How Retailers Can Recruit and Retain Skilled Flooring Installers

The flooring industry faces a critical challenge that touches every aspect of the business, from materials to the finished floor: finding and keeping skilled installers. At Mohawk Edge Summit 2025 in Denver, Colorado, Steve Abernathy, former COO of the World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), delivered a candid assessment of what’s at stake. “Flooring installers are the backbone of our industry,” he told a room of Mohawk-aligned dealers. “They represent retailers in a way that nobody else can and nobody else does, and with that, they’re often the key to customer satisfaction.”

While the industry scrambles to attract new talent, existing installers grapple with stagnant wages, limited career growth, and a lack of professional development opportunities. However, according to Abernathy, the solution starts with something more fundamental: how dealers position themselves within the tight-knit installation community.

It is important to understand that the installation community is just that—a community. Conversations surrounding the reputations of the retailers they work with and for are happening. If your business is struggling to establish a strong brand identity, that message, or lack thereof, is relayed throughout the community. How are you viewed in your local installation community?  

“Every flooring dealer should assess the installer’s perception of their business and then work to improve their brand reputation in the installer community,” Abernathy said. 

Prior to accepting any job, whether it’s installation, project management, waiting tables, or cutting hair, potential employees who care about their work and the reputation of their potential employer do their research.  

Abernathy asks retailers to consider these questions:   

• What do you pay? How much work do you have, and how much work do you give them? Installers don’t want to travel all over the place. They need a steady flow of income—job security. 
• How good are your estimates? They do not want to go out on a job that has not been appropriately specced. Do you pay them for things the estimator missed, or are you asking them to eat those things? If it’s your mistake, do you own up to it? A lot of dealers try to get out of it. If you own up to it, installers are more likely to stay with you.  
• How long does it take to load out in the morning? This is a critical thing for installers. If it takes them two hours to get their goods and out the door, that is two hours they are not getting paid. If you can get them in and out of your warehouse as quickly as possible, they note that. If you don’t, they take note of that.  
• Do you nitpick on chargebacks? If they make a mistake, how often do you charge them back? Do you eat some of that? I know a lot of you do. Should you? Probably not every time, but again, working with someone is a two-way street. There needs to be some give and take. If you nitpick them, there is a good chance they will go elsewhere.  
• How much do you withhold as a retainer on the stock? That is a reasonable thing to do, especially if you don’t have a long-term relationship with that person. But if you’ve been working with them for five years, do you need to hold that retainer? If you’ve built trust with this person and they’ve proven they will not hang you on a job and run off and leave it, you might be able to give half or all of it back.  
• What are the expected work hours? We are seeing more work on weekends. How do you handle that extra work within your organization?
   
• Do you allow more than one job per day? Installers like to maximize their work day.
   
• Do you show genuine interest in them as a person? Installers are people, too. They know whether or not you include them as part of your team and appreciate the work they do for you. They want to be part of your team and not an afterthought. Don’t treat them like second-class citizens because they are a 1099.
• What about training and certification? Do you offer training opportunities for your employees or subcontractors? Additionally, do you differentiate their pay based on credentialing and training? These are important things to consider as skilled flooring installers work to set themselves apart from the “Buck in the Truck.”  

  “There should be a differentiation because it directly affects you,” Abernathy said. “You’re certified and trained; seasoned installers are going to do a better job for you. If you hire unskilled, untrained, uncertified workers, it will come back to haunt you in three places. One is your claims rate is going to be higher. Number two is your customer satisfaction is going to be lower. And number three is it’s going to reduce your sales and profitability over the long term. You will get that back in spades even if you differentiate their pay.” 

Ultimately, he urges retailers to ask themselves, “Why would an installer want to work for me? If you do the above things well, those are your selling points.” 

How to Recruit Installers

Traditional media advertising— newspapers, help wanted ads, radio, and TV—have proven to be ineffective methods of attracting flooring installers, according to Abernathy. Job boards do not attract flooring installers unless they are centered around flooring. 

Here is what works: 

• Referral bonuses are not ideal, but they can work, Abernathy said. 
• Social media, specifically Facebook and Instagram, are places where you will find installers and their spouses. Abernathy encourages retailers, “Instead of posting a hiring type announcement, post the job size with date and location and ask if someone is interested. Other customers may refer installers who have done jobs for them.” 
• Flyers at supply houses have some effectiveness, he said.  
• Host a training or certification in your store. This will attract a wide range of talent, everything from helpers to advanced installers, and it is an opportunity to train your current installer pool. 
• Join a local Certified Flooring Installers (CFI) chapter—a division of WFCA. “CFI invites retailers to participate in chapter trainings along with manufacturers; it’s a place where you can connect and network for free,” he said.  
• Go Carrera’s online website connects retailers to installers. There, retailers will find an installer rating system and profile for flooring installers across the country as well as a job board. Additionally, they now offer a Jumpstart program for new installers. 
• The Floor Covering Education Foundation (FCEF) technical college program graduates are a source of new talent. Abernathy encourages retailers to look into the schools in their area that are offering the program or reach out to the local technical and community colleges to have the program implemented and be a path to a new career for these advanced helpers.  

How to Retain Installers

Do you want to keep the current worker pool? To sum up, Abernathy says to offer steady work, pay at or above market rates, minimize chargebacks, acknowledge certifications and pay differential, include your installers as part of a team, invest in continuing education, host social gatherings to recognize their contributions and be sure to share their success stories online.