Does it mean you are a bad tiler if you have slow patches?

[Brian the Tile]

its a good offer Stef ,but a bit to far for my horse ,ha ha ha , but thanks if you are serious,dont take things to heart its just banter,i can take it aswell as give it ,now im serious ,you go and have a cracking night

 

[Stef]

Cheers.

 

[area tiling]

Doesn't mean your a bad tiler at all , we all have quiet spells and purple patches! You know yourself that you could be talking to tilers in your area one month that are flat out, and your not! And the next time you bump into them their twiddling their thumbs and your complaining about being to busy !

 

[Tony73]

I had very bad year 2013, lost few big contracts etc. but started very strong this year from January 3. Have work for next 4-5 months.

 

[Dougs Third Go]

when I finish the bathroom I'm doing at the moment I've no work booked in, so I hope slack periods don't mean I'm a bad tiler.:yikes:

 

[charlie1]

All tilers are good so long as they are making a living from there trade and doing decent work. if your quiet enough not to be making a living from your trade then I'd question if I was a tiler at all.

 

[Andy Allen]

I got work till Thursday next week then nowt....however im looking at 3 jobs Monday and Tuesday evening, and I got a bit in the pipe line, so im not that bothered its very seldom I go a whole week without doing something, but the days of being booked up for 4/5 weeks have well gone for me and have been for the last 3 years, I could be more booked up but made a decision last year to stop working for builders that I didn't know, if its right or wrong to do that, im not that bothered as my stress levels have gone down loads, as I got so fed up fighting for my money.

most of my jobs are repeat customers or recommendation so they know what there getting, and if I can start the next day they are more than happy with that as who wants to wait months to have there tiling done....?

 

[Ajax123]

The building trade generally has always gone through feast and famine cycles. What happens in the famine stages in my experience is that grades people diversify. Electricians become plumbers as well, bricklayers take on plastering jobs, carpenters take on bricklaying jobs, roofers become tilers sort of thing. That means that you get a lot of inexperienced tradespeople coming in to the frame and because punters generally are either gullible or greedy (go for the cheapest price) these lesser trades people eat into the available work.

January this year thoug has been a bit odd from the screeds point of view. Some areas have been going like a train and Palme like a lame donkey. Things will stabilise and pick up this year though I think and the amount of available work will increase. Once this happens the rubbish trades will get weeded out as they **** things up and get back to their proper trade.

 

[Peter]

I'm not the best tiler about by any stretch of the imagination but if I'm out of work and have nothing on I'd rather price a bathroom at £300 for 3 days work and get it than price it at £500 and sit in the house. If I have nothing on at all and look at a job, I will never tell the customer I'm quiet but say I might be able to fit it in for them next week as I have a job booked in that's not urgent. Know another tiler who's always slack and tells customers how quiet he is, I don't think it helps his case any.

There's always something to do if you look for it, if I have nothing on then I will ring round all the tilers I know and one of them will usually give me a few days work, then I return the favour when I'm busy and they're slack.

All swings and roundabouts, there's one week where you take 5 days to do a 3 day job just to bluff the week out, then other weeks when you're working 15 hour days to try and get caught up.

Then there's the phenomenon of having no work after the end of the week but when the phone rings once it rings all day, and you end up with a month's bookings.

 

[Brian the Tile]

All tilers are good so long as they are making a living from there trade and doing decent work. if your quiet enough not to be making a living from your trade then I'd question if I was a tiler at all.

charlie 1 are you for real,so after 40 odd years ive got to question myself as to whether im a tiler or not, i dont know whether you are awind up merchant ,but yo talk utter C..P

 

[charlie1]

charlie 1 are you for real,so after 40 odd years ive got to question myself as to whether im a tiler or not, i dont know whether you are awind up merchant ,but yo talk utter C..P

You still here? Thought you where away! Your always saying things on here then not doing it... All talk! Can only assume your all talk in the real world too brian.

 

[CJ]

Oh poo, here we go again. :sofahide:

 

[widler]

Aye, can't wait 😉

 

[The Legend; Phil Hobson RIP]

Cheers.
View attachment 57167

Hells bells Stef, You all look like the kind of people I could do with now, you all look hard and honest men, I'm not sure who you are from the photo mate, but I am glad, I can be your friend. I would never want to cross you,

 

[Andy Allen]

That's all the mates he met while on his holiday. ..lol

 

[Brian the Tile]

dont wait to long for my reply ,im not biting for somebody with so little experience

 

[afright]

I'm slack at the moment and loving having a bit of time off, I know work will come in so don't think I'm worried to much.

 

[Tony73]

jou!!!!!!!!!! andy allen 5001 posts :hurray:

 

[Ajax123]

All tilers are good so long as they are making a living from there trade and doing decent work. if your quiet enough not to be making a living from your trade then I'd question if I was a tiler at all.

Hmm. So let's say you are a great tiler and you work in a general radius of say fifty miles from your home. A recession hits, and hits bloody hard as in 2008 and all of a sudden most of the builders, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, sparks, plasterers, screeders etc etc in that area are suddenly out of their regular jobs.( I can tell you that the level of screeds installed in 2008 was less than 50% of that in 2007, and we are only just returning to the 2007 volumes and I cannot imagine tiling is much different) All of them have to earn a living and with the majority of good self employed tradespeople they can turn their hands to most things. So some of them and did take to tiling. Let's us now imagine that whilst you were one of ten tilers in your patch Nd their were say ten jobs a month available. Now all of a sudden their are twenty tilers and only four jobs a month available. Two things happen immediately, prices drop and general quality decreases. You as a great tiler have to start making cuts in order to keep making a living, your prices will drop and the amount of work you have will decrease. Does that make you a poor tiler, of course not. It is simply a case of supply and demand. What you have said is I'm my humble non tilers opinion, c**p. just because you not busy enough to make a living does not mean you are not a tiler....

 

[charlie1]

Hmm. So let's say you are a great tiler and you work in a general radius of say fifty miles from your home. A recession hits, and hits bloody hard as in 2008 and all of a sudden most of the builders, plumbers, carpenters, roofers, sparks, plasterers, screeders etc etc in that area are suddenly out of their regular jobs.( I can tell you that the level of screeds installed in 2008 was less than 50% of that in 2007, and we are only just returning to the 2007 volumes and I cannot imagine tiling is much different) All of them have to earn a living and with the majority of good self employed tradespeople they can turn their hands to most things. So some of them and did take to tiling. Let's us now imagine that whilst you were one of ten tilers in your patch Nd their were say ten jobs a month available. Now all of a sudden their are twenty tilers and only four jobs a month available. Two things happen immediately, prices drop and general quality decreases. You as a great tiler have to start making cuts in order to keep making a living, your prices will drop and the amount of work you have will decrease. Does that make you a poor tiler, of course not. It is simply a case of supply and demand. What you have said is I'm my humble non tilers opinion, c**p. just because you not busy enough to make a living does not mean you are not a tiler....

Would you call yourself a tiler even though that is not what you do for a living? If your not making a living from fixing tiles then how can someone call themselves a Tiler?? Surely the would be doing something else like a bus driver or a doctor...etc
interesting scenario with lots of different factors Alan but the fact is and it applies to all areas in business, the market place is a good datum to how good someone is at what they do. Keep in mind, there is a difference between a tiler in a quiet spell and one who does not tile anymore and has re trained to do something else.

 

[The D]

But wasn't your point in the other post if the tiler can start at the drop of a hat you need to question his ability as a tiler?

 

[charlie1]

But want your point in the other post if the tiler can start at the drop of a hat you need to question his ability as a tiler?

Id question anyone who was going to be doing work for me regardless of how busy they where. Yes, more so if they where able to do a job next week/day. I would be on one hand thinking great but on the other, I'd be curious as to why they where not busy. Good tilers will generally be busier than bad tilers that's a fact and before everyone comes on to say how good they are but they are not busy I know there are exceptions to this and I sympathise with your situation.

 

[Brian the Tile]

so because you are busy you are a good tiler are you or are you a doctor or a bus driver ,ill have to go and get miself another fish tank:mad2:

 

[Brian the Tile]

You still here? Thought you where away! Your always saying things on here then not doing it... All talk! Can only assume your all talk in the real world too brian.

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

You still here? Thought you where away! Your always saying things on here then not doing it... All talk! Can only assume your all talk in the real world too brian.

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

You still here? Thought you where away! Your always saying things on here then not doing it... All talk! Can only assume your all talk in the real world too brian.

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

You still here? Thought you where away! Your always saying things on here then not doing it... All talk! Can only assume your all talk in the real world too brian.

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

You still here? Thought you where away! Your always saying things on here then not doing it... All talk! Can only assume your all talk in the real world too brian.

so what are you trying to say

 

[charlie1]

so because you are busy you are a good tiler are you or are you a doctor or a bus driver ,ill have to go and get miself another fish tank:mad2:

Well, I'm a tiler and a very busy tiler!! I'm always willing to learn and improve. Am I a good tiler? Doesn't really matter what I think tbh, as long as my customers are happy, that's all that matters. Forget about a fish tank brian, I think it's way beyond fish tanks lol

 

[charlie1]

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

so what are you trying to say

- - - Updated - - -

so what are you trying to say

if memory serves me correct have you not publicly asked for your TF account to be deleted and you won't be back???.... Twice!!!!

 

[Ajax123]

Would you call yourself a tiler even though that is not what you do for a living? If your not making a living from fixing tiles then how can someone call themselves a Tiler?? Surely the would be doing something else like a bus driver or a doctor...etc
interesting scenario with lots of different factors Alan but the fact is and it applies to all areas in business, the market place is a good datum to how good someone is at what they do. Keep in mind, there is a difference between a tiler in a quiet spell and one who does not tile anymore and has re trained to do something else.

How many actors are there who are waiting tables waiting for their chosen career to pay the bills. How many Great singers are there who work in supermarkets during the day and sing at night. Just because you are not making a living does not mean that you are not a tiler.

if times are good I would agree that if you cannot make a living then you perhaps should question your career choice. In a recession it often comes down to how cheap you are not how good you are. Seen it too many times...

 

[charlie1]

How many actors are there who are waiting tables waiting for their chosen career to pay the bills. How many Great singers are there who work in supermarkets during the day and sing at night. Just because you are not making a living does not mean that you are not a tiler.

if times are good I would agree that if you cannot make a living then you perhaps should question your career choice. In a recession it often comes down to how cheap you are not how good you are. Seen it too many times...

I disagree with you entirely on this one Alan but your entitled to your opinion. What you are is not governed by what your ambition is, generally speaking, you are what you do. I like playing motor racing simulators on my play station and I'm very good but if someone asks me what I do then I tell them I'm a tiler not a racing driver. I used to work in IT for years when I started tiling, I remember feeling awkward telling people I was a tiler even though I was making money, took me a few years before I actually considered myself as a tiler.

 

[dave l and l]

i find its a few things that will make you busy, being good helps obviously , however money talks so the cheaper tilers are generally busier as long as they leave a respectable job,
i think customers rarely know the difference between a good job and an average job
also the quick tilers tend to be busy also as the plumbers/ bathroom fitters like to be in and out asap so someone who is rapid tends to get plenty work, once again as long as the leave an acceptable job..
its also down to who you know most of the time too.

 

[Brian the Tile]

I disagree with you entirely on this one Alan but your entitled to your opinion. What you are is not governed by what your ambition is, generally speaking, you are what you do. I like playing motor racing simulators on my play station and I'm very good but if someone asks me what I do then I tell them I'm a tiler not a racing driver. I used to work in IT for years when I started tiling, I remember feeling awkward telling people I was a tiler even though I was making money, took me a few years before I actually considered myself as a tiler.

i find theese posts really hard to believe im sorry

 

[Brian the Tile]

so when is a tiler a tiler charlie 1 you have totally lost me now