Carpet Fitter And Floor Layer

Typical Salary

£14,000 To £30,000

Typical Hours

45 to 47 a week

evenings / weekends as customers demand

How To Become a Carpet Fitter And Floor Layer

You can get into this job through:

a college course
an apprenticeship
applying directly

College / University

You could take a college course like the Level 1 Award in Flooring Operations or Basic Construction Skills with flooring options. This will give you some of the skills needed for the job.

2 or fewer GCSEs at grades 3 to 1 (D to G), or equivalent, for a level 1 course

Apprenticeship

You may be able to start by doing a floorlayer intermediate apprenticeship.

some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You could apply directly to work as a carpet fitter and floor layer. Employers will expect you to have practical skills and be good with numbers.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

to be thorough and pay attention to detail
the ability to work well with others
the ability to work on your own
customer service skills
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
leadership skills
the ability to use your initiative
knowledge of maths
to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Day To Day Tasks

Depending on where you're working, your day-to-day tasks may include:

measuring floor space and estimating the amount of materials needed
clearing away furniture and taking off doors
removing old flooring
cleaning, levelling and sealing the work area
gluing or nailing underlay and floor coverings into place
stretching carpet over spiked gripper rods and taping
heat-sealing joins and edges on vinyl flooring
spraying or waxing floor coverings to give them a protective coating
using fast-track flooring systems
putting furniture back and trimming and re-hanging doors

Working Environment

You could work at a client's home or at a client's business.

Your working environment may be physically demanding.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career Path & Progression

With experience, you could become a team supervisor, estimator or contracts manager.

You could move into areas like buying and product sales.

You could also set up your own business in laying carpets and flooring.

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering Opportunities are not listed for this job.

Tips & Information

Further information

You can find more details about training and working in carpet fitting and floor laying from Go Construct and The Flooring Industry Training Association.

Restrictions & Requirements

Restrictions & Requirements are not listed for this job.