Tony Moorhouse, owner of Your New Floor, discusses the challenges of being a domestic flooring contractor and why relationships with manufacturers like Bostik are invaluable.
It sounds like a frustration, but one of my favourite things about being a flooring contractor is dealing with all the problems caused by the other trades. As we’re usually the last guys in, this is a big part of the job – and don’t get me wrong, we do moan about it at times! But for me, we’re the lucky ones. Unlike all the trades that have already been there, we’re the ones who get to give it the finishing touch and turn that building site into a home. If it wasn’t for the mistakes we have to correct, we wouldn’t quite get that same level of satisfaction at the end of the job, would we?
The truth is, it pays to enjoy a challenge in flooring, because challenges are what you’ll get! Here’s some of what I’ve learned along the way – and why relationships with great companies like Bostik are so important.
The confidence to go it alone
I started my flooring life in the office of a major flooring wholesaler, handling stock location, goods in, and outbound deliveries, before heading out on the road for them as an area sales manager (ASM). This was followed by another ASM role covering a quarter of the country, which focused on wood and laminate distribution.
“If it wasn’t for the mistakes we have to correct, we wouldn’t quite get that same level of satisfaction at the end of the job”
Those two jobs left me with 11 years of flooring industry experience, and along with indulging in lots of DIY in my first house, gave me the confidence to start my own business.
Initially, we supplied and fitted engineered wood and laminate flooring (later adding carpet and vinyl), along with selling in the online environment. We rode the online train for a good few years as a top-up to the local side. It was good while it lasted, and it got us our first premises, but I always knew we would eventually be outpaced when the big guys jumped on board.
Then it was time to turn our industrial estate warehouse into a retail showroom and really push the local supply-and-fit business – and we haven’t looked back since.
The right way, not the easy way
The challenge we face on a daily basis is trying to second-guess what’s happening under the existing floor. Most of our projects include full uplift, so we have to use a combination of local knowledge and experience of the houses in our area to make the right call.
Another common issue is clients not having enough space to store their furniture while we pour the smoothing compounds. We’ve even left one of our large vans on the customer’s drive with their furniture in it for a few days before!
“We don’t have a ‘Not my job’ attitude to anything”
What sets us apart, I think, is that we pride ourselves on doing things the right way, not the easy way. We don’t have a ‘Not my job’ attitude to anything, and if it’s something we can’t do, then we have a trustworthy network of skilled trade professionals we can bring in to work alongside us.
Above all, we actively enjoy a challenge, rather than shying away from it. Whether it’s simple things like moving furniture or uplifting and vacuuming after a job, trimming doors, fitting new skirtings and architraves, or removing kitchen end panels and island backers, we’ll do whatever it takes to ensure the best finish. We’ve even had to dismantle and rebuild a few kitchen units and a complete utility room in the past!
Working with Bostik
Of course, it wouldn’t count for much if the products we used were not up to scratch – and that’s why our relationship with Bostik is vital.
Having plenty of tubes of P95 TURBO-FIX stair nosing adhesive and all sizes of BOSTIK ROLL in our vans is an absolute no-brainer for us. We use P95 TURBO-FIX for door bars, grippers, skirting, and sealing up along the edge of patio doors prior to screeding, and BOSTIK ROLL is fantastic for the quick installation of various accessories.
Bostik SL C955 ADVANCED has also become our go-to for those less-than-perfect subfloors when a basic smoothing compound just won’t cut it. It flows beautifully, can be applied without priming, and is unaffected by moisture – so it’s a hugely useful product to have on hand.
We recently worked on a large commercial job with a particularly bad subfloor, and Bostik were instrumental in helping us meet that challenge. Not only was there lots of contamination, but the levels were extremely uneven, with some needing 3mm of smoothing compound and others up to 20mm. After grinding the contamination off, we applied Bostik HYTEC E570 ONE COAT, their epoxy surface DPM, followed by their SL C540 FLOW smoothing compound, and this was more than enough to level the subfloors and leave them with a smooth and flawless finish.
“Having plenty of tubes of P95 TURBO-FIX … and all sizes of BOSTIK ROLL in our vans is an absolute no-brainer for us”
Throughout that project, as ever, Bostik’s technical team were brilliant to deal with. They were quickly on site to provide their expert recommendations on how to tackle the subfloor, and they were always on the end of the phone whenever we needed them. That kind of service is so important to what we do.
A want for progression
I believe the need to keep learning never ends, and my want for progression has led me to train with Amtico, Floortrain, Quickstep, and Floorskills in recent years. We’ve also been fortunate enough to subcontract to Floorskills, carrying out independent inspections and delivering some of their training courses and fitter assessments.
One reason for training is to keep up with trends. Pre-pandemic, we spent most of our time installing straightforward plank, but since the pandemic, it’s been pretty much herringbone all the way. I’ll definitely be happy when the herringbone trend ends. As beautiful as it is, my knees would prefer a lot more straight-lay plank orders.
Sustainability is a big concern, too. As well as ensuring that we use products from responsible suppliers like Bostik, all our uplift and rubbish gets brought back to our shop, where we have bins that the council empty and take to their rubbish and recycling centre. We also have a separate bin for cardboard and plastics, and we seldom use sacks, preferring to fill up and empty buckets on each job.
It’s been a fantastic journey since I set out as a flooring contractor and I’m lucky that the job still gives me the same sense of achievement and satisfaction it always did. Yes, there are constant challenges – but with companies like Bostik to call on, we can always overcome them. And when our work is done and we hand over that finished home to the client, it makes it all worth it.
Find out more about Your New Floor here.
