Duties and responsibilities
A carpet fitter is a specialist flooring installer. They go to people’s homes and into commercial building to cut and fix carpets. Their typical duties and responsibilities include:
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- Moving furniture out of the room and taking off doors
- Removing old flooring
- Cleaning, levelling and sealing bare floors
- Cutting the carpet to the required size and shape
- Glueing or nailing the carpet into place
- Removing old flooring if necessary
Qualifications
To become a carpet fitter, you will need to complete on the job training or an apprenticeship program. Experience in flooring installing is also essential, as this teaches carpet fitters the skills they need.
Skills and relevant work experience
Carpet fitters will also need skills such as:
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- Physical fitness and stamina, as a carpet fitter will have to carry heavy materials and will have to kneel down for long periods of time
- Detail orientation, as a carpet fitter will need to follow instructions and lay carpets with precision
- Teamwork skills, as carpet fitters will need to work with other construction workers
- Communication skills, as carpet fitters need to be able to communicate with clients and other construction workers
- Dexterity, as carpet fitters need to use tools to carefully fit carpets
Hours
Carpet fitters tend to work full time (around 40 hours per week). If you work in a commercial setting, you may work evenings and weekends so that you are not disrupting a clients business.
Salary
According to glassdoor, the average annual salary of a carpet installer in the United States is $46,254. The lowest 10% earned less than $30,981 and the highest 10% earned more than $66,561.
Progression
Carpet fitters are already specialist flooring installers. To progress further, carpet fitters can become supervisors, whereby they will manage other carpet fitters. Or, they could become self-employed and start up their own business.