# Floor Covering Installer (448A)

## Fast facts

| Trade code | 448A |
| --- | --- |
| Sector | Construction |
| Classification | Voluntary trade |
| Certifying exam | Required (O. Reg. 876/21, s. 3) |
| Apprentice to journeyperson ratio | Subject to a ratio (O. Reg. 876/21, s. 4) |
| Red Seal trade | Yes |
| Active apprentices in Ontario | 305 (reported in Ontario's apprenticeship dataset) |
| Approved sponsors | 52 |
| Certifying body | Skilled Trades Ontario |

Last verified August 20, 2026 against the sources listed below.

## What does a floor covering installer do?

A Floor Covering Installer installs, replaces and repairs a variety of floor coverings in residential, industrial, commercial and institutional settings, using under cushion, carpeting, vinyl, resilient tile, sheet flooring, pre-finished, unfinished, engineered wood, laminate, seasonal carpeting and artificial turf.

Skilled Trades Ontario describes the work of this trade as follows:

- prepares floors by removing existing trim, flooring, and underlayments
- installs and repairs resilient tile, resilient sheet goods, gluedown carpets, carpet tile, carpet and cushion, wood floors, engineered and laminate floor
- verifies drawings, written specifications, and choice of materials
- marks for tile and pattern lay-out
- seams and seals sheet goods
- applies adhesives

## How long is the floor covering installer apprenticeship?

| Total training hours | 6,000 |
| --- | --- |
| On the job | 5,400 hours |
| In school | 600 hours |
| In-school levels | 2 |

These hours are set by the Registrar of Skilled Trades Ontario under section 14 of the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021.

## What do you study in school for the 448A?

The in-school portion covers, but is not limited to:

- trade practices and procedures
- floor plans and layout procedures
- applied trade calculations
- resilient and carpet floor covering
- blueprints, specification reading, and layout
- wood and laminate floor covering

## Is floor covering installer a compulsory trade in Ontario?

No. Floor Covering Installer is a prescribed trade under section 1 of O. Reg. 876/21, but it is not on the compulsory list in section 2. That means you can legally work in this trade in Ontario without holding a Certificate of Qualification. Certification is voluntary and serves as formal proof of competency to employers and clients.

Voluntary classification only covers certification under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act. Specific work within the trade can still require separate licences or permits under other Ontario statutes, so confirm the rules for the actual work being done. The 23 trades where certification is mandatory are on the [compulsory trades list](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/compulsory/).

## How do you become a floor covering installer in Ontario?

The apprenticeship pathway for this trade is administered by Skilled Trades Ontario under section 14 of the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021:

1. **Find a sponsor and register a training agreement.** An employer or union sponsor takes you on and the training agreement is registered with the ministry.
2. **Complete the on the job and in school training.** The skills are set out in the trade's Apprenticeship Training Standard, signed off by your sponsor as you demonstrate them, alongside levels of in school theory at a training delivery agent.
3. **Receive your Certificate of Apprenticeship.** Skilled Trades Ontario issues it when the program is complete.
4. **Pass the certifying exam.** This trade has a certifying exam under O. Reg. 876/21, s. 3. Passing it earns the Certificate of Qualification, the voluntary proof of qualification for this trade.

The exact training standard, current curriculum and program details are on the [Skilled Trades Ontario page for Floor Covering Installer](https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/trade-information/floor-covering-installer/). On the job hour requirements vary by trade and are not published on this page yet; confirm them in the training standard before signing an agreement.

## Is there an apprentice to journeyperson ratio for the 448A?

Yes. Floor Covering Installer is one of the 33 trades that section 4 of O. Reg. 876/21 makes subject to an apprentice to journeyperson ratio. The regulation establishes that a ratio applies, but the numeric ratio itself is not stated in section 4. Confirm the current ratio with Skilled Trades Ontario before registering an additional apprentice, because it limits how many apprentices a sponsor may train at once.

## Is the 448A a Red Seal trade?

Yes. Floor Covering Installer participates in the Interprovincial Red Seal Program, the national standard for the trade across Canada, stewarded by the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship. A Red Seal endorsement on an Ontario Certificate of Qualification means the qualification is recognized in other provinces and territories without re examination, which matters for workers moving between provinces and for employers hiring from outside Ontario.

The Red Seal exam for this trade, written under the national title Floorcovering Installer, has 120 multiple-choice questions, each with four possible answers and exactly one correct answer.

### How the 120 questions are distributed

| Block | Questions |
| --- | --- |
| A. Performs common occupational skills | 13 |
| B. Prepares floor | 28 |
| C. Installs and repairs carpet | 26 |
| D. Installs and repairs resilient flooring | 35 |
| E. Installs and services wood, laminate and floating vinyl plank flooring | 18 |

- [Red Seal exam breakdown for Floorcovering Installer: question counts by task](https://red-seal.ca/eng/trades/floorcover_install/exam-information.shtml)
- [Red Seal exam preparation checklist](https://red-seal.ca/eng/resources/preparation-checklist.shtml)
- [How to register for a Red Seal exam](https://red-seal.ca/eng/resources/register.shtml)

## Already experienced? The Trade Equivalency Assessment

Workers with experience from outside Ontario's apprenticeship system, or from another country, can apply for a Trade Equivalency Assessment instead of starting an apprenticeship. Approval requires verifiable evidence of competency in the trade's Training Standard and experience at least equal to the trade's total training time; if approved, you challenge the certifying exam directly. The assessment costs $235 plus HST, and a reassessment with new evidence costs $100 plus HST, per [Skilled Trades Ontario's Trade Equivalency Assessment page](https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/experienced-workers/trade-equivalency-assessment/).

## Certification is not the only paperwork

A Certificate of Qualification covers the person. Running a business in the trade carries its own obligations: many Ontario municipalities require a contractor licence on top of personal certification, and construction employers must complete WSIB registration before work begins. Both are indexed on our sister site: [municipal contractor licensing requirements by city](https://ontariotraderegistry.ca/licensing/) and [WSIB Form 1000, registration of constructors and employers](https://ontariotraderegistry.ca/compliance/wsib-form-1000/), on Ontario Trade Registry.

## What does a floor covering installer earn in Ontario?

| Median wage | $26.00 per hour |
| --- | --- |
| Low | $17.60 |
| High | $35.00 |
| Occupation measured | Floor covering installers (NOC 73113) |
| Reference period | 2023-2024 |

Published by Employment and Social Development Canada through Job Bank, for Ontario as a whole. Read it as the pay range for the occupational group this trade belongs to, not a guaranteed rate: one NOC code can cover more than one trade, and wages vary by region, employer and experience.

## Is the 448A recognised outside Ontario?

This trade has been part of the Interprovincial Red Seal Program since 1990. 12 of Canada's 13 provinces and territories designate it Red Seal: AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, NT, NU, ON, PE, QC, YT, Ontario among them. Its National Occupational Classification code is 73113, which is how federal labour market data refers to this occupation.

## Where can you train as a floor covering installer in Ontario?

| Public training providers | 1 colleges deliver the in-school portion |
| --- | --- |
| Private training providers | 1 |
| Approved sponsors | 52 employers registered to train apprentices |
| Apprentices in training | 305 |

Counts are from Ontario's published apprenticeships dataset. A sponsor is the employer or union that registers and trains the apprentice; you need one before an apprenticeship can start.

## How dangerous is construction work in Ontario?

Ontario does not publish injury figures per trade, only by sector. In 2024 the Ministry of Labour recorded 18 worker fatalities and 442 critical injuries under the construction health and safety program. See [the ten-year counts and what they leave out](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/safety/).

## Related Ontario trades

Other construction sector trades with certification records on this registry:

- [Sprinkler and Fire Protection Installer (427A) certification requirements](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/427a-sprinkler-and-fire-protection-installer/)
- [Residential (Low Rise) Sheet Metal Installer (308R) certification requirements](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/308r-residential-low-rise-sheet-metal-installer/)
- [Concrete Pump Operator (637C) certification requirements](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/637c-concrete-pump-operator/)
- [Drywall Finisher and Plasterer (453A) certification requirements](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/453a-drywall-finisher-and-plasterer/)
- [Electrician - Construction and Maintenance (309A) certification requirements](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/309a-electrician-construction-and-maintenance/)
- [All 23 compulsory trades in Ontario](https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/compulsory/)

## Official verification sources

- Regulation[O. Reg. 876/21, Prescribed Trades and Related Matters (e-Laws)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/210876)
- Certifying body[Skilled Trades Ontario: Floor Covering Installer](https://www.skilledtradesontario.ca/trade-information/floor-covering-installer/)
- Act[Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021 (e-Laws)](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/21b28)
- Wages[Job Bank wage data, Employment and Social Development Canada](https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/adad580f-76b0-4502-bd05-20c125de9116)
- Red Seal profile[red-seal.ca: Floor Covering Installer trade profile](https://red-seal.ca/eng/trades/floorcover-install.shtml)
- Participation data[Ontario open data: Apprenticeships dataset](https://data.ontario.ca/dataset/apprenticeships)Classification, exam requirement and ratio status on this page are read directly from O. Reg. 876/21 as consolidated on e-Laws, not from secondary summaries. Facts not yet verified against a primary source are marked as not published rather than estimated.

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Source: https://ontariocertificationregistry.ca/trades/448a-floor-covering-installer/