Is it just me????

[bugs183]

Am i wrong or is our trade becoming harder and harder?
Huge tiles that can't be fixed to the majority of surfaces we find in the UK?
Customers expecting top notch job with duff tiles for poor rates of pay, that then take forever to pay up.
People wanting to sue you for tiny mistakes,
And may main gripe is people getting builders in to tile, doing a poor job and then we get asked to slag off the work and rectify it. I'm talking about Mr Vik and his duff mosaics obviously.
I'm happy to advise people having a go and will listen, but the 'i've had a crap job brigade' are really getting to me.

Or just tell me to tuck my skirt in!

 

[DHTiling]

I agree , it is a mad trade world we live in

 

[Bubblecraft]

I agree also

 

[Diamond Pool Finishers]

Me to there are some Bar-stewards out there

 

[Colour Republic]

To be fair the customer didn't know who they were getting, they employed a kitchen fitting firm (not builders) and that firm decided to cut corners and bodge but as far as the client is concerned they wouldn't know what was about to happen. I know a lot of decent tilers on here work for kitchen firms so it so easily could have been a good job, not really their fault IMO

I know what you're saying in general about these type threads and agree but also try and remember that many people only take to the internet when they have concerns, nobody really looks up a tiling forum just to say 'i've had a great job done, just thought i'd share, goodbye'

 

[White Room]

My better half was talking to her boss who was dicussing some work he may need doing in his new house he'll be moving to,
he once got his fingers so badly burnt quite a few years ago by getting a builder who done everything, not the route he'll be doing again.
He now gets a plumber to plumb, a tiler to tile etc, all mistakes can cost you money as long as the customers learn by it....some never do though.

 

[Dougs Third Go]

my main ripe is the customers that don't want to fork out for all the prep work and think it should be included in your metreage rate:mad2:

 

[Andy Allen]

Am i wrong or is our trade becoming harder and harder?
Huge tiles that can't be fixed to the majority of surfaces we find in the UK?
Customers expecting top notch job with duff tiles for poor rates of pay, that then take forever to pay up.
People wanting to sue you for tiny mistakes,
And may main gripe is people getting builders in to tile, doing a poor job and then we get asked to slag off the work and rectify it. I'm talking about Mr Vik and his duff mosaics obviously.
I'm happy to advise people having a go and will listen, but the 'i've had a crap job brigade' are really getting to me.

Or just tell me to tuck my skirt in!

your on a right downer, aren't you....:lol:

no what you mean though, compared to 20yr ago were more like scientists than tilers, weight limits, sealers, crap gypsum screeds are they dry, do you need to sand it , 50 different types of grouts that dry like a patch work quilts if you dont mix them right, crap tiles, different sizes, shades, batches....list gose on and on...lol

 

[Peter]

Suppose it's a bit like hotel reviews on the internet. Noone ever goes on to Tripadvisor to say they had a beautiful clean, well maintained sea view room. It's the dirty, manky cockroach infested room overlooking the bins that they'd rather spend time writing about.

 

[bugs183]

I did get a really nice text off last weeks customer in LLanberis, Snowdonia saying how much she loved the job i'd done, and that the builder walked in and said John Bunney's done this hasn't he, (in a good way)!
So it's not all bad!

 

[Pebbs]

I agree Bugs, I'm a bit depressed about it all at the moment, you take one step forward and three steps back. I'm mostly down about the H&S nonsense that seems to have overtaken the main contracting side. I have had 4 yellow cards issued on one site alone this week. They are all pathetic reasons, one of the lads moved the task lighting 3 foot, yellow card, another took his goggles off as he was going for his break another yellow card. I am spending so much time filling out these PATHETIC daily safety briefings, that the real work is sitting there doing nowt. The whole thing is getting out of hand, how can a 22 year old kid lecture a man of 53 on the 'correct' way of working safely? I feel a good old Irish rage, coming on...buckets will be kicked...goggles will be thrown, and thats just for starters.

Lynn

 

[Colour Republic]

I hope the 22 year old H&S guy has all the correct PPE on when the 53 year old launches him off the roof top

 

[bugs183]

I've been working on Birminghams New Street Station.
Just try and get tools and tiles through a shut door without some jobs worth saying, 'you can't put that there, this is an emergancy exit', so you can't prop a door open to move you tools through quickly, yet you can't out them down by the door whilst you open it time after time.
I just put a stupid day rate in, so if they moan i don't care, but you'd lose out on meterage prices.
Bloomin mental world we live in.

 

[bugs183]

So long as you are a trained supervisor you can launch him, it's a red card for normal workers!

 

[Aston]

the whole building industry is a ball ache now.. wish id worked hard at school but you cant look back or be disheartened. you have to take the rough with the smooth and do the best with what you have..ive learnt that lesson the hard way. tiling & bathrooms for me now! i want to take back that control that plumbers have leeched!

 

[White Room]

I agree Bugs, I'm a bit depressed about it all at the moment, you take one step forward and three steps back. I'm mostly down about the H&S nonsense that seems to have overtaken the main contracting side. I have had 4 yellow cards issued on one site alone this week. They are all pathetic reasons, one of the lads moved the task lighting 3 foot, yellow card, another took his goggles off as he was going for his break another yellow card. I am spending so much time filling out these PATHETIC daily safety briefings, that the real work is sitting there doing nowt. The whole thing is getting out of hand, how can a 22 year old kid lecture a man of 53 on the 'correct' way of working safely? I feel a good old Irish rage, coming on...buckets will be kicked...goggles will be thrown, and thats just for starters.

Lynn

So what happens when you have so many yellow cards, they give a red one and send you off site ?????

 

[Andy Allen]

yellow cards......never heard of them before, shows how long its been since ive done any site work, sounds more like a football match......do you get to punch the ref, if you think he's wrong...lol

 

[Colour Republic]

do you get to punch the ref, if you think he's wrong...lol

only if you're Lynn

 

[peteablard]

I've been working on Birminghams New Street Station.
Just try and get tools and tiles through a shut door without some jobs worth saying, 'you can't put that there, this is an emergancy exit', so you can't prop a door open to move you tools through quickly, yet you can't out them down by the door whilst you open it time after time.
I just put a stupid day rate in, so if they moan i don't care, but you'd lose out on meterage prices.
Bloomin mental world we live in.

a firm I work or has priced to fit some vinyl there bugs, staff areas I believe. Don't know if they've won it or not, hope so as I'm looking forward to it after your review:lol:

 

[Pebbs]

Jesus Christ it never ends!!! I stupidly opened my email tonight...low and behold this is what I was met with! I think Im going to snap! Who the hell writes a coshh risk assessment for adhesive and grout!

Lynn,

As per discussion on site with Glen, please can you forward all COSHH risk assessments for all material on site. We have received the data sheets but no assessments.

If I could have these as soon as possible.

Regards
Martin.

 

[Bubblecraft]

That's a bit mental. I know it's cement based but seriously, a COSHH assessment on them! What ever next? Lol

 

[White Room]

Is'nt there Chromium V in tile adhesive......

 

[Bubblecraft]

You are right Mark, it does contain Chromium. The OPC itself contains CrVI & only 30-60% of OPC is contained in cement based adhesives & grouts. Grey adhesives & grouts contain a reducing agent in them to ensure that the CrVI content of the adhesive remains below 2ppm during the defined shelf life of the product. CrIII & CrVI are your irritants. The main reason why Cr VI is so toxic is that one of the reduction products of Cr VI is Cr V. Chromium V is a carcinogen. It will lodge in any tissue to form cancerous growths.

Next well need "Cr" logos on the back of our vans lol

 

[Pebbs]

Don't start with that Chromium crap, I got enough to deal with, I can't deal with any more obscure 'stuff' in adhesives and sealers. If that goes in they will be wanting the lads to wear respirators.

Lynn

 

[Time's Ran Out]

You mean you haven't issued respirators with their tool kits!!!
If the Spanish still had a building industry I wonder if they would be in shorts and swinging from the ceiling props. European law only affects us.