first job

[redeye1979]

just finished my first tiling job and i wondered if anyone had any stories (good or bad) about tehir first time! Call it a bit of reassurance if you like!!

It wasn't exactly the best start although i think i'm too much of a perfectionist and as it was my first proper job i was maybe expecting too much, the customer was happy enough but i felt i could've done much better. i'm sure i won't be the only one who thinks they've had a sh*tter for the first time they done a paying job, but it would be nice to hear that things get better!!

[Fekin]

My first job was easy mosaics on nice new plasterboards

Second job was a 3sqm, might have been 4sqm kitchen splashback on very bad walls and took me 4 days , and I know I could have done better.

A lot of people have this problem with their first 2 or 3 jobs, but you improve and get quicker, just the way it is mate

[enduro]

My first job took me ages, and like you i think I'm to much of a perfectionist, and i nearly gave it up. But i persevered and i dont think i will be the fastest tiler in the world, but now i dont advertise and all my work is word of mouth, so dont let your standard drop and it does get easier if you do a top class job.

[MrSpoon]

cant say for tiling as im still to do my first tiling job, but... my first plastering job.. ooh dear lol at college its a totally different scenario or round a mates house, the fact its a paying customer puts pressure on and maybe makes you not think straight and panic a little and your brain just kinda goes to mush and you create quite a bad burn on the top of your head because you seem to scratch it alot thinkin errrrrrrrrrr.............. yet you know exactly what to do, just takes a while to get your braing into gear, take it nice and easy and dont cut corners and you'll be fine im sure, speed will come, just make sure that quality comes before speed

[hillhead]

My first was a full house with 150m2 to tile!
told customer it was my first and if they weren't happy with anything i'd fix it or they could chase me ! they were delighted thankfully.

[MrSpoon]

first job 150m2? nice
must been a big kitchen splashback

[redeye1979]

i had teh sore scraty head feeling coz i mixed up far too much adhesive and it was rapid set and the shops were shut so i was flapping like a lunatic trying not to screw up big time. Managed in the end, it's just nice to know there is light at the end of the tunnel. I really enjoyed the job once i got started and you could see the difference between the first few cuts and the last! it was only a 7m2 kitchen but jesus it was wierd, the floor was uneven and the kitchen units were so off square it was silly! but like you all say on here time and time again, patience is key and although i'm pleased i've got t out of the way i wasn't feeling too great about it, got a horrible job tomorrow replacing grout in a mtes bathroom. i'm still bloody stiff as a board from teh first job!
Thanks for all your comments!!

[Turkish]

Everyone seems to get that panicked feeling first few jobs mate, myself definately included! Just keep going mate and i`m sure you`ll be fine. Striving for perfection is never going to be a bad thing!

Turkish

[redeye1979]

cheers turkish! spent 5 hours after work last night raking grout out of bathroom walls, jesus i don't fancy doing that again! It's like cleaning a schoolyard with a toothbrush!!

[sWe]

The very very first thing I tiled on my own, albeit with my boss tiling the bathroom in the same apartment, was a 3sqm kitchen splashback with 10x10 tiles. Took me a little over two hours iirc.
Nothing special about it except it was the first whole surface I tiled on my own, except for what I did on my course. Good fun, it was.

After that, the boss put me on tiling splashbacks on a site job. The kitchen splashbacks I was assigned were to recieve standard 15x15 white or gray tiles, and the surfaces were fairly straight forward.

Since I was an apprentice, I wasn't really allowed to work solo, but the boss deemed me good enough to do small jobs on my own. Best way to learn that, to work on your own, after you've acquired the basic knowledge and skills needed. The rules over here though, state apprentices should have an overseer until they've been at it for a certain amount of time. Anyways...

First day on that site, the site boss popped into one of the kitchens I had been assigned and started chatting. He asked me for how long I'd been tiling, and I looked him straight in the eyes and answered: "Two weeks, give or take".
You should've seen his face Poor sod looked aghast I started laughing, and he started laughing too, and said "Aren't you the jester" or some such, patted me on the shoulder, and left, chuckling. I became something of a contact person for him among the tilers on that site. Never gave me any trouble
Believe me when I say I studied ALOT on my spare timeduring the time I worked at that site. I didn't want to be caught not knowing proper procedure when the site boss asked

After that site job was completed, I did nothing but grouting, waterproofing, leveling, and such, for a while. Then I was dropped onto larger and more complicated jobs. First bathroom I did on my own was quite complicated, with odd angles everywhere. Turned out real well, but I had to replace a few tiles cuz the plumber who came after me to fit sanitary wares cracked a few