so you think you know how to prepare a subfloor do you ?

I think you may want to check the typo between first and last statement ☺

I'm a professional Floor Fitter and have been to a mediocre Training Centre to get me started. Most of the skill's I have now are from just advertising and chucking myself in the deep end, learning most of what I know from on site and great forums like this one. I provide a great service with quality installation's it just sometimes takes me a little longer to get the job done but all my customers are happy.
I'm sure there's other's on here with a similar past, starting out in one skill and learning everything else as you go.

You don't really learn anything until you actually lay the floor a number of times which is one thing training courses don't provide as the materials are too expensive. I remember building myself a template room and fitting it every day till I got to a decent speed. and like you say I can download and read all the tech sheets on line so why do I need to go on a course?

I'm not saying your course's aren't good. They're great but there's three things holding me back, money, a bad experience in previous training, and the fact I can get by with the information on place's like this one. Again I'm sure there's other fitter's who feel similar.

Let me know your thoughts...

 

For me, "getting by" isn't what I'm about. The cost of a decent subfloor course is well under the cost of a failure and rip up and replace. No brainer to me.

 

On the job training is invaluable, but can be very expensive. You might not make the same mistake twice with this SASCAP project management approach to learning, but putting right the wrongs can damage your reputation, be expensive and even the small fixes cost more than you realise. It isn't just the material costs of doing it twice, you need to bear in mind that you are not earning whilst you're fixing!!

The SASCAP project management tool sounds impressive until you understand what it actually is:

SASCAP - Suck it And See, Correct And Proceed

Put that way it doesn't sound so bright does it?

Training for the sake of training is tedious and to a degree pointless. Training for a purpose isn't. You can speed up your work at the same time as reducing your risk through understanding - that's worth the time, effort and cost as it save all three if the training is good.

For the record I have no business or financial connection with Floorskills but I am a frequent visitor to the centre for advice and to catch up with the guys. So if you have gaps or doubts in your subfloor prep knowledge, take a course, I can't recommend it enough.

 

I think soon I probably will be taking course's as i want to expand my skillset faster.
There is only so much you can learn by yourself and yes i agree i courses are valuable for learning and connections.

I've never had to fix any work cause I make sure I know what I need to be doing beforehand. If I'm not confident I don't do it but that's never the case. I don't advertise karndean if I can only fit carpets. But if I can fit a carpet then I can fit a carpet tile and preparing the sub floor is information readily available online not a fine art.

 

I've agreed with most of what you've said Dan. Except preparing a sub-floor isn't a fine art. For me it. It can get very technical and require a high level of skill. Just my opinion..

 

Sub floor prep courses are a must in my eyes, but then what do I know...

 

Out of interest dan

When laying a luxury vinyl tile in a room with half concrete subfloor and half floor boards with a south facing large window, what would be best practice in your opinion ? Screed, adhesive etc?
This isn't a dig, just a question relating to your post above.

 

Let someone else do it

 

Haven't come across it yet. When I do I'll put the question on here

 

Could you provide an example please?

 

Old screed down. Don't know what it is. Customer wants lvt. How do YOU prep this job? Or Marley tiles down, customer wants solid wood. House is 35yrs old. What would you do?

 

You could if he wasn't sorting jobs out for me whilst I play"find the sodding estate agent with my key"

 

That old chestnut...
By the way, what we spoke about buckets, I've sourced something that looks really cool.

 

Ha ha, I've got something for you too. I'll send you a txt now

 

and they supply Australia and the usa

 

Residential..

Multiple slabs of different ages, different topping over time, different heights, transition into multiple rooms, transition into rooms with different substrates i.e. ashpalt, timber. Movement joins between slabs. Absolutely flat substrate needed to proceed with whatever covering is to go down. Consideration as to the covering or underlayment being moisture sensitive. Type of concrete used and finding the right compounds to suite. UFH in one area. Additional extensions to a property interfering with the original design of the house in relation to air flow beneath a suspended timber floor. Effects of such extensions on the moisture content of timbers. Course of actions. Budget restraints. Time restraints.

Many many more. That to me can get technical and a real head wreck. With the increase in extensions over the years, it happens a lot.

 

I started with an easy one lol