Carpet Installers

Summary

Carpet installers use a variety of tools to make sure carpet is installed properly.

Quick Facts: Carpet Installers
2010 Median Pay	$36,090 per year $17.35 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Less than high school
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	Short-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2010	47,500
Job Outlook, 2010-20	10% (About as fast as average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	4,900

What Carpet Installers Do

Carpet installers lay carpet in homes, offices, restaurants, and many other types of buildings.

Work Environment

Carpet installers spend a lot of time bending and kneeling. Although their work is not as dangerous as that of some other construction trades, carpet installers still experience a high rate of injuries and illnesses.

How to Become a Carpet Installer

The vast majority of carpet installers learn their trade on the job.

Pay

The median annual wage of carpet installers was $36,090 in May 2010.

Job Outlook

Employment of carpet installers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Job prospects should improve in the coming decade as construction activity rebounds from the recent recession.

Similar Occupations

Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of carpet installers with similar occupations.

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Contacts for More Information

Learn more about carpet installers by contacting these additional resources.

What Carpet Installers Do About this section

Carpet seamers are rolled across seams to blend carpet yarn.

Carpet installers lay carpet in homes, offices, restaurants, and many other types of buildings. 

Duties

Carpet installers typically do the following:

• Remove old carpet or flooring to prepare surfaces for laying new carpet
• Inspect the condition of the surface to be covered
• Fix any problems that could show through the carpet or cause uneven wear
• Measure the area to be carpeted
• Plan the layout of carpeting to get the best appearance and least wear
• Install a padded cushion underneath the carpet
• Roll out, measure, mark, and cut the carpet
• Fit the carpet so that it lays evenly and snugly
• Tack, glue, or staple carpeting to hold it in place
• Finish the edges so that the carpet looks neat

Carpet installers lay carpet in many types of new and old buildings, including homes, offices, restaurants, and museums. Although installing carpet in newly constructed buildings requires minimal preparation, those who replace existing carpet must first remove old flooring, including any padding, glue, tacks, or staples. In some cases, carpet installers lay carpet over existing tile or hardwood.

Carpet installers work with special tools, including a "knee kicker" to position the carpet and a power stretcher to pull the carpet snugly against walls. When they have to join seams of carpet (for example, in large rooms), they use special heat-activated tape. In commercial installations, they may glue the carpet to the floor or to padding that they have glued to the floor. On steps, they may use staples to hold the carpet in place. They also use carpet knives, carpet shears (scissors), hammers, power sanders, and other tools.

Work Environment About this section

Carpet padding is used to provide extra cushion.

Carpet installers held about 47,500 jobs in 2010. About 30 percent were employed in the building finishing contractors industry, and 17 percent were employed in the home furnishing stores industry. About 48 percent were self-employed.

By the time workers install carpets, most of the construction has been completed and the work area is relatively clean and uncluttered. 

Carpet installers spend a lot of time kneeling and bending. They also need to lift and pull heavy carpet. Because installations are often done in less than a day, carpet installers may travel to more than one worksite.

Injuries

Although their work is not as dangerous as that of some other construction trades, carpet installers still experience a high rate of injuries and illnesses compared with most other occupations. The most common injuries are cuts from knives and muscle strains from lifting carpet. Some installers also get burns from heat guns used to join carpet.

Work Schedules

Most carpet installers work full time. In commercial settings, carpet installers may work nights or evenings to avoid disturbing regular business operations.

About 48 percent of carpet installers were self-employed in 2010. Self-employed workers may have the ability to set their own schedule.

How to Become a Carpet Installer About this section

Proper measurement reduces waste.

The vast majority of carpet installers learn their trade on the job.

Training

Most carpet installers learn by helping more experienced workers and gradually getting more duties. Employers provide this training on the job. New carpet installers start by helping to move carpet, after which they progress to cutting and trimming carpet. Some workers learn to install carpet while working in another construction occupation, such as carpentry or construction labor.

Education

Although there is no formal educational requirement for carpet installers, high school courses in basic math are considered helpful.

Important Qualities

Customer-service skills. Working with customers in their homes is common. Therefore, carpet installers must be considerate of the homeowners’ property while quickly completing tasks.

Math skills. Carpet installers use basic math skills on every job. Besides measuring the area to be carpeted, installers must calculate the amount of carpet needed to cover the floor.

Physical strength. Carpet installers must be strong enough to carry heavy rolls of carpet. They also should be able to lift the rolls to move them into position.

Stamina. Carpet installers must have endurance because they spend many hours on their feet. Also, when cutting carpet, installers need to be on their knees to easily reach the edge that must be trimmed.

Pay About this section

The median annual wage of carpet installers was $36,090 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,130, and the top 10 percent earned more than $67,760.

Most carpet installers work full time. In commercial settings, carpet installers may work nights or evenings to avoid disturbing regular business operations.

About 48 percent of carpet installers were self-employed in 2010. Self-employed workers may have the ability to set their own schedule.

Job Outlook About this section

Employment of carpet installers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2010 to 2020, about as fast as the average for all other occupations. Carpet is the most commonly used floor covering in the United States, and the need to replace carpet is the major source of demand for installers. In addition to wearing out, older carpet is replaced when people and businesses want to update their floor coverings.

Competition with other floor coverings, especially tile and hardwood, should offset some of the demand for workers. Residential investors and homeowners are expected to continue to choose these alternatives to carpet because of their durability and low maintenance, and because many owners perceive that hardwood and tile add greater value to their homes.

Job Prospects

Job prospects for carpet installers depend, in part, on the amount of new construction taking place in the economy.  As construction activity rebounds over the projection decade, job opportunities for carpet installers should improve. In addition to job growth, many job openings will result from the need to replace workers who leave this occupation.

Contacts for More Information About this section

For more information about training for carpet installers, visit  

Finishing Trades Institute International