Wallpaper hanger

JOB

Buildings and structures| Design and crafts

Wallpaper hangers and flooring installers lay various types of covering, such as linoleum, tiles and carpets, on floors, stairs and walls. Wallpaper hangers also repair and replace flooring and wall and ceiling materials. The working environment of wallpaper hangers is often related to new buildings, maintenance and reconstruction of buildings or transport and energy structures. Wallpapering is a certified trade.

Wallpaper hangers and flooring installers work in companies that handle wallpapering and flooring, or supply and provide advice in specialty stores. Some flooring installers specialize in laying synthetic materials on sports fields, sports halls, swimming pools and roofs.

Main tasks

• wallpapering and laying carpets, linoleum and tiles on floors and stairs
• laying wall and ceiling materials
• making decorative tableaux or pictures and embedding in the flooring
• laying specialized linoleum, canvas, tiles and veneer, indoors and outdoors
• installing flooring and wall materials in wet areas such as bathrooms
• groundwork and laying substrate
• assessing maintenance and repairing damaged surfaces
• advising on maintenance and material selection

Competence requirements

A wallpaper hanger must have the knowledge and skills to prepare surfaces indoors and outdoors for the laying of floor and wall materials, in addition to being able to install floor molding and repair it if necessary. It is important to know the main properties and effects of materials used in wallpapering and flooring.

It is also important to know and be able to operate the most common machines and tools and measuring equipment, be able to measure moisture on the floor, float and lay substrates. The work involves the use of grinders, welding machines, milling machines, glue brushes, spatulas, hand rollers, Stanley knives, tape measures and scrapers, as well as the most common hand tools. Furthermore, it is advantageous to be familiar with rules about soundproofing, protection and preservation of buildings, thermal insulation and fire and moisture protection.

As a wallpaper hanger or flooring installer, you work with most things that are glued into people’s homes, such as wallpaper, decorative banners and cladding for ceilings and walls.

Study

Wallpapering and flooring is taught at Tækniskólinn. The average duration of study is four years, including undergraduate studies in construction and civil engineering; three semesters in school and 120 weeks of internship.