenciling, gold leafing and faux finishes, creating artistry that will be admired for years to come.

Perfect looking walls owe their looks to great drywall finishing. If it isn't done right, even the best wall covering won't hide uneven surfaces and other flaws. As a drywall finisher, which is also called a taper, you'll prepare unfinished interior drywall panels, which are usually gypsum, for painting by taping and finishing joints and imperfections. During your training, you'll learn every aspect of drywall finishing, including the tools, materials and procedures - like spreading joint compound and using paper tape to cover seams.

Glaziers work with one of the most fascinating, versatile materials of all - glass. And today's glass is so advanced, it can even adjust to the weather to control temperatures. As a glazing apprentice, you'll learn how to select, safely handle, cut, install and replace all types of glass; and weld metal framework to support glass walls. Your commercial expertise will include installing and replacing glass storefronts; creating metal framework; installing glass panels or curtain walls and installing interior room dividers and security windows.

The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades represents men and women who work in what are called the Finishing Trades - Commercial Painting (offices, hotels and homes), Industrial Painting (factories, ships and bridges), glazing and glasswork, drywall finishing and sign and display. Those are just a few of the over 30 crafts we represent throughout the United States and Canada. Dazzling glass high-rises. Stunning bridge coatings that prevent corrosion. They're the work of highly skilled craftspeople who are members of the Finishing Trades, part of the building trades that specialize in finishings.

As an industrial painter, you'll be the one who makes these structures shine. But you'll do far more than that, because you'll also keep them long lasting by protecting them from corrosion - which can add one hundred years to the lifespans of bridges alone. Your apprenticeship will include every aspect of coating infrastructure like bridges and water towers, ship hulls, factories and other concrete and metal structures. And along with becoming an expert in state-of-the-art coating materials and their application, you'll help protect the environment by mastering the proper way to remove and dispose of old coatings that often contain hazardous materials like lead.