Floorlayer

Occupation Overview

A Floorlayer is a trained craftsperson who will be involved with the installation of either carpets, vinyl, linoleum and rubber or laminate and wood flooring and will work for large and small employers in all types of buildings within a diverse range of commercial and domestic environments. Buildings may be existing or new and part of a construction site, such as housing estates, schools, shops, hospitals, airports or more iconic buildings such as the Shard or the Olympic Stadium in London.

A Floorlayer works in an efficient and safe manner, and ensure high levels of customer care, particularly within the domestic environment; working alone or within a team. The type of floorcovering will vary from basic to designer installations, thus working with a diverse range of materials and designs, and being one of the finishing trades, will significantly contribute to the ‘look and feel’ of a building and can provide great personal satisfaction.

The main duties and tasks include preparing the work area and sub-floor to a suitable standard to enable the following installation of floorcoverings to the clients' specification.

Skills

Core Skills:

Work safely and securely in compliance with given information, organisational policies and procedures, and current health, safety, environmental and welfare legislation
Select and use appropriate personal protective equipment for the floorlaying task
Plan the work to be carried out in accordance with the job specification, including; assessing the sub floor and work area, measuring, producing scale drawings, setting out, calculating material quantities and determining the resources needed (including the tools and equipment)
Work efficiently and complete the floorlaying work in accordance with the agreed specification and timescales
Prepare the work area including securing the site, the removal and appropriate disposal of existing floorcovering
Assess and evaluate physical and environmental conditions to ensure successful installation eg temperature, humidity, condition of the site
Prepare the sub floor for the floorcovering, including; removal of contaminants by manual, mechanical and chemical means, disposal of waste materials, mixing and application of repair and smoothing compounds, mixing and application of damp proof membranes, the installation of plywood, underlays and sheet membranes
Carry out remedial works in line with the specification
Dispose of and recycle waste materials appropriately

Option 1 Skills – Textile and Resilient Floorlayers will be able to:

Safely use hand tools, portable power tools and equipment required for the preparation and installation of resilient and textile floorcovering
Determine correct textile pile direction for the installation area
Determine how patterns should be matched for textile or resilient floorcovering
Install carpet sheet and tiles either in a domestic or contract situation including; cutting, joining, stretching, matching and securing; to horizontal, inclined, vertical, stepped and shaped surfaces; to solid, timber-based and suspended sub-floors
Install resilient sheet and tiles either in domestic or contract situations including; fitting, cutting, joining, rolling; taping, tanking, welding and seaming joints; geometric designs and borders; to horizontal, inclined, vertical, stepped and shaped surfaces and skirtings; to solid and timber-based sub-floors
Select and install appropriate finishing ancilliaries, including thresholds, skirtings, coverstrips, profiles, stair nosings, and trims

Option 2 Skills – Wood Floorlayers will be able to:

Safely use hand tools, portable power tools and equipment required for the preparation for, refurbishment and installation of wood
Determine correct expansion gaps taking into account environment, area and wood type
Install wood-based floorcoverings in a domestic and contract situation including; wood block, solid wood, engineered wood or and laminate; including cutting, matching, securing and finishing of the wood to horizontal and inclined surfaces; to solid and timber-based sub-floors
Select, reinstate or install appropriate finishing ancilliaries, including thresholds, skirtings, coverstrips, profiles, stair nosings and trims
Sand newly installed or refurbished wood, taking into account the wood type and condition, thickness of removal, coarseness of sanding sheet, sharpness of equipment blades
Select and apply appropriate protective wood finishing stains, hard wax, oil, varnish, lacquering, marking

Knowledge

Option 1 Knowledge – Textile and Resilient Floorlayers need to understand:

The different types of carpet floorcovering, including: woven, non-woven; felt, foam and rubber backed; sheet and tile forms
When to use underlay and or interlay, their types and their characteristics
The importance of installing the correct textile pile direction and matching patterns
Techniques and methods for installing underlay, interlay and different types of carpet (cutting, joining, stretching and securing) to a range of straightforward and complex areas e.g. upstands, straight and winding staircase; to solid, timber-based and suspended sub-floors
The different materials used for resilient floorcovering, including: vinyl, linoleum, rubber; sheet and tile forms
Differences between domestic and contract resilient and textile installations, including the differences in information provided and client expectations
The importance of batch numbers, shuffling and tessellation and their effects on colour variation
Techniques and methods for installing resilient floorcovering (fitting, cutting, joining, rolling, taping, welding and seaming joints; installing pre-cut motifs and inlays) to straightforward and complex areas e.g. falls and gradients to drains and gulleys in wet areas, upstands, tanking, straight and winding staircases, alongside and up to different types of floorings; to solid and timber-based sub-floors
Appropriate finishing ancilliaries and how to install
How to safely use and maintain textile and resilient floorlaying tools and equipment

Option 2 Knowledge - Wood Floorlayers need to understand:

The basic properties of wood, grain direction and why this is important, cell type, grading and equipment used to identify
The different types of wood floorcovering including: wood block, solid wood, engineered wood, laminate
The differences between domestic and contract installations of wood including the differences in information provided and client expectations
The need to provide and how to determine correct expansion gaps, taking into account the environment, area and wood type

Techniques and methods for installing wood based floorcovering to straightforward and complex areas e.g. falls and gradients, upstands, straight staircases; on floating, fixed, battens; alongside and up to different types of floorings; to solid and timber-based sub-floors
The most appropriate installation methods for wood sports and dance floors eg: battens, matting, saddle systems, clip systems
Different laying techniques eg: straight lay, diagonal, borders
Appropriate finishing ancilliaries and how to install
Sanding for newly installed wood floors or refurbishment
Recommended wood finishes e.g. stains, hard wax, oil, varnish, lacquering, marking
How wood floorlaying tools and equipment should be safely used and maintained

Behaviours

Effective communication: oral and written, including digital, at the appropriate level, listening, body language, presentation, dealing with conflict, confirming instructions
Customer service: putting the customer first, developing customer relationships and confidence; meeting customer expectations and contributing to the development of an ongoing relationship with the client
Respect: apply equality, diversity and inclusion in dealing with others
Team work: work effectively and safely with others under minimum supervision including floorlaying business colleagues and other trades on construction sites
Independent working: take responsibility for safe completion of your own floorlaying work
Logical thinking: use clear and valid reasoning when making decisions to undertake the floorlaying work instructions
Reliability: prompt and regular attendance
Adaptability: be able to adjust to changes to the floorlaying work instructions,
Assertiveness and confidence: able to report unsafe working practices or any potential problems

Entry Requirements

Apprentices without level 1 will need to achieve this level and take the test for level 2 English and Mathematics, prior to taking the end point assessment.

Duration

This is a Level 2 apprenticeship standard and typical completion time is likely to be 30-36 months.

Originally published on Gov.uk, this information has been re-used under the terms of the Open Government Licence.