Scots Tiler Here Needing Help...?

[Caledonian Tiling]

Hi All,

Joined this site a couple of weeks ago & found loads of good info from all
the guys sharing best practices...

Im 35 and came from office background so big change in career for me,
i attended North East Tiling Mid January and found i did take a lot away
from the course from never having laid a tile in my life, since then i have
done nothing but read up on info & get myself tooled up and have invested
a lot of finances in doing so.

I have tiled a section of my own bathroom & x1 private paying customers kitchen
walls, which i struggled with as attempted to "fill" holes & cracks on the cement
render where the tiles had been ripped off, where i should have bonded out with
plaster... so instead of 2 days it was a 4 day job..! very stressed & tired from my efforts it was a tough experience...

I wondered if there were any local experienced tilers out there would consider
having a FREE labourer for a few days, just to help give an insight into the
"real world" of tiling... I live 1/2 hour from Glasgow ( if no local, i am willing to travel)
as i am committed to making a success & this means a hell of a lot to me...

So any help from fellow tiling brothers appreciated...

 

[L & R CERAMICS]

how long where you on the course for, i thought these courses sort of showed you how to patch up as well as tile.if you contact the job centre and ask for a phone number for an agency called hays construction ,sod that ill give you a number that should be able to help you out with a bit of council refurb work as i know they were looking for tilers in glasgow the other day on the internet.
01132 427555 give them a bell and register ,a bit of council work should help regarding bedding out and patchwork good luck

 

[trevortine]

where are you based mate, im in ek and would be willing to show you the ropes, If the council stuffs anything like the last lot i done in glasgow its a no go. I went for a week and chucked it, terrible job, they dont care what the job looks like and want it done yesterday. Know a few who had the same probs.:confused_smile:

 

[L & R CERAMICS]

ive tiled the safeway stores and the greggs the baker shops,copy lane police station in liverpool amongst other various contracts.
obviously you couldnt hack it,why was it a terrible job,werent you quick enough.
ive recently finished 180 council refurbs in leeds,yes they are a bit bumpy but you are meant to be a qualified tiler and get over it

 

[Caledonian Tiling]

Trev,

Would really appreciate your kind help..! im 1/2 just down the road from you in Kilwinning, know E/K quite well so no hassle meeting up, i will send you a personal
email with contact details.... again its well appreciated, GOOD MAN.!

L & R

Thanks also mate for suggestion re-agency, i will look into also...

Cheers!

 

[Concept PHT]

I know a guy that has had the same experience on council refurbs here in Staffordshire. Paying peanuts and grafting your nackers off on shitty prepared surfaces done by so called 'plasterers' getting paid crap rates too. Its a nock on effect of crap work that stops with the tiler, as he is the last man in.

He told them to shove it on Monday just gone.....

 

[Dan]

I knew of a team that took on the council contracts here in Staffordshire some time ago and they also quit before their term ended. Councils pay peanuts.

 

[trevortine]

I do quality work l and r and i laugh at your cant hack it comment. I am in a position to pick and choose for who and where i work and council refurbs attract the bottom end tiler as the good guys cant be arsed with working amongst junkies and down and outs in disgusting flats. You trying to tell us all you done 180 refurbs and left them all perfect, dont think so, id rather keep my reputation.

 

[Caledonian Tiling]

Hi Trev,

Maybe a visit to Sighthill or Govan etc would change L & R view on coucil flats
lets say i think it would be similiar to tiling flats in Chechnya if Faluja in Iraq..

Anyway no need to challenge someones ability if they choose not to work on
council site jobs... each to there own.

Did you catch my email...?

Cheers

 

[L & R CERAMICS]

i always suggest a bit of agency refurb work to begginers because i think it will open their eyes a bit more,regarding how tidy they can leave their work and no im not saying the walls were perfect before we tiled them but at £24 sheets a mtr we werent complaining. my standards are excellent,we are recomended fitters for porcelanosa on merseyside,we also do a lot of disabled bathrooms but thats our choice,we cant really compete were i live at the moment as there are a lot of new tilers kicking about and we find theres more contract work about, which some of these so called tilers cant afford to take on because they dont know were to start.as for council work attracting the bottom end tiler because the good guys cant be arsed thats nonsense sounds more like you cant hack it

 

[L & R CERAMICS]

I knew of a team that took on the council contracts here in Staffordshire some time ago and they also quit before their term ended. Councils pay peanuts.

how is £24 POUNDS PER METER PEANUTS BY 13 METERS PER DAY=£312 POUNDS PER DAY FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS THATS NEARLY £70 THOUSAND POUNDS AND THEN OUR PRIVATE WORK ONTOP OF THAT

LETS HAVE IT RIGHT
CALL YOURSELFS TILERS
IVE NEVER QUIT A JOB YET

 

[Concept PHT]

Did that include the materials too?

The refurbs here in staffs at the minute are paying 10 - 15's just for labour. And they are only 4m/s splashbacks with small bathroom floors.

You will need to stop/ start 3 times a day to get your money.

And the tiling surfaces are absolute crap, but yet again the tiler is expected to perform miracles on it. to hide the plasteres sh't work.

So 24's is a good number to have mate

 

[L & R CERAMICS]

no it didnt include materials that was labour only,when we took the contract on it started at £21 per mtr then about 45 houses into it i went back and told them i wanted more money and they said ok.on top of that mtr rate we normally had at least £120 standing time aswell, not everyday but was days when we couldnt complete or the tenant didnt want us in,yes most houses were a mess and there were a few slutty tenants, it was a peice of ****,that was walls only no floors 9mtrs in bathroom and 4 in kitchens ,we were actually doing 2 props then starting another in one day only when the props were empty tho

 

[Concept PHT]

Now that aint bad, I must admit.

 

[L & R CERAMICS]

weres admin

 

[Dan]

here why?

 

[Caledonian Tiling]

Pardon me being a newcomer and all, but this topic i think has went totally off on
a tangent...

I think if council refurb work is beneficial or not is for another subject, i
had hoped an experienced tiler would allow me kindly to assist them for free
for a few days for experience but nothing doing it appears...??

Just anyone looking at this thread would think it was a discussion on council
work pros & cons... and the actual subject being lost in amongst the debate...

No offence meant just an observation...

 

[Concept PHT]

Read the post from 'trevortine' on page 1

 

[Caledonian Tiling]

I did mate, and ive sent x2 personal emails with my contact info,
guess hes changed his mind or to busy at the moment...? would
have been ideal and from the pics he posted, hes a crackin tiler..

Come back Trevortine................!!!!