Questions about flooring as a career.

[san diego jim]

Go to college and get a degree in business. Then you can take your carpet knowledge and market it better. That includes getting a license and eventually a store. Selling and running a contracting business is as much of a trade as actually installing is. There is a lot to learn whatever you do. What you should not do is sit and wait for something good to happen ....

[FlooringGirl]

I'm not sure that's the answer - I'm working on a college degree in my older age (don't say HAHA because I look young, we have lots of grandkids) and have the opportunity to take over a flooring store someday, but don't really want to ... it is rough. I do think installers could better market themselves, however. Everyone is internet shopping these days, so have a website with your art displayed. Need help? I can help, making websites is my side job. Gotta have a side job, business is soooo slow right now.
Tia

san diego jim said Go to college and get a degree in business. Then you can take your carpet knowledge and market it better. That includes getting a license and eventually a store. Selling and running a contracting business is as much of a trade as actually installing is. There is a lot to learn whatever you do. What you should not do is sit and wait for something good to happen ....

[DJ]

and the youngsters that do get into it are slackers/kicker jockeys i call em kickngoers i use to do a lot of restretchs for a shop who had one i think he is still there all he had was a stair tool and a kicker,and hammer (one of those hatchet on back ones) gave me work though

[FlooringGirl]

That's so funny - we had a young man who had a power stretcher, then we kept getting call-backs for restretches. His helper finally admitted that they never pulled it out, it was too old and rusty to even use. However, the pisshead installer told all the customers that restretches were normal and just pay him to come back when it was time. He called it job security. Seriously, that makes me ill. I have installers who have never been called back for a restretch in 20 or 30 years!

Here's a crazy story ... My husband (carpet installer) once had his van broken into in the night and they stole all his tools. He woke up in the morning and had NO tools. He made an insurance claim, got new stuff, and then several months later, the farmers were taking down the fields and found his power stretcher. HA! It was the most valuable tool the idiots took, but they probably didn't know what it was and threw it in a corn field!

Tia

DJ said and the youngsters that do get into it are slackers/kicker jockeys i call em kickngoers i use to do a lot of restretchs for a shop who had one i think he is still there all he had was a stair tool and a kicker,and hammer (one of those hatchet on back ones) gave me work though

[Floorguy]

FlooringGirl said That's so funny - we had a young man who had a power stretcher, then we kept getting call-backs for restretches. His helper finally admitted that they never pulled it out, it was too old and rusty to even use. However, the pisshead installer told all the customers that restretches were normal and just pay him to come back when it was time. He called it job security. Seriously, that makes me ill. I have installers who have never been called back for a restretch in 20 or 30 years! Here's a crazy sotry ... My husband (carpet installer) once had his van broken into in the night and they stole all his tools. He woke up in the morning and had NO tools. He made an insurance claim, got new stuff, and then several months later, the farmers were taking down the fields and found his power stretcher. HA! It was the most valuable tool the idiots took, but they probably didn't know what it was and threw it in a corn field! Tia

Had a retailer that would get pissed off, (Aarons Interiors) if I power stretched leased properties, he had accounts with. He made a killing off restretches.

That is the direction they left when they stole the tools! They said screw this heavy POS, and left it right there after their arms were 3" longer each, and their lungs about to explode from huffing and puffing.

[FlooringGirl]

Made me laugh again! I'm sure those little country boys went, "what the hell is this for? We better dump it". The amazing part was the phone call months later saying it was found by a farmer. Wow!

I have had many a landlord ask me to give cheaper labor for kickin' it, but I have some really good guys who refuse to have their work screw up down the road. They would walk on me for that, so I don't even bother asking.

Tia

Floorguy said Had a retailer that would get pissed off, (Aarons Interiors) if I power stretched leased properties, he had accounts with. He made a killing off restretches. That is the direction they left when they stole the tools! They said screw this heavy POS, and left it right there after their arms were 3" longer each, and their lungs about to explode from huffing and puffing.

[rusty baker]

At my age, kickin' it would be harder work. I'd have to charge more. When I moved back to my hometown in 1992, I worked 40 hours a week for 5 months doing repairs. All from one installer.

[FlooringGirl]

[FONT="Verdana"]Exactly - we have a fellow now, his helper retired a few years ago, but he still manages to install over 100 yards a days alone in 5 or 6 hours. Then, he got water on the knee and had to get surgery. He may not have any problems with his jobs, but he's probably kicking way too hard.

Rusty, you sound like my husband, he wants to charge me extra for everything. Pretty soon he'll charge me for smiling at a customer when he gets there. HAHA. He has been at this so long he hates it bad.

Tia/FONT]

rusty baker said At my age, kickin' it would be harder work. I'd have to charge more.