Just wondering

[AMtek]

Just wondering if anyone does anything in addition to tiling? pluming, joinery, electrical, plastering, general building or anything else for that matter!? surely helps to have lots of fingers in lots of pies in the current financial climate?

p.s. sorry if this thread should be in a different section or if it is a re-post

[Bri]

I asked a similar question a few weeks ago as I was getting fed up with being let down or charged too much by plumbers and thought about adding it to my skills. In the end I decided its best to be great at one thing rather than average at a few and it takes a good 5 years at least to get to a very high standard in one area. There are a few lads/lasses on here that do other things aswell as tiling, but I'll let them tell you about it!

[widler]

aye,time served plasterer,been doing it since 1986,the firm i served for did tiling as well,but not much,so i carried on and picked up stuff over the years(when i set up for myself around 95).
the stuff we used to lay on,jeez some of these blokes on here would string us up by our short and curlies

[timeless john]

After 38 years I've stayed faithful to 1 love - Tiling.

[whitebeam]

Plastering, not much nowadays and the tiling.

[Phil Hobson]

After 38 years I've stayed faithful to 1 love - Tiling.

43 years for me now, still loving it mostly

[akinsontiles]

I like to consider myself a tiling plasterer. Been doing both from day one as its exactly what I was taught from college that you should be able to prepare your own backgrounds for tiling that way you can prepare your own backgrounds for tiling onto and spot if something is wrong firstly and also sort it out. It tends to help with the total revenue I receive from my jobs and the duration I can be on one site for. I've quite often been asked to dry line and then skim rooms for customers only to end up taking on the bathroom tiling etc through firms that come onto the site later.

I'm interested in the building game as well and see that a lot of the skills required for bricklaying etc are very similar to tiling. Its all about plumb and level!

[AMtek]

Sounds like sticking with just tiling for now is the best way to go then

Thanks for the replies
Adam

[darren pealing]

second fix finish carpenter,nvq 3,started tiling kitchens and bathrooms when i was working for the council,and been at it ever since,i think personally that if i only had the one trade i would have struggled at times,i learnt the hard way tiling,made all the mistakes and had to rectify them,and when you do that you dont make them mistakes again,i am nearly 45 years old,and still deliberating on doing a plumbing and heating course,as i no it will open many more doors,and hopefully keep me constantly busy,wether i do it is another thing,watch this space lol.been busy without advertising for the last 25 years,but the last 6 months have been very bitty,go away recession,the moral of my story is add the strings,but its all down to each individaul.

[paul78]

yes you have to nowadays, customers saying can you do etc etc etc. bafore you know it your doing it and sometimes you try not to but it always getting asked and you do it, big vicious circle. But i woudnt EVER try something i know i cant do. i know my limits!!

ps. sub those jobs out and charge make some more

[andy8758]

Interesting post. Been to price some jobs where I did not win because I would not do plumbing work - me and plumbing dont mix well, but I am an outstanding swimmer!

As point of thread, I came into tiling through building restoration route - so many folks asked for tiling work that I did more and more, I enjoyed the work, so took up tiling full time. Have since taken a 6 week training to augment my "on the fly" training/experience. Have done a fair bit of painting and decorating for customers in addition to tiling work, and took Part P route for electrical installations a few years back - still do some of that to keep my hand in but only small domestic work.