Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Carpet Installers
Carpet Installers lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
Table of contents
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
Is this job meaningful
69% said they were satisfied with their job and 57% said they found their job meaningful.
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
Average hourly wage
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 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
How often do you use email in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Group discussions
How often do you have group discussions in this job?
Public speaking
How often does this job require you to do public speaking?
Level of competition
How much competitive pressure is in this job?
What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant majors
Carpet, Floor, and Tile Worker
Relevant work experience
How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?
On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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