Careers · Explore one path
Carpet Installers
Lay and install carpet from rolls or blocks on floors. Install padding and trim flooring materials.
Other titles employers use
Carpet Installer · Carpet Layer · Carpet Mechanic · Commercial Floor Covering Installer · Floor Coverer · Floor Covering Installer · Floor Installation Mechanic · Flooring Installer
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to practical and organizing work.
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
- Quality Control Analysis
- Time Management
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Building and Construction
Useful strengths
- Problem Sensitivity
- Trunk Strength
- Extent Flexibility
- Static Strength
- Near Vision
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.4 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 2.2 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 4.6 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 4.7 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Most employers do not ask for a formal credential. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 92%
- A certificate or some college 8%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Computer aided design CAD software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Word processing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Project management software
- Calendar and scheduling software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 3,100
- Job openings each year
- 230
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- −8.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 3,100 | 230 | −8.8% |
| Florida | 1,780 | 140 | — |
| Washington | 1,580 | 140 | 9.0% |
| Nevada | 1,530 | 110 | −5.0% |
| New York | 1,110 | 0 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 1,100 | 80 | −11.3% |
| Texas | 860 | 60 | −6.5% |
| Idaho | 780 | 70 | 14.7% |
| Oregon | 770 | 60 | 8.5% |
| Ohio | 690 | 50 | −10.4% |
| Illinois | 590 | 40 | −9.2% |
| Michigan | 590 | 40 | −14.5% |
| New Jersey | 520 | 40 | −7.1% |
| Arizona | 490 | 40 | — |
| North Carolina | 480 | 40 | −2.0% |
| Wisconsin | 460 | 30 | −8.0% |
| Colorado | 450 | 30 | −4.3% |
| Indiana | 420 | 30 | −14.3% |
| Iowa | 380 | 30 | — |
| Georgia | 340 | 30 | −2.9% |
| Minnesota | 330 | 20 | −8.3% |
| South Carolina | 330 | 20 | −8.3% |
| New Mexico | 290 | 20 | — |
| Oklahoma | 290 | 20 | −3.3% |
| Kentucky | 220 | 20 | −4.3% |
| Mississippi | 220 | 20 | — |
| Nebraska | 210 | 20 | — |
| Kansas | 190 | 10 | −17.4% |
| Utah | 190 | 10 | — |
| Delaware | 180 | 10 | −10.0% |
| Maryland | 170 | 10 | −5.6% |
| West Virginia | 170 | 10 | — |
| Alabama | 160 | 10 | −5.9% |
| Arkansas | 140 | 10 | −12.5% |
| Missouri | 140 | 10 | −12.5% |
| Tennessee | 140 | 10 | — |
| Montana | 130 | 10 | — |
| Virginia | 120 | 10 | −7.7% |
| Wyoming | 120 | 10 | 9.1% |
| South Dakota | 110 | 10 | −8.3% |
| Louisiana | 90 | 10 | −10.0% |
| Massachusetts | 90 | 10 | — |
| New Hampshire | 90 | 10 | — |
| Connecticut | 80 | 10 | — |
| North Dakota | 70 | 10 | −12.5% |
| Alaska | 60 | 0 | — |
| Vermont | 50 | 0 | — |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Degrees each year
- 76
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $9,000
Rowan University
- Degrees each year
- 56
- Admit rate
- 78%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Tuskegee University
- Degrees each year
- 12
- Admit rate
- 31%
- Annual cost after aid
- $35,000
Thomas Jefferson University
- Degrees each year
- 4
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $25,000
SUNY College of Technology at Delhi
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 88%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Compare every college offering building/construction finishing, management, and inspection