Floor Layer

Floor layers fit textile carpets, carpet tiles, waterproof vinyl, timber or laminate flooring in a variety of locations, from industrial and shop units, to residential homes.

A floor layer may visit a site first to measure the floor space, calculate the quantity of materials needed and suggest suitable flooring fit for purpose. On returning to lay the flooring, duties usually include:

• removing furniture and doors
• taking up the old floor covering
• cleaning, preparing and if necessary levelling the surface
• cutting/sawing materials to size
• securing floor coverings into position
• applying protective finishes
• replacing furniture and re-hanging doors.

Floor layers may work alone, or as part of a small team. They usually work around 39 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Some projects, especially for business clients, may require working at weekends or evenings. A lot of time is spent bending, kneeling or crouching, and the work can involve carrying heavy or awkward materials. The work can involve travelling between projects, usually regionally.

Salaries may range from between £8,639 and £14,439 a year for new entrants to £28,000 or more for floor layers with experience.

Floor layers should be:

• practical
• accurate and methodical
• customer focused
• good with figures, for measurements and calculating materials
• responsible
• interested in interior design.

Around 31,400 people work in the floor laying industry in England. Most jobs exist with specialist flooring firms and contractors and flooring retailers/showrooms.

There are no set entry requirements. GCSEs (A*-E) in subjects like maths, technology and design, or the Diploma in construction and the built environment, can be helpful. ConstructionSkills offers a floor layer and floor covering Apprenticeship.

Most entrants receive on-the-job training. This often includes working through the CSkills NVQs Levels 1, 2 and 3 in floorcovering. There are also qualifications specific to floor tiling. Any floor layers working on a building construction site need a ConstructionSkills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card, which requires passing a health and safety test.

Floor layers may progress to supervisory levels or contract management positions, or specialise in areas like estimating. Many become self-employed. There may be opportunities to work on international contracts.

Further details