1st Job: Experiences?

[Bushwhacker1]

Hi All,

Ive just completed my first couple of jobs having completed the 6week course at Diamond earlier this year. Im interested to know how you guys fared in your first couple of jobs - did they go ok? did you make some mistakes (go on, be honest!).

In my case, i had a conservatory floor and then an absolute of a bathroom and i think i could have done them both much better second time around with a little bit more experience. Am i alone here, or is this par for the course?

[deanotile]

I have made every mistake in the book as long as you learn from them and improve your skills as you go it’s all good. People say tiling is easy but I have been tiling for 25 years and I still learn something new every day. I still make at least one mistake on every job (its like a trade mark lol). If you can identify your mistakes and eater rectify them or avoid making that mistake on the next job then you will become a good tiller.

[nybor62]

Im with u deanotile on that learn from them .one thing i hate my mate who is a good tiler all ways puts closures in above tops of doors drives me mad

[deanotile]

Im with u deanotile on that learn from them .one thing i hate my mate who is a good tiler all ways puts closures in above tops of doors drives me mad

He needs to go and work in Germany that is how they do it.

[Bushwhacker1]

Sorry for being dumb Nybor62, but whats "a closure" above the tops of a door?

[nybor62]

Sorry for being dumb Nybor62, but whats "a closure" above the tops of a door?

sometimes he will start with full tiles either side of door. so when it comes 2 tiling above door full tiles dont fit so he will cut 1 down to fit usually in the middle it looks ok when done i know alot of tilers do this ,but i dont its my pet hate

[mikethetile]

as were being honest im with deano

if theres a mistake to be made ive made it at sometime or other. I may well have invented a few along the way too

the mark of a good tradesman is recognising mistakes and getting over them

with experiance you learn to avoid them

the important thing is to not leave them, so recut a badly cut tile , if you chip a tile replace it and so on

your names on the job, make it a goodun

I found setting out properly hard and wasted time with awkward cuts

avoiding that is part of the learning curve

[Wingn]

Would say every tiler makes a few mistakes on every job, or at least something which could have been done better or differently - I know I do. All part of learning, as someone on here's signature says, experience is the name we give for our mistakes.

[Scott]

Thats whitebeams sig and he is absolutely right.

We can learn a lot from the things we do wrong. As long as we recognise that we can always do better then we can only move forward to try and achieve perfection

[Wingn]

The secret is not to worry about time when you're starting off, take as long as it takes to get a good finish. If you're 3 days longer and you don't make as much money then so be it - you'll probably earn more in the long run through repeat custom and recommendations.

[kickkick]

You will make mistakes on every job for the next few years or so while learning the trade. Each time you make a mistake, Take note of the mistake and learn from it and avoid making the mistake in the future. Only when you have gained enough experience about how to do your job will you get better and better and not make any mistakes.

Before you do any job. Go through the whole process in your head from start to finish and so you know whats next to come and that way will help eliminate the mistakes as your always thinking what to do next and should avoid doing anything that will mess up. Good Luck

[Scott]

Hey kickkick im working in berko at the moment, that berko cafe is brilliant!

[mikebidd]

Iv just done my first jobs as well mate my mistakes were.

Listening to the joiner.

I say this as he said he didnt need to drop sink etc and o tile around them.. they were floor tiles on a wall and no matter how snug i tried to make them they looked a ....

Also stickingup for the 80 year old customer and kicking out 3 off the joiners alcholic mates who had no reason to be there.

say these were mistakes as the joiner ended up finishing the tiling work as i refused to stick a huge floor tile up on on a flexible wooden frame.

On an upnote i wont have to worry about what iv done killing some one.

[richie b]

i think it was more how long the job took on the first few that worried me, took a fair few jobs to get speed up

[TheWrightTiler]

first job was 6 m2 wall just along bath edges and 3 m2 floor, took me best part of 3 days

now id be looking to crack it in a full day or day and a bit at most

take time, set out properly and advise client at each stage and u wont go far wrong

dont just do it to finish, if a punter wants something there and it wont go, say so but dont be bullish about it, explain why, punters dont like being lied to and taken for fools, be honest, be on time and be careful

my quotes may take a while but i take a few pics of the room, write notes, discuss patterns and borders, type of tile and trims etc, then i ask what pattern, straight set, brickbond etc, then i say il do this that and the other and explain why, i feel it gives the client more info so u can take a wee bit longer if needed etc

andy