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UK Tiling Forum; Established 2006
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ohnofire
Busy as 'ell no one is moving house just doing theirs up, long live the credit crunch.
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gizmo
mobile going beserk lately and snowed under for weeks and booked up till end of november with plenty of quotes to come in hopefully, so alls good here in York, 
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Corky
The Plastering game here in SE Ireland is bad enough, I have a lot of friends outof work some for 8-10weeks).Ive been lucky enough had a few good contracts allowing me to bring on 5 lads for the last 6 months and have enough for about a month.But its a lot different to the last few years the jobs seem to come in a few days beforehand compared to a waiting list before. Mind you I would prefer to be getting enough work just to keep myself and a g.o. going Im not one for meetings,materials and whipping the lads on.plus its a ***** coming up with the wage every week while waiting for a draw every month or 2.
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P'boro tiler
sounds like things are generally going better for most people apart from me. my phones not rung in nearly 2 months and i have a fancy add in a glossy mag and a add every night in the paper!
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LM Ceramics
you cant say things like that one here even if though your right i think ive learned just to accept this now i can hardly talk i did a week plastering course and now advertise plastering aswell as tiling
still goin well over in preston still got plenty of work on and will be passing some on soon
still goin well over in preston still got plenty of work on and will be passing some on soon
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White Room
The contacts over the many years I've been working keeps me going, I'm just lazy when it comes to marketing and all that
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devonmark
still got plenty....
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gizmo
if anyone near York and struggling for work PM me as i might be able to put some work your way,
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silver
Hi Dave
Out of curiosity ?
the busy is almost the same as the quiet
from the votes...are there any regional trends ?
Out of curiosity ?
the busy is almost the same as the quiet
from the votes...are there any regional trends ?
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P'boro tiler
i did the 1 week bal course. I dont mind people slating me because at the end of the day theres many tilers out there who started out with no training or experience
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BDS
No one will slate you on here mate but what you`ve got to appreciate is some of these guys have done this trade for donkeys years or are time served and know all the tricks/correct methods and products etc etc etc etc,and believe me i`m still learning new stuff daily even after 18 months in the trade coures are ok they teach you the basics but thats it and i know that from doing one myself,the day you stop listening/learning and taking advice from the old guys :lol::lol: only joking guys,then its time to either retire or start a new job
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White Room
The jobs you do stoneman are far bigger then a newbie would concider. Most start on the lower end of the domestic scene which you would'nt entertain
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Sully
You wanna get respect, do 4 years getting kicked up the arse and smacked up the back of your head for £10 a week. No offence meant.[/quote]
And what exactly did you learn during the 4 years from this kicking up the arse exercise that makes you a better tiler than Jimmy new van?
In my humble and limited experience, IF you offer quality work, you should never have any fears of being undercut by a lesser tiler and certainly shouldn't need to be scraping around the 'price comes first' end of the market. If you are scraping around fighting for work from the undercutters, than maybe a few more kicks in the arse are appropriate.
No offence meant of course
Andrew
And what exactly did you learn during the 4 years from this kicking up the arse exercise that makes you a better tiler than Jimmy new van?
In my humble and limited experience, IF you offer quality work, you should never have any fears of being undercut by a lesser tiler and certainly shouldn't need to be scraping around the 'price comes first' end of the market. If you are scraping around fighting for work from the undercutters, than maybe a few more kicks in the arse are appropriate.
No offence meant of course
Andrew
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P'boro tiler
hmmmm
anything i say will annoy somebody.
about a year and a half ago i was determined to be a great tiler and thought id try and do an apprentiship. Now theres no college within a hundred miles of me that does one. So i thought id try and work along side somebody; but every tiler said stuff like "why the heck would you want to be a tiler its a **** job etc". So believe me I tried to do things the traditional way. The tilers I spoke to obviously didnt want anymore competition.
...But then i found out that one of the best tilers around my neck of the woods never did any training and never worked for anyone. He started out much like me (without basic training tho) and started doing cheap ceramic splashbacks etc. He'll now do any kind of tiling and earns a fortune. Is this really wrong????
i started out doing tiny jobs and have progressed loads. most of my first few jobs were tiling wooden floors and im now brilliant at that. Im not that experienced in walls still and i have a lot of respect and admiration for the time served tilers who find it easy now (most of the time)
as for affecting other peoples prices; i doubt i do! i hardly ever do a m2 rate and if i do its usually well above the standard set prices. for instance i'll do uncaliabrated slate for £45m2 inc materials. a time served tiler will do it in half as much time and so much twice as much money
ive bn told im the best floor tiler around as well. when i do wooden floors i either screw down every 150mm and tank the floors or a overboard them. every customer i speak to says that none of the other tilers around plan to do any prep before tiling on a chipboard floor. so whose robbing the customer then? not me! im doing a job thatll last
rant over,
anything i say will annoy somebody.
about a year and a half ago i was determined to be a great tiler and thought id try and do an apprentiship. Now theres no college within a hundred miles of me that does one. So i thought id try and work along side somebody; but every tiler said stuff like "why the heck would you want to be a tiler its a **** job etc". So believe me I tried to do things the traditional way. The tilers I spoke to obviously didnt want anymore competition.
...But then i found out that one of the best tilers around my neck of the woods never did any training and never worked for anyone. He started out much like me (without basic training tho) and started doing cheap ceramic splashbacks etc. He'll now do any kind of tiling and earns a fortune. Is this really wrong????
i started out doing tiny jobs and have progressed loads. most of my first few jobs were tiling wooden floors and im now brilliant at that. Im not that experienced in walls still and i have a lot of respect and admiration for the time served tilers who find it easy now (most of the time)
as for affecting other peoples prices; i doubt i do! i hardly ever do a m2 rate and if i do its usually well above the standard set prices. for instance i'll do uncaliabrated slate for £45m2 inc materials. a time served tiler will do it in half as much time and so much twice as much money
ive bn told im the best floor tiler around as well. when i do wooden floors i either screw down every 150mm and tank the floors or a overboard them. every customer i speak to says that none of the other tilers around plan to do any prep before tiling on a chipboard floor. so whose robbing the customer then? not me! im doing a job thatll last
rant over,
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gid
First post on here and prob going to upset some people but never mind.
I for one have to agree with the above post.I started tiling for myself in 1987 and am sick of all the numpties who are in the trade.Lost track of the amount of jobs I have had to put right ,done by people who are charging buttons .
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P'boro tiler
yea ive made a fortune fixing jobs done by time served experienced tilers.
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gid
im a bit slow and i know thats mostly because im still quite new to the business but does anybody have any tips of how to get the job done quicker?????
is it all about getting every cut right first...
your above quote says it all
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P'boro tiler
im still slow apart from when i do stuff that ive done many times before. I dont feel like im working any quicker but seem to get the job done quicker.
I think it is about getting every cut right first time. I say this because i did a kitchen floor on the diagnol a few weeks back, i then had to do two more floors upstairs in the same property. there was no room to put a wet cutter so i had to do all cuts downstairs. I cut out about 20 sheets of lining paper to the size of the tiles and then i made piano cuts, i then made it fit and cut it to shape. i then traced this onto the tile and went downstairs and cut the tile. i got 80% of the tiles right first time atleast and was so much faster than before.
ok 80% is perhaps a bit cack but i had the toliet, shower and basin to cut round and diagnol layout
the faster i try to work, the slower i actually am! i used to race round like a headless chicken :lol:
I think it is about getting every cut right first time. I say this because i did a kitchen floor on the diagnol a few weeks back, i then had to do two more floors upstairs in the same property. there was no room to put a wet cutter so i had to do all cuts downstairs. I cut out about 20 sheets of lining paper to the size of the tiles and then i made piano cuts, i then made it fit and cut it to shape. i then traced this onto the tile and went downstairs and cut the tile. i got 80% of the tiles right first time atleast and was so much faster than before.
ok 80% is perhaps a bit cack but i had the toliet, shower and basin to cut round and diagnol layout
the faster i try to work, the slower i actually am! i used to race round like a headless chicken :lol:
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Sully
Without wanting to repeat myself - but I will, IF you have confidence in your ability and offer a professional service, you will be very much aware that there is plenty of work out there and that the 'inferior' tilers are absolutely no threat and quite often an opportunity for you to gain work (as in the example previously stated). Of course, you shouldn't feel threatened IF you can hit the standards yourself.
IF
IF
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P'boro tiler
too right
cheeky newbies like myself should be struggling to compete with the old guys who perhaps offer a better service (ok thats not usually the case around here, but it should be!)
cheeky newbies like myself should be struggling to compete with the old guys who perhaps offer a better service (ok thats not usually the case around here, but it should be!)
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Richardb3303
I started off scabbling comercial concrete structures before i even whent near a trowel, but in answer to the original question of is the slow down affecting me... well yes and others have fallen by the way side in droves and buggered off back to the UK rather than weathering it out here in Spain... and like i said in another forum on here (any tilers from or working in spain i think it was called) the ability to diversifie will keep you from going under....
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gizmo
:yes: totally agreeWithout wanting to repeat myself - but I will, IF you have confidence in your ability and offer a professional service, you will be very much aware that there is plenty of work out there and that the 'inferior' tilers are absolutely no threat and quite often an opportunity for you to gain work (as in the example previously stated). Of course, you shouldn't feel threatened IF you can hit the standards yourself.
IF
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gid
Today
60 m floor tiling with heating and insulation
1 bathroom floor
3 bathrooms totaling 55m
All ready now
pfffft
60 m floor tiling with heating and insulation
1 bathroom floor
3 bathrooms totaling 55m
All ready now
pfffft
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Fred
Didn't think it was affecting me. But my phone has not rung for a week. SW London and you'd think I'd be rocking. Usual thing with certain folks in my area, barting the price, going as low as thinking if they don't have trims around windows/external joints, they will get a better deal!!!!
He wanted £100 taken of the final bill for that!
I'm going in the local paper as a last ditch chance to get work. The yellow pages has been, for me, a waste of time.
He wanted £100 taken of the final bill for that!
I'm going in the local paper as a last ditch chance to get work. The yellow pages has been, for me, a waste of time.
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doug boardley
booked uo till about mid february
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gid
I wish,but it will eep me going .Along with a b&b and nursing home i should be busy:yes:
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DHTiling
Back to the thread then...
Father in-law just been finished from wimpeys!!!....first time he has been out of work....
How is everybody else doin..OK i hope...?
Father in-law just been finished from wimpeys!!!....first time he has been out of work....
How is everybody else doin..OK i hope...?
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White Room
booked uo till about mid february
That must be commercial work
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