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Carpet fitter and floor layer

Alternative titles for this job include Flooring fitter

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

Average salary (a year)

£20,000 Starter

to

£36,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

40 to 47 a week

You could work

evenings / weekends as customers demand

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • an apprenticeship
  • applying directly
  • training with a professional body

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do an apprenticeship, such as:

  • Finishing Trades Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
  • Floorlayer Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship

Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

More Information

Direct Application

You could apply directly to work as a carpet fitter and floor layer.

Employers will expect you to:

  • have practical skills
  • be good with numbers for making measurements and working out quantities
  • have good customer service skills, especially for working in people's homes

Other Routes

You could take a training course through a professional industry body like the Flooring Industry Training Association or the Contract Flooring Association.

This may help you to find work as a trainee with a carpet fitting and floor laying company.

More Information

Career tips

You may need to travel to other parts of the country for some jobs, especially on commercial and industrial contracts.

Further information

You can find more details about training and working in carpet fitting and floor laying from:

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

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

Restrictions and Requirements

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a carpet fitter or floor layer, you'll:

  • measure floor space to be covered and estimate the materials needed
  • remove old flooring and prepare the work area
  • fit underlay, carpets, tiles, vinyl or wooden flooring
  • spray floor coverings with protective coatings
  • put furniture back and trim and re-hang doors if removed
  • follow safety guidelines when working with glues, solvents and other chemicals

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

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

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

You could move into related areas like training, buying or product sales.

You could also set up your own business, laying carpets and installing floors in domestic and commercial properties.

Current opportunities

Find apprenticeships, courses and jobs available near you.

Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Floorlayer apprentice

  • Wage: £15,311.40 a year Annually
  • Location: Cramlington

Floorlayer Apprentice

  • Wage: Competitive Annually
  • Location: BIGGIN HILL, WESTERHAM
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Carpet Fitting Level 1

  • Provider: FLOORSKILLS LIMITED
  • Start date: Flexible
  • Location: Earlswood

Carpet Fitting Level 3 (Designer Install + Twin Stick Systems)

  • Provider: FLOORSKILLS LIMITED
  • Start date: Flexible
  • Location: Earlswood
Find courses near you

Jobs In the United Kingdom

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