Carpet Installers

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

What you'd actually do

• 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.

How you get there

Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

The feel of the work

Time pressure is a real part of the job; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)

Working for yourself

About 25.6% of carpet installers are self-employed.

Who it tends to fit

This work tends to fit people who are hands-on and organized and detail-focused.

Related careers

• Structural Iron and Steel Workers
• Electricians
• Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
• Construction and Building Inspectors
• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
• Highway Maintenance Workers

Quick questions

How much does a carpet installer make?

The median pay is $24.20 per hour — roughly $50,500 a year, with the real range running from about $17.05/hr (10th percentile) to $39.49/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Do you need a degree to be a carpet installer?

The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).

What does a carpet installer actually do all day?

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.