Surface Finishing: From Manual to Technology explains how automation is helping furniture manufacturers improve consistency, reduce costs and move from manual to technology-driven processes.
Surface finishing is often treated as the final step in furniture manufacturing. But for kitchens and furniture, the surface is where quality, durability and appearance come together. A finish has to withstand everyday use while also meeting growing expectations around design, consistency and quality.
At the India Kitchen Congress 2026, Amit Arora, Founder of Fusion Group, an industrial technology and process consultancy, and Sam Thomas K, Director at engineering and manufacturing company Italmech, presented insights into how surface finishing automation can change the way furniture and kitchen surfaces are finished.
Surface Quality and Performance Influence Choice
For Indian kitchens, surface quality is not only about appearance. It also has to withstand everyday cooking, moisture, stains and regular use.
Sharing data from his research, Arora said nearly 70% of homeowners consider visual appearance a top factor influencing kitchen purchase decisions, while more than 60% of kitchen-related product complaints are linked to surface issues such as scratches, peeling and moisture damage. Around 75% of consumers, he added, associate material finish and texture with overall product quality and brand value.
The real test of a surface, therefore, is not simply whether it looks good when delivered. As Arora pointed out, the questions are practical: Can it handle everyday cooking? Can marks and stains be cleaned easily? Can it withstand water?
Sharing his experience from when he was stationed in China in 2009, Arora recalled seeing furniture panels enter a production line at one end and emerge finished within minutes. He contrasted this with the Indian experience, where furniture could remain unfinished for almost a month while waiting for the polishing process.
The cost difference, he said, remains significant. “In India, a square foot for the high gloss could cost around Rs 300, while the same thing can be done in Rs 20 in China at today’s rates.” For veneer flat panel finishing, he said the cost can come down from around Rs 250 per sq ft through conventional polishing to Rs 7–8 per sq ft using technology. “So that is the big gap till date in the Indian market,” he said.
From Application-Driven to Technology-Driven Finishing
According to Arora, the challenge for Indian manufacturers is that surface finishing is still largely application-driven—largely relying on manual application, operator skills and process-specific methods—while international markets are moving towards technology-driven manufacturing processes.
Highlighting the range of finishing processes and coating technologies available — including dust-free paint booths, automatic spray finishing lines, flat-panel finishing machines, PU, glossy and matte finishes, and super-matte UV — he said the industry needs to move beyond an application-driven approach.
But there are signs of change. Arora said that over the last two years, several companies have made significant investments in surface finishing automation and are emerging as ‘factories for the factories’. Since finishing requires expertise across different colours, materials and designs, these specialised facilities can take on the process for other manufacturers rather than every furniture company having to build the same capability in-house.
Automation for Consistent Outcomes
Manual finishing can work at a certain production scale. But as volumes increase, maintaining the same quality and output becomes more difficult.
Thomas pointed to four common challenges in finishing in India: dependence on manual skills, inconsistent quality, dust contamination, and the lack of defined process SOPs. Drawing on his 20 years of experience working across Europe and China, he said Indian manufacturers need to pay greater attention to panel preparation and the environment in which finishing is carried out.
In European factories, Thomas said, there is much greater focus on defining the process and the required criteria. In India, he often encounters a chalta hai approach, where shortcomings in preparation or finishing are accepted as good enough.
“When I visit the factory I see a lot of dust, where we are not segregating the process and the finishing,” he said, contrasting this with European factories where processes and criteria are more clearly defined. The finishing process, therefore, needs to be controlled from the
beginning.
Sanding is one of the first steps. For manual preparation, Thomas pointed to high-pressure sanding systems, sanding benches, sanding walls and sanding rooms with hoods. As production volumes increase, automated sanding can bring greater consistency to the process.
Flat-panel sanding machines can be configured for veneer, solid wood and lacquer sanding. For raised panels, machines using spin brushes, rotating brushes and oscillating units can be used. Thomas noted that these systems can achieve around 80% of the sanding required on raised surfaces, although nooks and corners may still require manual work.
The spraying environment is equally important. Water-curtain booths and dry booths with bottom extraction can help control overspray. Thomas also highlighted nitrogen-based coating, where compressed air is converted into nitrogen before spraying. Already used in Europe, the process reduces overspray and increases the amount of coating deposited on the panel, improving transfer efficiency.
When Does Automation Make Sense?
Manual spraying has a natural limitation: output and finish can vary between operators. Thomas said a painter can typically finish around 60–70 sq m when conditions are right. He cited the example of a manufacturer operating three manual finishing rooms who was still struggling with both, consistency and production requirements. Once production reaches around 70–120 sq m, he suggested, manufacturers should start considering automation.
The advantage of an automated spraying machine is not simply higher output. It can maintain the same distance between the nozzle and panel, control airflow and deliver a more uniform application. This reduces the variation that occurs when the process depends entirely on the operator.
As Thomas put it, “In the automatic machine, you are not depending on the mood, you are depending on the technology.”
The choice of technology depends on the type of panel being finished. For flat panels, roller coaters and curtain coaters can be used. For raised and designed panels, reciprocating spray machines can detect the panel and spray across its surface.
For raised panels, where achieving a uniform finish around the edges can be difficult, Thomas highlighted 5-axis spraying machines. These machines can replicate the way a person sprays along and across the grain, improving edge coverage and the finish on profiled surfaces.
Surface finishing automation can also improve material utilisation. Excess paint collected on the machine belt can be recovered and reused, reducing wastage.
Once the coating is applied, drying becomes the next consideration. Inline, flash-off, multi-level and vertical drying systems can be used for water-based, PU and UV finishes, helping manufacturers reduce drying time and maintain production flow.
For assembled furniture, Thomas highlighted self-learning robots that can be taught a spraying process which they can repeat automatically.
From Operator-Dependent to Process-Driven
For manufacturers, the larger shift is from a finishing process that depends heavily on individual operators to one that is defined, controlled and repeatable.
The technologies already available — automated sanding and spraying, paint recovery, controlled drying, 5-axis systems and self-learning robots — indicate how far surface finishing can move from its traditional dependence on manual skills. The next stage is likely to bring smart finishing lines, more sustainable coatings, AI-based systems and increasingly autonomous equipment.
Surface finishing, therefore, is no longer simply the final step in furniture manufacturing. It is becoming an integral part of the manufacturing system itself.
That is where the shift from application-driven to technology-driven finishing becomes relevant: not just in producing better-looking surfaces, but in achieving more consistent quality, lower dependence on individual skills and a manufacturing process that can scale.
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