Flooring Installer Career Guide

Are you someone who wants a hands-on and practical job that offers plenty of employment and specialization opportunities?

If the answers YES, then why not become a flooring installer?

Flooring installers place floor coverings on the floors in both residential and commercial buildings. Flooring installers can specialize to become a carpet installers, carpet tile installers, floor sanders and finishers, floor layers and tile and marble setters.

Typically, there are no formal education requirements to become a flooring installer and they tend to learn all the skills they need on the job by working with experienced installers. Alternatively, flooring installers can complete a 2- to 4-year apprenticeship.

Flooring Installer Career Ratings

(What these ratings mean)

Income

Career
Growth

Personal Growth

Contribution

Influence

Overview

What a flooring installer actually does

A flooring installer is responsible for placing floor coverings in both residential and commercial buildings. They can work for big or small companies, or they can work for themselves.

A flooring installers can specialize to become carpet installers, carpet tile installers, floor sanders and finishers, floor layers and tile and marble setters. Regardless of their speciality, the typical duties of a flooring installer include:

Removing existing floor coverings
Cleaning and levelling the floor surface that needs to be covered
Measuring the area and cutting the flooring material to fit
Arranging flooring according to the design plans
Placing flooring and securing it
Filling joints with filler compound and removing any excess compound
Trimming excess carpet or linoleum
Applying finishes, such as sealants and stains

Why they are needed

Flooring installers are needed to add the finishing touchers to homes, offices, restaurants and other buildings. Installing these floors requires those with patience and unique skills. Without all types of flooring installers (e.g., carpet layers, marble setters) buildings would not be complete. Not only would the be ugly, but without the floors, they would also be uncomfortable and not functional.

Pros and cons of a career as a flooring installer

Pros:

There are lots of development opportunities for flooring installers (e.g., they can specialize in laying carpet, tiles or stone)
Each day, flooring installers get to meet lots of different people and work as part of a team
No two days are the same as flooring installers are constantly doing different jobs
There are little educational requirements, making it an accessible career for many
There is great job security as floor installing cannot be outdated by technology

Cons:

It can be a very physically demanding and draining job
There is a risk of injury, as flooring installers are working with adhesive materials, lifting heavy materials and bending down
Although the formal educational requirements are low, flooring installers still need to complete some training, which can be time consuming
There is a lot of travelling about as a flooring installer

Employability

Job market

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of flooring installers is projected to grow 3 percent from 2019 to 2029, which is about as fast as the average for all occupations. This employment growth is expected because the construction of new houses over the coming decade will create a demand for experienced flooring installers. Similarly, flooring installers will continue to be in demand for replacing floors in existing buildings.

As with many other types of construction occupations, the employment of flooring installers is sensitive to fluctuations of the economy. On the one hand, flooring installers may experience periods of unemployment when the level of construction falls. But, during peak periods employment will be in abundance.

Career paths

Typically, there are no formal education requirements to become a flooring installer. Flooring installers will learn on the job, working with experienced installers or starting as helpers. When they are new to the profession, flooring installers usually conduct simple tasks, such as moving materials. When they gain more experience, they will take on more complex tasks, such as cutting carpet.

An alternative route is is to learn the trade through a 2- to 4-year apprenticeship. Usually, aspiring flooring installers must complete a predetermined number of hours of technical instruction (which normally includes mathematics, building code requirements, safety, first-aid practices and blueprint reading) and paid-on-the-job training. After completing an apprenticeship program, flooring installers are considered journey workers and may perform duties on their own.

Example Job Titles for Flooring Installer

Below is a list of common job titles in the Flooring Installer field. Click the links below for more information about these job titles, or view the next section for actual real-life job profiles.

Benefits & Conditions

Income and benefits

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for flooring installers in the United States was $42,050 in May 2019. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $25,780, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $74,630.

The top paying industry was the construction of buildings, where the median annual salary was $44,240. This was followed by home furnishing stores ($41,050) and manufacturing ($36,390).

Autonomy and Flexibility

The level of autonomy and flexibility for a flooring installer will vary depending on the amount of experience they have. For instance, a flooring installer who is in their early training will have virtually no control over their decisions or how they plan their days. Whereas, flooring installers who have worked in the industry for years, or own their own business, will have more control over their decisions and how they arrange their day (e.g., when they meet clients, where they order their material from).

Locations and commute

According to Zippia, the best states to be a flooring installer, based on average annual salary and number of jobs available, are:

South Carolina, where the average annual salary is $57,908
North Carolina, where the average annual salary is $58,515
Florida, where the average annual salary is $48,535
Tennessee, where the average annual salary is $45,360
Virginia, where the average annual salary is $50,017

The worst states to be a flooring installer, according to Zippia, are Montana, Alaska, California, Washington and Minnesota.

Work environment

28% of flooring installers in the United States were self-employed workers. 8% of flooring installers were employed by home furnishing stores, 4% by the manufacturing industry and 4% by the construction of buildings.

The work of a flooring installer can be very physically demanding, as workers tend to spend much of their time reaching, bending and kneeling. They will wear protective clothing (e.g., kneepads, safety goggles and dust masks), but work related injury and illness is still common.

Career Satisfaction

Common Matching Personality Types

Which personalities tend to succeed and thrive in Flooring Installer careers? Based on our research, there is a relatively strong positive correlation between the following personality types and Flooring Installer career satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t many exceptions, of course, but if you fit into one of the following personality types then we suggest you give strong consideration to a career in Flooring Installer.

16 Types (Myers-Briggs)

None

Big Five (OCEAN)

None

DISC

None

Enneagram

None

Holland Codes (RIASEC)

Personality types

Like most construction trades, there has been no scientific exploration into exactly what personality types will make a successful flooring installer. However, the Myers Briggs personality type of ISTP, or otherwise known as ‘the craftsperson’, is likely to be a successful flooring installer. This is because these types are able to tackle problems in their immediate environment, with an innate mechanical ability and they enjoy building and fixing objects. ISTPs are typically very attentive to detail, independent, adaptable and self-directed, which are key skills for flooring installer.

Accomplishment and mastery

As flooring installers can learn the specialist and advanced skills they need in a relatively short space of time, there is high skill accomplishment and mastery. After gaining experience in the occupation, flooring installers may then have opportunities to advance to become a supervisor or to start their own business, which further increases the amount of accomplishment and mastery.

Meaning and contribution

As buildings cannot be completely habitable without the correct flooring, the work of a flooring installer is incredibly meaningful for all of us. Their work makes a huge contribution to society, by aiding the development of the buildings we use for work, play and living.

Life fit

Most flooring installers will work full time. In commercial settings, they may need to work evenings and weekends to avoid disturbing regular business operations.

Who will thrive in this career?

There are many important qualities that a flooring installer should have in order to thrive, for example:

Physical fitness and strength is essential to thrive as a flooring installer, as their work is physically demanding and involves carrying heavy materials
Those who can work well as part of a team and communicate will with others are likely to thrive as flooring installer, as the work is often team focused and involves communicating with other construction workers and clients
The ability to pay attention to detail is essential, as carpet fitters will have to closely follow instructions and cut carpets to the correct size

Who will struggle in this career?

You are are likely to struggle with working as a flooring installer if they are physically unfit, as this means you won’t be able to carry heavy materials or kneel down for long periods of time. Similarly, if you prefer to work alone and do less practical work, then you may struggle as a flooring installer due to the team environment and the hands-on nature of the work.

Requirements

Quick Glance

Skills

Skills and talents

Flooring installers learn many of the skills they need during on-the-job training. However, it is also important to have skills such as:

Physical fitness and stamina, as flooring installers will spend a lot of their working day kneeling down or lifting heavy material
Communication skills are key as flooring installers need to communicate with clients and other construction workers
Mathematical skills, because flooring installers need to order and cut materials to the correct size
Dexterity, as flooring installers need to use tools to carefully lay carpets and other flooring materials
Detail orientation, as flooring installers must follow instructions precisely and ensure they finish their work to the highest of standards
Critical thinking, as flooring installers must be able to problem-solve when issues arise

Education

Typically, there are no formal education requirements to become a flooring installer. Flooring installers tend to learn all the skills they need on the job by working with experienced installers.

Alternatively, aspiring flooring installers can complete a 2- to 4-year apprenticeship. During this time, aspiring flooring installers must complete technical instruction and on-the-job training.

Certifications

Certification is not required. However, it demonstrates that a flooring installer has a specific mastery of skills to do a job. There are a number of certifying organizations, such as The Ceramic Tile Education Foundation (CTEF), the International Masonry Institute (IMI), the International Union of Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers (IUBAC), the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), the Tile Contractors’ Association of America (TCAA), and the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA), The International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI) and The International Standards & Training Alliance (INSTALL).

How to Become

Summary

Flooring installers are responsible for placing floor coverings in both residential and commercial buildings. It is a career with many employment opportunities over the coming years, and flooring installers can specialize to become a carpet installers, carpet tile installers, floor sanders and finishers, floor layers and tile and marble setters.

Immediate action

As with all building trades, the more experience, the better. Therefore, if becoming a flooring installer sounds like something you would like to do, we recommend trying to get some general construction work to gather some experience. We also advise finding local apprenticeship programs.

Education and learning

Skill development

Flooring installers learn all their skills through on the job training or an apprenticeship. They can develop their skills further with more experience and take additional courses to become specialized in a particular area (e.g., carpet or tiles).

FAQs

Ask a Question

Have a question about Flooring Installer careers? If so, our mentors would love to help! Just click on a mentor’s profile below and then fill out the “Ask a Question” form on that page. Your question will then be emailed to the mentor, who can then email you a reply.

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