Carpet Layer

• Certificate I in Furnishing

Carpet layers install and repair floor carpets. They may also be involved in other coverings such as vinyl, rubber, cork, parquetry and timber flooring. Carpet layers fastens the edges and seams of the carpet, then stretches and fixes it along walls and borders, using gripper strips. Working conditions can often be dusty, and the work involves a lot of bending, stretching, kneeling and carrying. Carpet layers also have a high level of contact with clients, retailers, builders and other tradespeople.

Not quite the career you are looking for? Please try the related course profiles below:

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There are approximately 66% of Carpet layers that have no post school qualification. This is a considerably large percentage of a career group, however there are 23% of Floor finishers that have Certificate III or Certificate IV and a further 5% have Certificate I or Certificate II.

TAFE SA offer the following courses to help you find employment in this occupation; Certificate I in Furnishing (Specialising in Floor Covering); and Certificate I in Furnishing.

Still unsure? Then enrol in a short course also offered through TAFE SA such as Upholstery. For further information about these and related courses go to the TAFE SA website at http://www.tafe.sa.edu.au.

There are SA Apprenticeships available. For further information go to the Traineeship and Apprenticeship website at http://www.employment.sa.gov.au or phone the Freecall number 1800 673 097.

This occupation is currently experiencing a sluggish period, an offshoot of the slump in the building and construction industry and the increased fashion of timber flooring. People can tolerate the absence of carpet in their home longer than say, a fully functional bathroom. It is anticipated, however, that prospects will improve later this year as recipients of the recent Home Buyers' grant start ordering their floor coverings.

Most carpet layers in South Australia are self employed. There seems to be a good amount of work that filters through from word of mouth of customers and therefore your customer service skills need to be excellent in order to expand your client base.

Construction,  Personal And Other Services

Carpet layers lay and repair carpets in commercial and residential properties. They also carry out carpet restorations. Customers usually first receive a quote from these tradespersons for the cost of carpet and the carpet layer's labour. To determine how much carpet will be required, carpet layers measure a room, including any bays or alcoves. Once a quote has been accepted, carpet layers can do what they do best - lay carpet. Carpet needs to be cut prior to laying. So, carpet layers put in a call to the carpet manufacturers who cut the carpet into rolls. Carpet layers may also do a scale drawing of the room to work out the best way to carpet the space.

According to one proprietor, there have not been any recent significant changes in the carpet laying process, nor in the type of carpets laid. Most carpets are either tufted (ie they have a primary backing of polypropylene and the fibre is tufted into this) or simply woven. A well as the laying they remove any existing carpet and checks the smoothed edges which should already be in place. These are hidden timber finishes installed at the corners of a room. They sit underneath a carpet and help to hold it down tightly. The next step is fitting the underlay. If you've ever wondered why carpet feels so springy and soft it is probably because of the underlay. Usually made from either rubber or foam, the underlay is designed to give a carpet a supple, bouncy feel.

One more thing needs to be done before the carpet is laid. The floor surface needs to be cleaned thoroughly and if its a wooden floor, carpet layers also check for any loose boards or nails. And now its time to lay the carpet. The carpet needs to be fitted properly. Pieces that have been cut to fit doorways need to go in that exact spot and the carpet pile should lie in the same direction. After fastening the edges and seams, carpet layers stretch the carpet and secure it along walls and borders using gripper strips. Any odd bits need to be trimmed and cleared away.

Carpet layers as tradespersons work in small teams. Carpet laying involves a lot of bending, stretching, carrying and kneeling. Carpet layers will find that this is more comfortable if they wear protective knee pads. They also use a knee kicker (a device used to stretch carpet) where the layer knees the tool with one knee to stretch the carpet tightly. As a result, the kneecap absorbs the impact and often leads to knee injury. Carpet layers can minimise knee injury by using what's known as a power stretcher, a safer alternative to the knee kicker.

Carpet layers often have customers constantly observing the layer at work. Carpet layers need to be able to accept this and behave professionally. Remember too, that you'll be working in someone else's home so you should have the courtesy to leave it the way you found it. Working with customers is a large part of the job and good communication skill are as important as understanding the customer. Precision, an eye for detail and sound measurement skills are what you'll need technically to succeed in this occupation.

The time it takes depends on the amount of carpet being laid and the shape of the room in which its being laid. You could say that four metres of carpet laid per hour indicates that a job is progressing well. For one of the best parts of this work is giving a place a total facelift and receiving feedback from clients.

Carpet layers also do repair work such as restretching carpet back to its proper shape. Carpets can get too wet during carpet cleaning and this causes the carpet to lose its shape. To get back the carpet shape, carpet layers stretch the carpet past the smoothed edge and restretch into the room. Restretching is the main type of repair work undertaken by carpet layers.

For further information, contact:

Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union Forestry and Furnishing Products Division
3rd Floor Trades Hall 11-16 South Tce Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8211 8324
Fax: (08) 8231 4496
Internet Address: http://www.cfmeu-forestdivision.com.au

Master Builders Association of South Australia Inc
47 South Tce Adelaide SA 5000
Ph: (08) 8211 7466
Fax: (08) 8231 5240
Email: buildsa@mbasa.com.au
Internet Address: http://www.mbasa.com.au

The starting salary is approximately $32,000 per year and this may go as high as $65,000. The average annual wage is approximately $35,000.

For further information about all TAFE SA Courses, phone 1800 882 661 or email tafeinfo@saugov.sa.gov.au