Also known as
- Carpet Installer
- Carpet Layer
- Floor Covering Installer Apprentice
- Floor Covering Mechanic
- Resilient Floor Installer
- Rug Installer
- Vinyl Floor Installer
Your duties | Work conditions | Essential Skills | Apprenticeship | Where to study | Salary ranges | Building your career | Job prospects
Do you like working indoors? Are you strong and physically fit? Do you like working with others? Do you have an eye for colour? Are you good at measuring things? Do you like working with your hands? Then Floor Covering Installer could be the career for you!
What the work is like
Floor covering installers install carpet, wood, linoleum, vinyl and other resilient floor coverings in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings.
They are employed by construction companies, floor-covering contractors, installation companies and carpet retailers, or they may be self-employed.
Floor covering installers work in the New Home Building and Renovation, and Institutional and Commercial construction sectors. To learn more about the construction sectors, check out Inside the industry.
Your duties
As a Floor Covering Installer, your duties may include the following:
- installing carpeting, hardwood floors, trims and bases to floors or other surfaces
- inspecting, measuring and preparing surfaces to be covered
- inspecting and repairing damaged floor coverings
- estimating material and labour costs
Work conditions
The standard work week for floor covering installers is 40 hours (8 hours a day, 5 days a week). As with many careers in construction, there are peak periods that will require you to work overtime. The number of additional hours you work each week depends on the construction sector and region you work in, and will vary from one job to the next. You may have to work occasional nights when renovating offices or other public buildings that are occupied.
As a Floor Covering Installer, you will work mostly indoors, usually with a team of other workers. The job is physically demanding and often involves lifting heavy materials and kneeling for long periods of time.
As with all careers in the construction industry, safety is the top priority. Floor covering installers are trained to work safely and take special precautions to protect themselves from injury.
Essential Skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine Essential Skills that are necessary to succeed in the workplace. These skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and apply to most construction careers. Best of all, you can learn and improve on these skills in school, on the job and during your everyday life.
The most important Essential Skills for floor covering installers are the following:
- Document Use – reading and interpreting documents to extract information
- Job Task Planning and Organizing – working independently to plan and organize daily tasks
- Problem Solving – coming up with solutions to challenges
Click here to learn more about Essential Skills.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is one way of starting out in the construction industry. It involves both classroom studies and on-the-job training under the supervision of a certified Floor Covering Installer, called a journeyperson.
As an apprentice, you earn while you learn and are paid by the hour while working on the job site. Wages start at about 50% of a journeyperson’s hourly rate and increase during your apprenticeship until you reach the full rate.
Entering an apprenticeship program
Requirements for floor covering installer apprenticeship programs vary across Canada. In most provinces and territories, you must have a Grade 9 education or equivalent to enter a floor covering installer apprenticeship program. You may find it helpful to have courses in drafting and mechanical drawing, math and shop.
Some provinces and territories offer secondary school apprenticeship programs that allow high school students to work towards a career as a Floor Covering Installer.
For more information, check out the Apprenticeship section.
Program length
Apprenticeship training programs for floor covering installers vary across Canada, but generally involve three 12-month periods, including at least 4,400 hours of on-the-job training, two six-week blocks of technical training and a final certificate exam.
Related work experience or completion of a floor covering installer program at a college or technical institute can reduce the time required to complete your apprenticeship.
Certification
Certification is required in Quebec, and is available but voluntary in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan. Where certification is not available, it may be possible to study as an apprentice through your local labour organization. Check out Related links to find out who to contact. Even where certification is voluntary, it is still recommended. Certification tells employers and other workers that you are a skilled professional. It also helps you get jobs.
To be certified as a Floor Covering Installer, you usually need to complete a two- to three-year apprenticeship program. Once you successfully complete the required on-the-job training, technical training and exams, you are awarded a journeyperson certificate.
You may be eligible for certification in some provinces and territories if you have more than three years of on-the-job experience and some high school, college or industry courses in floor covering.
As a certified Floor Covering Installer you may attempt the Interprovincial Exam to qualify for the Interprovincial Standards’ Red Seal. With a Red Seal, you can work as a Floor Covering Installer anywhere in Canada.
To keep your skills current, you have to keep up with new technological developments by reading and talking with other floor covering installers.
Where to study in Canada
In addition to the Canadian schools listed below, many employer and labour organizations offer training. For more information, check out Related links.
|
Alberta British Columbia |
Nunavut |
Specialty programs
In addition to the schools listed above, NorQuest College offers a transitional program for new Canadians with experience as floor covering installers.
Salary ranges
Floor Covering Installer hourly wages vary depending on the contract, the company, collective agreements, and local and national economic conditions. Typical hourly wage ranges for floor covering installers (based on national or regional averages) are as follows:
Junior apprentices
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$11-$14 |
Based on national averages, junior apprentices can earn annual salaries ranging from $23,000 to $29,000 per year, not including overtime.
Journeypersons
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$15-$20 |
Based on national averages, journeypersons can earn annual salaries ranging from $31,000 to $42,000 per year, not including overtime.
Highly experienced journeypersons
| Region | Typical hourly rate |
|
National average |
$21-$27 |
Based on national averages, highly experienced journeypersons can earn annual salaries ranging from $44,000 to $56,000 per year, not including overtime.
Construction work can involve overtime, so your total annual salary will vary depending on the number of overtime hours you work.
In addition to the hourly rate, many construction workers receive statutory holiday and vacation pay. Depending on the contract, you may also receive benefits such as group insurance for health, dental, and vision care, as well as retirement packages and training benefits up to 30% of your hourly rate. If you are self-employed, it is up to you to arrange your own benefits.
Building your career
With experience and additional training you can progress to supervisory positions. You can also move into sales or customer relations. Another option is to become self-employed and work as a private contractor or set up your own retail business.
As with most careers in the construction industry, your skills are portable. If you want to move, you can take your skills with you.
Job prospects
Construction careers across Canada are booming! To learn about the forecast for floor covering installers, check out Job prospects. There you’ll find information on their expected demand by province for the next nine years.
The Construction Sector Council accepts no responsibility or liability connected with the use or reproduction of the information contained on this website. It is provided “as is” and is intended for informational use only without warranty, express or implied.
