Carpet fitter and floor layer

Flooring fitter

Carpet fitters and floor layers fit carpets and vinyl tiles, and lay laminate and solid timber floors.

Salary Range: £14,000 to £30,000

How to become a carpet fitter and floor layer

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

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.

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

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

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• funding advice
• search for courses

Apprenticeship

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

Entry requirements

You’ll usually need:

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

More information

• equivalent entry requirements
• guide to apprenticeships

Direct application

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.

More 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.

What it takes

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

What you’ll do

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 and 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.