What Flooring Installers and Tile and Marble Setters Do

Flooring installers and tile and marble setters lay and finish carpet, wood, vinyl, and tile.

Work Environment

Installing flooring, tile, and marble is physically demanding, with workers spending much of their time reaching, bending, and kneeling. Those in commercial settings may work evenings and weekends.

How to Become a Flooring Installer or Tile and Marble Setter

Although some flooring installers and tile and marble setters learn their trade through an apprenticeship, most learn on the job, sometimes starting as a helper.

Job Outlook

Employment of flooring installers and tile and marble setters is projected to grow 6 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations. The replacement of older floors, coupled with population and business growth, will drive demand for more workers. Overall job prospects should be best for workers who can install a wide variety of floors.

Growth & Trends

This occupation supported 96,400 jobs in 2012 and 117,600 jobs in 2020, reflecting an increase of 22%. In 2012, this occupation was projected to increase by 12.2% in 2022 to 108,200 jobs.

Current employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation. In 2021, the flooring installers and tile and marble setters occupation was projected to increase by 6%, the national average. This indicates expectations for future employment trends are much better than the 2012 trend within this occupation.

Carpet Installers Employment and Labor Information 2023

Carpet Installers Employment Brief:

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

Carpet Installers Job Description

Here is a Job Description an employer might post for potential Carpet Installers.

Carpet Installers Responsibilities and Duties:

• Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
• Clean up before and after installation, including vacuuming carpet and discarding remnant pieces.
• Measure, cut and install tackless strips along the baseboard or wall.
• 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.
• Move furniture from area to be carpeted and remove old carpet and padding.
• Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
• Install carpet on some floors using adhesive, following prescribed method.
• Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.
• Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
• Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.

Typical Daily Tasks of Carpet Installers:

• Performing General Physical Activities: Clean work sites. Prepare surfaces for finishing. Remove worn, damaged or outdated materials from work areas.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Cut carpet, vinyl or other flexible materials. Install carpet or flooring. Mark reference points on construction materials. Smooth surfaces with abrasive materials or tools.
• Getting Information: Review blueprints or specifications to determine work requirements.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials: Inspect work sites to determine condition or necessary repairs.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Estimate materials requirements for projects.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Measure materials or objects for installation or assembly. Measure work site dimensions.
• Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment.

Carpet Installers Skills and Requirements:

• Writing Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Technology Design Generating or adapting equipment and technology to serve user needs.
• Reading Comprehension Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
• Active Listening Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Quality Control Analysis Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
• Operations Monitoring Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
• Systems Evaluation Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
• Programming Writing computer programs for various purposes.
• Social Perceptiveness Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Speaking Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Carpet Installers Education and Training:

Typical education for include: No formal educational credential.

Carpet Installers Salary, Wages, and Salary and Job Outlook

Carpet Installers average pay is: $45240 per year according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employees who work in Building Finishing Contractors are the highest paid making $25.40, while Other Wood Product Manufacturing make the least at $17.71 per hour.Here are the top city/metro areas with the highest paying salaries for a Carpet Installers: