The final of the Fitter of the Year Competition - Carpet will take place on Sunday 20th and Monday 21st September 2026 at the Flooring Show in Harrogate. Enter here, fill in your contact details and complete the questions below. Entry closes midnight 30th April 2026.
All entrants will initially be required to complete the questionnaire below. Twelve successful applicants from this stage will advance to take part in the semi-final practical trials, and from these trials, six contestants will be progress to the Final. Please refer to the Competition Format page for an initial overview of the process, along with important dates and deadlines.
Your Details
Contact Information
Please Note: Applicants must be 18 years or over. You do NOT need to be an NICF member to enter. NICF council members are excluded from entering.
Please complete ALL questions, answering as FULLY as possible in the boxes. Highest marks will be awarded to applicants who give the most accurate and complete answers.
1What is the full title of the British Standard that covers carpet installation?
2What would you do if you observed high moisture readings in a suspended timber sub-floor?
3If the concrete subfloor was dry, cracked or broken at the edges of a room, what steps would you take to enable you to fit and fix gripper?
4A concrete subfloor has a 25mm thick layer of asphalt over it which is cracked and broken at the edges. How would you repair this to enable grippers to be fixed?
5When would you use short pin gripper on an installation?
6When fixing gripper what is the maximum distance allowed between each fixing and within the end of a length of gripper?
7What size gap/gully would you form with gripper around a room when installing a tufted twist pile carpet with a total thickness of 9mm?
8 When fixing door bars or nosing's using the drill and plug method what is the maximum permitted interval between the fixings and the maximum depth?
9When installing gripper to a timber staircase, if instructed "Do Not Nail" explain how you would achieve a safe fixing of the gripper?
10Name three different types of carpet backing currently used in manufacture.
11What differentiates the warp from the weft in woven carpet?
12Underlay should "always" be laid at a 90° angle to the length of the carpet, is this statement true or false? Give reasons for your answer.
13Why should you alternate each run of underlay when laying them side by side and tape the joins?
14Your customer requires a stretch fit carpet with underlay over an anhydrite subfloor incorporating an underfloor heating system. What advice should you offer the client and what points should be discussed?
15Explain how you would install an un-edged 6mm thick loop pile carpet as a runner to a straight flight of stairs 85cm wide to obtain a 7.5cm gap at each side (include method for gripper and underlay).
16Explain what gap you would set the grippers to on a staircase to receive an 6mm thick tufted carpet in two lengths.
17When installing an impervious gel-backed carpet directly onto the subfloor with a seam, describe the proper procedure for preparing the edges that will be joined.
18When fully adhering an impervious gel backed carpet direct to an anhydrite subfloor how would you ensure the correct bond is achieved?
19When heat seaming carpet together why should you work in a specific direction?
20What can occur when a carpet is seamed with the iron setting too high?
IMPORTANT
We will only the details you supply here to contact you in order fully procss your entry in the Fitter of the Year - Carpet Competition 2026. Your details will not be passed to third-parties. You can view our terms and privacy policy here.
By ticking the box below you confirm that you give consent for your personal details and any photographs or videos taken during the course of the competition to be used in publicising the Fitter of the Year competition.
Your personal details may include your name, business name and town/county location, as well as details you have included in your biography. Publicity may include (but is not limited to) social media, website, journals and general publicity. Please be aware that there may also be a 'live video feed' from the semi-finals at FITA training Centre in Loughborough and the finals at the Flooring Show in Harrogate.
The NICF will store your personal details for the course of the competition. If you are a semi-finalist or finalist your details will be stored for up to 3 years. The name and photograph of the Winner will be stored in a Winners' Gallery on the website indefinitely.
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Although we'll send you a confirmation email, we recommend you keep a copy of your answers for your own reference. If you haven't already, perhaps copy or print this page before submitting this form.
