6 free templates for commercial, small business, healthcare, facilities, installer, and carpet care roles, with the FLSA non-exempt and OSHA chemical-safety guidance the generic templates skip. Download as DOCX.
A floor technician cleans, strips, waxes, buffs, and maintains hard floors and carpets, keeping commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, and offices clean, safe, and presentable. For a small cleaning or facilities business, hiring one well starts with a job description that names the setting, lists the equipment, and gets the chemical-safety requirements right.
These six templates cover the role across settings: commercial floor care, a small cleaning business version, healthcare EVS, facilities maintenance, flooring installation, and carpet care. Each is ready to use, with the FLSA non-exempt classification and OSHA chemical-safety guidance the generic templates leave out. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
TL;DR
A floor technician strips, waxes, buffs, and maintains floors and carpets with powered floor machines. The role is hourly and non-exempt under the FLSA, so overtime applies over 40 hours a week. Because the work uses chemicals, it is covered by the OSHA Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), with Safety Data Sheets, labeled containers, and training. The closest federal occupation reports a median near $17.27 an hour. Download six templates as DOCX, by setting.
What a Floor Technician Does
A floor technician cleans and maintains floors to a finish: stripping old wax, applying new finish, buffing and burnishing, and shampooing and extracting carpets, using powered floor machines. The work is hands-on, physical, and safety-critical, since it involves chemicals and creates slip-and-fall hazards that have to be managed.
The closest federal occupation is 37-2011 Janitors and Building Cleaners, which covers floor care and cleaning work. A floor technician is sometimes confused with a flooring installer, who installs new carpet, tile, or hardwood, a different and more skilled trade. The templates here cover both, organized by setting, so you can match the posting to the work.
Floor Technician Duties and Responsibilities
Floor technician duties cluster into four areas: cleaning and finishing floors, operating equipment, handling chemicals safely, and keeping floors safe. A strong job description picks the specific responsibilities from each area that match your setting, rather than listing every possible task.
Clean and finish floors
Sweep, mop, and clean hard floors
Strip, wax, buff, and burnish to a finish
Shampoo and extract carpets
Operate equipment
Run buffers, burnishers, and auto-scrubbers
Operate carpet extractors
Clean and maintain equipment after use
Handle chemicals safely
Mix and use floor chemicals per label
Follow Safety Data Sheet instructions
Label spray bottles and containers
Keep floors safe
Place wet-floor signage until dry
Follow slip-and-fall precautions
Wear required PPE for strip and wax
For a commercial account the strip-and-wax work leads; for a facilities role equipment maintenance carries more weight. For a structured way to scope the role, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by setting. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one emphasizes the duties, equipment, and compliance that fit a specific kind of floor care role. Use this guide to choose the closest fit, then adjust.
Commercial / General
Cleaning companies
The baseline floor care version: strip, wax, buff, and extract in commercial buildings. Start here for a general floor technician role.
Small Cleaning Business
No HR department
The signature version for a small cleaning business without HR: plain language, with FLSA and OSHA chemical-safety prompts built in.
Hospital / Healthcare EVS
Healthcare facilities
For healthcare: floor care to infection control standards, bloodborne pathogen precautions, and disinfection in patient areas.
Floor Maintenance
Facilities firms
For facilities: routine floor care plus preventive maintenance of equipment, work orders, and safety inspections.
Flooring Installer
Flooring contractors
A different role: installing carpet, tile, vinyl, LVT, and hardwood, with subfloor prep and measuring, not cleaning.
Carpet Care / Extraction
Carpet specialists
For carpet-focused work: shampoo, hot-water extraction, stain treatment, and upholstery in commercial and residential spaces.
Match the Template to the Setting
A commercial cleaning account? Commercial / General. A small cleaning business without HR? The Small Cleaning Business version is the signature fit. A hospital or clinic? Healthcare EVS. A facilities role with equipment upkeep? Floor Maintenance. Installing new floors, not cleaning? Flooring Installer. Carpet-focused work? Carpet Care / Extraction. When in doubt, the Commercial / General version is the baseline to adapt.
6 Free Floor Technician Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, a classification or safety note, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Job Description Templates
Commercial, small business, healthcare EVS, facilities, installer, and carpet care. All in one DOCX.
The baseline floor care version: strip, wax, buff, and extract in commercial buildings. Start here for a general floor technician role at a cleaning company.
•Mix and use floor chemicals safely per label and SDS
•Place wet-floor signage and follow slip-and-fall precautions
•Maintain and clean equipment after each use
•Report low supplies, repairs, and safety concerns
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Floor care or cleaning experience a plus; training provided
•Able to operate or learn buffers, scrubbers, and extractors
•Comfortable with safe chemical handling
•Physically able to stand, walk, bend, push equipment, and lift [50] lbs
•Reliable and available for [evening / early morning / weekend] shift
CLASSIFICATION (read before posting)
A floor technician is an hourly, non-exempt role under the FLSA, so overtime is
paid at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Set
a competitive hourly range for your local market. This is general information, not
legal advice.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Floor Care Technician (Small Cleaning Business, No HR)
The signature version for a small cleaning business without an HR department: plain language, with the FLSA non-exempt and OSHA chemical-safety prompts built in. Use this when you are the owner doing the hiring.
Floor Care Technician Job Description (Small Cleaning Business, No HR)
FLOOR CARE TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION (SMALL BUSINESS)
For healthcare: floor care to infection control standards, bloodborne pathogen precautions, and disinfection in patient areas. Use this for a hospital or clinic setting.
For facilities: routine floor care plus preventive maintenance of equipment, work orders, and safety inspections. Use this when the role covers both floors and machines.
[Company Name] is hiring a Floor Maintenance Technician to maintain floors and
floor care equipment across our facilities. Beyond routine floor care, you will
follow a preventive maintenance schedule, complete work orders, and help keep
equipment running and floors safe. This role suits a reliable worker who is good
with both floors and equipment.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Strip, wax, buff, and maintain hard floors and carpets
•Follow a preventive maintenance schedule for floor equipment
•Complete and log work orders and maintenance tasks
•Operate and service buffers, scrubbers, burnishers, and extractors
•Conduct safety inspections and place wet-floor signage
•Use floor chemicals safely per label and Safety Data Sheet
•Track equipment maintenance and report repairs
•Maintain supplies and a clean, organized equipment area
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Floor care and basic equipment maintenance experience
•Able to operate and help service floor machines
•Comfortable following PM schedules and logging work orders
•Physically able to stand, push equipment, and lift [50] lbs
•Reliable and available for [shift] schedule
CLASSIFICATION AND HOW TO APPLY
This is an hourly, non-exempt role with overtime over 40 hours a week.
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 5: Flooring Installer / Floor Layer
A different role: installing carpet, tile, vinyl, LVT, and hardwood, with measuring and subfloor prep, not cleaning. Use this for a flooring contractor hire.
For carpet-focused work: shampoo, hot-water extraction, stain treatment, and upholstery in commercial and residential spaces. Use this for a carpet cleaning specialist.
Carpet Care / Extraction Technician Job Description
CARPET CARE / EXTRACTION TECHNICIAN JOB DESCRIPTION
[Company Name] is hiring a Carpet Care / Extraction Technician to clean, shampoo,
and extract carpets and upholstery for our clients. You will operate extraction
equipment, treat stains, and restore carpets in commercial and residential spaces.
This is a hands-on role for a reliable worker who takes care with the work.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Vacuum, shampoo, and hot-water extract carpets
•Pre-treat stains and high-traffic areas
•Operate and maintain extraction and cleaning equipment
•Clean upholstery and rugs as needed
•Mix and use cleaning chemicals safely per label and SDS
•Place signage and follow slip-and-fall safety on wet floors
•Move and protect furniture during cleaning
•Communicate with clients and report supply or repair needs
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Carpet cleaning or floor care experience a plus; training provided
•Able to operate extraction equipment
•Comfortable with safe chemical handling
•Physically able to stand, push equipment, and lift [50] lbs
•Reliable and available for [shift]; valid driver's license a plus
CLASSIFICATION AND HOW TO APPLY
This is an hourly, non-exempt role with overtime over 40 hours a week.
Pay range: $_____ to $_____ per hour
To apply, send your resume to __ by _.
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
FLSA, OSHA, and Safety
This is the part the generic templates skip, and for a floor technician it is the part that matters most: the FLSA classification, the OSHA standards that govern the chemicals and the floors, and the PPE the work requires. Get these right and your posting attracts the right candidates and protects your business.
FLSA: a floor technician is hourly and non-exempt
The classification is straightforward and worth stating in the posting. Floor care is manual, blue-collar work that does not meet the duties test for the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions, so a floor technician is non-exempt and entitled to overtime at one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The Department of Labor is explicit that maintenance and similar workers are entitled to overtime no matter how highly paid. Because floor work often runs evenings, nights, and weekends, track hours carefully. Only a first-line supervisor role might become exempt, never the technician. This is general information, not legal advice.
Hazard Communication: every floor chemical is regulated
Floor technicians use strippers, finishes, disinfectants, and carpet chemicals all shift, which brings the work under the OSHA Hazard Communication standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), one of the most-cited OSHA standards year after year. Employers must keep a written hazard communication program, maintain a Safety Data Sheet for each chemical, label every container including secondary spray bottles, and train workers on safe handling. State the chemical-safety expectation in the posting and build the SDS and training into onboarding. This is general information, not legal advice.
Slip and fall: the floor is the hazard
Wet and freshly finished floors are a slip-and-fall risk for both the technician and everyone in the building, which is why the OSHA Walking-Working Surfaces standard (29 CFR 1910.22) requires floors to be kept clean, orderly, and as dry as possible, with wet areas marked. Practically, that means wet-floor signage until floors dry, safe footwear, and good housekeeping. It protects the worker and limits the employer's liability, so make signage and safe practice an explicit part of the role. This is general information, not legal advice.
PPE and bloodborne pathogens where they apply
Stripping and waxing produce fumes and involve strong chemicals, so the OSHA PPE standard (29 CFR 1910.132) calls for gloves, eye protection, and the right protection for the job, provided at no cost. In a healthcare setting, the role also falls under the Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), which adds training, a Hepatitis B vaccine offer, and an exposure control plan. Match the PPE and any healthcare requirements to the setting, and provide and document them. This is general information, not legal advice.
Floor technician roles start from reliability, the physical ability to do the work, and a willingness to operate equipment and handle chemicals safely, with experience as a plus rather than a requirement. Scale the requirements to the setting and seniority.
Requirement
What to look for
Experience
Floor care or cleaning experience a plus; training provided
Equipment
Operate or learn buffers, burnishers, scrubbers, and extractors
Chemicals
Willing to follow hazard communication and SDS procedures
Physical
Stand, push equipment, bend, and lift around 50 lbs
Safety
Follow PPE, wet-floor signage, and slip-and-fall precautions
Schedule
Available for evening, night, or weekend shifts as needed
Classification
Non-exempt, hourly; overtime over 40 hours a week
Keep the posting neutral and inclusive, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on a protected characteristic, and the SHRM guide covers the standard sections of a job description.
Floor Technician Pay
Floor technicians are paid hourly, with pay varying by setting, region, and experience. Set your range using government data as a baseline, then adjust for your local market.
Median $17.27 an Hour (BLS)
The closest federal occupation, janitors and building cleaners, had a median hourly wage of $17.27, about $35,930 a year, in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $13.26 an hour and the highest 10 percent over $23.58 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Flooring installers, a more skilled and separate role, report a median near $52,000 a year.
Pay tends to run higher in hospitals and union settings and in higher-wage states. The janitors and building cleaners occupation employs about 2.4 million people and is projected to grow about 2 percent from 2024 to 2034, with roughly 351,300 openings a year, so a competitive, transparent hourly range helps a small business attract reliable floor staff.
Hiring a Floor Technician for a Small Cleaning Business
A large facilities or hospital system hires floor technicians through a dedicated EVS and HR department. A small cleaning company does not. The owner or a crew lead writes the posting, screens applicants, and onboards the new hire, often between running accounts. For related roles, the same pattern holds, which is why hiring a maintenance worker or a maintenance supervisor shares the same challenge. Here is how to write the posting for that reality.
The template farms write one thin generic page; your work has specifics
Most published floor technician job descriptions are thin one-pagers with the same generic bullets. A real cleaning business hires for specific work: a commercial account that needs nightly strip and wax, a healthcare contract with infection control, a facilities role with equipment maintenance, or carpet extraction. The six versions above match the posting to the work you actually do. Pick the one closest to your business, fill in the brackets, and you have a posting that fits your accounts rather than a generic template.
The compliance is real even for a small crew
A small cleaning business carries the same core obligations as a large one. Floor chemicals bring the work under OSHA Hazard Communication, which means Safety Data Sheets, labeled bottles, and training. Wet floors are a slip-and-fall hazard under the walking-working surfaces rule. And the role is hourly and non-exempt, so overtime applies on those long evening and weekend shifts. None of this scales down because the crew is small. The advantage is that it is simple to set up a chemical-safety and onboarding process once and reuse it on every hire.
Onboarding a floor tech is where safety and paperwork get handled
Whichever template you use, the work after hiring is ordinary people operations made specific by floor care: a signed offer letter that names the hourly rate and non-exempt status, the new hire paperwork, an OSHA Hazard Communication and PPE orientation, and equipment training before the first solo shift. FirstHR fits this people side for a small cleaning or facilities business: e-signature for the offer letter, training modules for chemical-safety and PPE onboarding, task workflows for the day-one safety and equipment checklist, and document management for Safety Data Sheets and certificates. To be clear about scope, FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a janitorial or facilities-management system, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so pair it with those providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and a safety-focused onboarding. Because floor care involves chemicals and the trade sees high turnover, a smooth, repeatable process pays off every time you hire.
Send the offer
Confirm the role, hourly rate, non-exempt status, shift, and start date in writing. An offer letter template makes this fast for an hourly role.
Run the new-hire checklist
I-9 and W-4, a wet-floor and PPE safety briefing, and any background check, tracked as a task workflow so nothing is missed.
Train on chemicals and equipment
OSHA Hazard Communication and PPE orientation, plus hands-on training on buffers, scrubbers, and extractors, with a signed acknowledgment.
Store the records
Keep Safety Data Sheets, the hazard communication program, training acknowledgments, and any certificates organized in document management.
Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, paperwork, e-signatures, chemical-safety training acknowledgments, and onboarding workflow in one place so a small cleaning or facilities business can manage the full process, including the OSHA hazard communication training, from one system. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a janitorial or facilities-management tool, and it does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect those separately. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A floor technician strips, waxes, buffs, and maintains floors and carpets with powered floor machines, distinct from a flooring installer who lays new floors.
Use the template that matches the setting: commercial, small business, healthcare, facilities, installer, or carpet care.
A floor technician is hourly and non-exempt under the FLSA, with overtime over 40 hours a week.
Floor chemicals bring the work under OSHA Hazard Communication (29 CFR 1910.1200): a written program, Safety Data Sheets, labels, and training.
Wet floors and strip-and-wax work mean slip-and-fall signage and PPE; the compliance applies even to a small crew.
Use BLS data as a baseline: the closest federal occupation reports a median near $17.27 an hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a floor technician do?
A floor technician cleans, strips, waxes, buffs, and maintains hard floors and carpets, most often in commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, schools, and offices. Day to day, that means sweeping and mopping, stripping old finish and applying new wax, buffing and burnishing to a shine, shampooing and hot-water extracting carpets, and operating floor machines such as buffers, burnishers, auto-scrubbers, and extractors. A floor technician also mixes and uses floor chemicals safely, places wet-floor signage, follows slip-and-fall precautions, and maintains the equipment. The role is hands-on and physical, often on an evening, night, or weekend shift since many buildings are cleaned when empty. It is sometimes called a floor tech or floor care technician.
What is the difference between a floor technician and a flooring installer?
They are different roles that are easy to confuse. A floor technician, also called a floor care technician, cleans and maintains existing floors: stripping, waxing, buffing, and extracting carpet in buildings like hospitals, schools, and offices. A flooring installer or floor layer installs new flooring: measuring, prepping subfloors, and laying carpet, tile, vinyl, LVT, laminate, or hardwood. They fall under different federal occupations, draw on different skills, and pay differently, with installers generally earning more. When you write a job description, be clear about which you mean, because applicants for one are usually not qualified for the other. This page includes templates for both, so match the title to the actual work. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a floor technician exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A floor technician is non-exempt and paid hourly. Floor care and cleaning are manual, blue-collar work that does not meet the duties test for the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, so a floor technician is entitled to overtime pay at one and a half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The Department of Labor is explicit that maintenance and similar workers are entitled to minimum wage and overtime no matter how highly paid. Because floor work often runs evenings, nights, and weekends, employers should track hours carefully. Only a first-line supervisor role might qualify as exempt if it meets the salary and duties tests; the technician never does. Some states add their own overtime rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
What OSHA standards apply to a floor technician?
Several apply, and chemical safety leads. The Hazard Communication standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200, is one of OSHA's most-cited standards and governs the strippers, finishes, disinfectants, and carpet chemicals a floor technician uses; it requires a written program, Safety Data Sheets, labeled containers including spray bottles, and training. The Walking-Working Surfaces standard, 29 CFR 1910.22, addresses slip-and-fall hazards and requires floors to be kept orderly and wet areas marked. The PPE standard, 29 CFR 1910.132, requires gloves and eye protection for strip-and-wax work. In a healthcare setting, the Bloodborne Pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, also applies, adding training and a Hepatitis B vaccine offer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Does a small cleaning business have to follow OSHA hazard communication rules?
Yes, in nearly all cases. The OSHA Hazard Communication standard applies based on whether employees are exposed to hazardous chemicals, not on the size of the employer, and floor strippers, finishes, and disinfectants qualify. A small cleaning business owes its floor technicians a written hazard communication program, a Safety Data Sheet for each chemical, properly labeled containers including secondary spray bottles, and training on safe handling. The compliance does not scale down with the size of the crew. The practical advantage for a small employer is that the program is simple to set up once and reuse for every new hire as part of a structured onboarding process. Confirm your specific obligations with OSHA resources or a qualified advisor. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a floor technician make?
Floor technicians are paid hourly, with pay varying by region, setting, and experience. The closest federal occupation, janitors and building cleaners, had a median hourly wage of $17.27, about $35,930 a year, in May 2024, with the lowest 10 percent under $13.26 an hour and the highest 10 percent over $23.58. Pay tends to run higher in hospitals and union settings and in higher-wage states. Flooring installers, a different and more skilled role, earn more, with the broader flooring installer group reporting a median near $52,000 a year. For a floor care posting, benchmark to your local market and the specific setting, and publish a competitive hourly range. This is general information, not legal advice.
What equipment does a floor technician use?
Floor technicians work with a range of powered floor machines and tools. The core equipment includes a floor buffer or low-speed machine for scrubbing and polishing, a high-speed burnisher for a high-gloss finish, an automatic scrubber for cleaning large hard-floor areas, and a carpet extractor for deep-cleaning carpets. They also use wet and dry mops, wet vacuums, and a variety of pads and brushes, along with floor chemicals such as strippers, finishes, neutral cleaners, and disinfectants. Safe operation of this equipment, and safe handling of the chemicals, is a core part of the job, which is why training and OSHA hazard communication matter. List the specific equipment your accounts require in the job description. This is general information, not legal advice.
What should a floor technician job description include?
A strong floor technician job description names the setting up front, whether commercial, small cleaning business, healthcare, facilities, installation, or carpet care, and includes a short company summary, a job summary that makes the floor care scope clear, and responsibilities grouped into cleaning and finishing floors, operating equipment, handling chemicals safely, and keeping floors safe. It should list the equipment, the physical demands, and the shift honestly, since much floor work is evenings and weekends, and state the FLSA non-exempt, hourly classification with a competitive pay range. The most valuable additions that generic templates skip are the compliance expectations: OSHA hazard communication and Safety Data Sheets, PPE, slip-and-fall signage, and any healthcare requirements. Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
