Rajesh Shah

Rajesh Shah is a Finisher at AyA Kitchens & Baths in Mississauga, Ontario. He has been in the industry for almost 30 years. When Rajesh started his first job, he was sanding moldings. From there, he slowly learned how to hand stain, glaze and apply gold and metal leafing before moving into furniture manufacturing.

When he first started working with AyA, Rajesh was sanding products but as his skills advanced he had the opportunity to move into finishing because of his previous experience in the area. 

Rajesh really enjoys working independently. According to him, the key to being a successful finisher is a high level of attention to detail. He has to make sure he does the proper preparation for the colour of the wood, as different woods, such as cherry or oak, can be many different shades or colours. He has also had to get to know the wood products, sanding techniques and all the options for both water-based and solvent-based colours. 

Rajesh spends a lot of his time matching colours to ensure customer satisfaction. He also repairs any product that is rejected from quality control.

Through all of Rajesh’s experience working in the wood manufacturing industry, he feels has found a place to stay at AyA. He prefers working here over working in the furniture business because he works with mostly the same types of cabinets and colours, which allows him to specialize and focus on quality.  He suggests to anyone who wants to pursue a career in finishing that he or she needs to be able to take direction, work independently, have a flexible attitude and be very careful when working with the colours and chemicals.