Floor and carpet layers install carpet, linoleum, and other floor coverings in homes or buildings.

Floor and carpet layers install different products. Their methods are different but they share many similar tasks. Floor and carpet layers first measure the room and plan the layout. They consider traffic patterns and where to place seams. They inspect the surface of the floor. If it has imperfections that might show through, they patch holes or replace worn subflooring.

The next step is to cut and install either carpet padding or foundation material. These materials provide cushioning and soundproofing. They also prevent excessive wear to the floor covering. Floor and carpet layers roll out, measure, and mark the floor covering. They cut the floor covering, allowing a few extra inches for the final fitting.

Floor and carpet layers have several tasks that are unique to the floor covering they install.

Carpet layers

Carpet layers nail tack strips to hold the carpet in place near walls and thresholds. They join carpet seams by sewing, or by using heat-tape and a carpet iron. Carpet layers stretch the carpet with a knee kicker tool and cut off the excess. They use a power stretcher to hook the carpet to the tack strips along walls and thresholds. They finish the carpet edges with a wall trimmer. They also install metal treads or thresholds at doorways. In special areas, such as stairways, carpet layers may use staples or other methods to install carpet. In commercial buildings, they often use special glues.

Floor layers

Floor layers install floor coverings such as linoleum, rubber, or soft tile. They measure and mark chalk lines on floor surfaces so they can align the pattern of the floor covering with the room's walls. Floor layers apply cement to the floor. They roll and press the sheet floor covering into the cement so the surface is smooth. They join sections of flooring by overlapping it and cutting through both sections to form tight joints. They remove the excess cement and clean finished surfaces.