Carpet Installers

What the job really is

Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.

At a glance

• Sector: Construction & Extraction
• O*NET-SOC code: 47-2041
• O*NET job zone: 2 — some preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Move furniture from area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding.
• Cut and bind material.
• Inspect the surface to be covered to determine its condition, and correct any imperfections that might show through carpet or cause carpet to wear unevenly.
• Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
• Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
• Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.
• Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
• Stretch carpet to align with walls and ensure a smooth surface, and press carpet in place over tack strips or use staples, tape, tacks or glue to hold carpet in place.
• Take measurements and study floor sketches to calculate the area to be carpeted and the amount of material needed.
• Install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following prescribed method.
• Clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces.
• Measure, cut and install tackless strips along the baseboard or wall.

Tools and technology

Autodesk AutoCAD, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Word, Air underlayment staplers, Aya Associates Comp-U-Floor, Butane glue guns, Carpet Dealer Management System CDMS, Carpet awls, Carpet base cutters, Carpet clamps, Carpet cutters

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
• Tile and Stone Setters
• Floor Sanders and Finishers
• Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall
• Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers
• Furniture Finishers
• Paperhangers
• Terrazzo Workers and Finishers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 2 (some preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Carpet Installers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.