What Does A Carpet Installer Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

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Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Carpet Installers

Carpet Installers lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

Salary
$46150
Becoming One
Easy
Education
No degree required
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality


What they do

Carpet Installers lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

  • Inspect the surface to be covered to determine its condition, and correct any imperfections that might show through the carpet or cause the carpet to wear unevenly.
  • Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
  • Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
  • Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Carpet Installers clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces. They inspect the surface to be covered to determine its condition and correct any imperfections that might show through the carpet or cause the carpet to wear unevenly.

A typical day for a Carpet Installer will also include:

  • Fasten metal treads across door openings or where the carpet meets flooring to hold carpet in place.
  • Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
  • Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
  • Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following the prescribed method.
  • Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Carpet Installers also move furniture from the area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding. They may also install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following the prescribed method.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Carpet Installers draw building diagrams and record dimensions. They might also take measurements and study floor sketches to calculate the area to be carpeted and the amount of material needed.

In addition, they roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.

To some Carpet Installers, it is also their responsibility to measure, cut, and install tackless strips along the baseboard or wall.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

Average

Is this job meaningful

High

69% said they were satisfied with their job and 57% said they found their job meaningful.


Sarah Saunders
CB Carpets & Blinds

On a normal day as a carpet fitter, you could be all over the place depending on how many properties you go to and how many carpets they’d like you to install. So, in the morning, you’re likely to go to the office, store, or showroom to get the locations you’ll be going to and the jobs that you’ll be working on for the day (either that or you’ll use a platform or app). Once you’ve got your work for the day, you’ll need to collect the carpet that you’ll be fitting. Depending on the size of the carpets you may only be able to get the carpets for one of your locations.

After that arriving at the property and fitting the carpet is pretty straightforward after you’ve had enough training. Once you’ve finished it’s back to the showroom or where your carpets are stored to pick up the materials for the next location/property.

Now and again, you’ll need to go to a local hardware shop to pick up screws, nails, and other tools that we might need.

Something that you have to keep in mind is that we are the face of the business while we’re in someone’s home or property. So, with that comes a big responsibility of ensuring that we conduct ourselves properly and present the business in the best possible way.

Pros

One of the positives is that you get to meet a huge range of people throughout your week. Often these people are lovely and really polite during the carpet fitting process. You get to have a conversation with them, learn a few things, and leave their home knowing that they love their new carpets.

Cons

One of the biggest cons, if you don’t enjoy driving, is the fact that there can be a lot of driving throughout the day. Because you’re likely to be working on more than one house a day, you’ll need to collect materials and drive to the property a number of times. so, if you don’t like driving you may not enjoy it. What’s more, you’re on your hands and knees a lot bending over, doing a lot of manual labor. This can mean that you get tired, ache or feel a little run down from time to time and so if you’re not good at manual labor then it may not be the job for you.


Pros

Suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.

Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

It is easy to get into this career. Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

Cons

Not suitable for people who like to work with designs.

Salary is below average.

Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).

How much do they make

Average salary

$46150 per year

Average hourly wage

$22 per hour

Entry-level Carpet Installers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $25,900 to $31,940 per year or $12 to $15 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $75,750 $36
Senior (Top 25%) $55,540 $27
Median $41,480 $20
Junior (Bottom 25%) $31,940 $15
No experience (Bottom 10%) $25,900 $12

This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Carpet Installers based on their average annual salary.

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Traveler Accommodation $56520 $27.17
Local Government $54890 $26.39
Home Furnishings Stores $49250 $23.68
Building Finishing Contractors $46250 $22.23
Employment Services $43220 $20.78
Other Specialty Trade Contractors $42770 $20.57
Furniture Stores $42170 $20.28
Services to Buildings and Dwellings $40630 $19.54
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods $40060 $19.26
Residential Building Construction $37720 $18.14

View more salary by industries here.

Where can they work

Where can Carpet Installers work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Carpet Installers including the average salary in that industry.

Employers Total Employed Annual Salary Hourly Wages
Building Finishing Contractors 13310 $46250 $22.23
Home Furnishings Stores 6630 $49250 $23.68
Residential Building Construction 750 $37720 $18.14
Employment Services 260 $43220 $20.78
Other Wood Product Manufacturing 150 $34040 $16.37
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods 130 $40060 $19.26
Nonresidential Building Construction 60 $37660 $18.11
Furniture Stores 50 $42170 $20.28
Traveler Accommodation 40 $56520 $27.17
Local Government 30 $54890 $26.39

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
23%

40 hours
30%

More than 40 hours
47%

Working schedule

61%

39%

0%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
6%

Every day
0%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
35%

Every day
53%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
28%

Every day
67%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
78%

Once a year
13%

Once a month
0%

Once a week
3%

Every day
6%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
10%

Slightly competitive
14%

Moderately competitive
9%

Highly competitive
55%

Extremely competitive
12%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
0%

Once a year or more
6%

Once a month or more
9%

Once a week or more
36%

Every day
49%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
17%

Once a year or more
22%

Once a month or more
39%

Once a week or more
20%

Every day
1%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
33%

Once a year or more
49%

Once a month or more
1%

Once a week or more
11%

Every day
6%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
45%

Once a year or more
46%

Once a month or more
7%

Once a week or more
1%

Every day
0%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Easy
You may need some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience. Most careers in this difficulty category usually don’t require a degree. However, you will need a few months of on-the-job training with experienced employees. Similar careers include Customer Service Representatives, Security Guards, and Bank Tellers.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
22%

High School Diploma or equivalent
69%

Post-Secondary Certificate
1%

Some College Courses
7%

Associate’s Degree or similar
0%

Bachelor’s Degree
0%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
0%

Master’s Degree
0%

Post-Master’s Certificate
0%

First Professional Degree
0%

Doctoral Degree
0%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker

A program that prepares individuals to plan, prepare, install, and repair carpet; linoleum; vinyl; ceramic, marble, quarry, mosaic, and terazzo tiles; and wood materials on floors, walls, and stairs. Includes instruction in measuring, cutting, and installing materials; use of hand and power-operated equipment; estimation of material and labor costs; and safety training.

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
12%

1 month
0%

1 to 3 months
0%

3 to 6 months
7%

6 months to 1 year
12%

1 to 2 years
23%

2 to 4 years
21%

4 to 6 years
24%

6 to 8 years
0%

8 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
7%

1 month
1%

1 to 3 months
0%

3 to 6 months
11%

6 months to 1 year
12%

1 to 2 years
23%

2 to 4 years
24%

4 to 10 years
20%

Over 10 years
2%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Builder

People with this personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

The Builder
100%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
19%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
19%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
24%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
43%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
38%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

They also like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
29%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
40%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
29%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
62%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
48%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
43%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


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