Floor Covering Installers install, repair and replace finishing surfaces such as carpet, hardwood, laminate and cork flooring, linoleum, vinyl and other types of floor coverings in residential, commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. Floor Covering Installer is a nationally designated trade under the Inter-provincial Red Seal program. (Find out about Red Seal in the Trades Lingo section.).

What do these workers do?
(Source: BC Work Futures)

Floor covering installers sometimes specialize in one type of floor covering material. For example, some install carpet and sheet vinyl flooring only, some specialize in hardwoods and others install tile. Some installers work with a variety of materials, but this is the exception.

Hardwood installers

Advise customers on products and pricing. The customer needs to be aware of the different woods, planking and other styles of wood floor available, and the cost of the material and installation.

Prepare underlays. Wood floors can be laid on top of a wood sub-floor. An underlying wood frame structure can be used, and this is mandatory if the floor is laid on concrete. The underlay creates a sound barrier and provides room for the planking to expand and contract.

Install tongue and groove planks. Planking is laid across the joists and runs the same way throughout the house. Installers learn to minimize changes when meeting up with crooked walls. Tongue and groove flooring can be blind nailed with a flooring nailer.

Finish and refinish flooring. Existing wood flooring can be sanded and then resealed. The floor looks brand new and, depending on the thickness of the plank, this can be done many times. Professionals use drum sanders that do a smooth job but require a lot of skill to operate well.

Carpet and vinyl sheet installers

Make templates. This step is crucial to the quick and accurate installation of carpet and sheet vinyl flooring. A paper or cardboard template that matches the floor is produced and then traced onto the floor covering This ensures an accurate fit and eliminates waste.

Fit carpet. Carpet is stretched onto nailing strips that are placed at the edge of the carpet underlay next to the wall. The carpet is fitted with special stretching tools, and it's important to know of how much each type of carpet will stretch.

Lay tile flooring. This is a relatively new flooring material that comes in a huge variety of patterns and colours. Laying this type of flooring is similar to working with ceramic tiles.

Repair flooring damage. Installers repair holes, cut out stains and renovate after fire and flood damage.

Read the full Floor Covering Installer Profile (40kb pdf).

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