Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
Also called: Asphalt Tile Floor Layer, Composition Floor Layer, Composition Floor Setter, Composition Tile Layer, Cork Floor Installer, Epoxy Installer, Floor Cover Layer, Floor Covering Contractor
Apply blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors.
What floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles do
Typical tasks
- Cut covering and foundation materials, according to blueprints and sketches.
- Trim excess covering materials, tack edges, and join sections of covering material to form tight joint.
- Cut flooring material to fit around obstructions.
- Roll and press sheet wall and floor covering into cement base to smooth and finish surface, using hand roller.
- Lay out, position, and apply shock-absorbing, sound-deadening, or decorative coverings to floors, walls, and cabinets, following guidelines to keep courses straight and create designs.
- Sweep, scrape, sand, or chip dirt and irregularities to clean base surfaces, correcting imperfections that may show through the covering.
- Measure and mark guidelines on surfaces or foundations, using chalk lines and dividers.
- Inspect surface to be covered to ensure that it is firm and dry.
- Form a smooth foundation by stapling plywood or Masonite over the floor or by brushing waterproof compound onto surface and filling cracks with plaster, putty, or grout to seal pores.
- Apply adhesive cement to floor or wall material to join and adhere foundation material.
- Determine traffic areas and decide location of seams.
- Remove excess cement to clean finished surface.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles salary
The median annual wage for floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles is $56,460 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $37,600 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $96,700. The mean annual wage is $61,760.
The mean hourly wage of $29.00 is 4.0× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $56,460 → in 3 years $62,600 → in 5 years $67,100 → in 10 years $79,600 (10-year range $68,500–$92,500). The model assumes pay growth of +3.5% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 2 — some preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★☆☆☆ Fairly easy (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as floor layers, except carpet, wood, and hard tiles
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.