Construction & Extraction
Carpet Installers
Also called: Carpet Flooring Installer, Carpet Layer, Carpet Mechanic, Commercial Floor Covering Installer
US median pay
$50,340
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
-16.4%
declining
Openings a year (US)
700
17,400 employed
Typical entry education
No formal educational credential
Preparation 2/5 · Some preparation
What this job is
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
What they do day to day
- Plan the layout of the carpet, allowing for expected traffic patterns and placing seams for best appearance and longest wear.
- Join edges of carpet and seam edges where necessary, by sewing or by using tape with glue and heated carpet iron.
- Cut carpet padding to size and install padding, following prescribed method.
- Cut and trim carpet to fit along wall edges, openings, and projections, finishing the edges with a wall trimmer.
- 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.
- Roll out, measure, mark, and cut carpeting to size with a carpet knife, following floor sketches and allowing extra carpet for final fitting.
- Nail tack strips around area to be carpeted or use old strips to attach edges of new carpet.
- 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.
- 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.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Coordination3.1/5
- Time Management3.0/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.8/5
- Service Orientation2.6/5
- Operations Monitoring2.6/5
Knowledge
- Customer and Personal Service3.7/5
- Mathematics3.4/5
- Administration and Management3.4/5
- English Language3.3/5
- Building and Construction3.3/5
- Production and Processing3.1/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 2 of 5 — Some preparation. Usually a high school diploma; some previous work experience or training helps.
Typical entry education (BLS): No formal educational credential.
Highest education of people in this job:
- High school diploma69%
- Less than high school22%
Who this job suits
Mostly Realistic
Hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
Conventional
Organising data, details and procedures
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.