The Need For Flooring Installers
Reflect with me for a moment. It’s summer 2018. Business was bustling, the population was steadily working, hand sanitizer and toilet paper weren’t even a fleeting thought. We cleaned and disinfected, but not like “2019 cleaned and disinfected”. COVID-19 changed the game. It changed everything for everyone. Buildings were left deserted, hospitals overcrowded, unemployment skyrocketed, hand sanitizer and toilet paper off the shelf. Construction and trades work did not stop.
According to agc.org, “Residential construction spending in the US totaled $551 billion” and “Nonresidential spending in the US totaled $814 billion” in 2019. The US gross domestic product (value of all goods & services produced in the country) totaled $21.4 trillion in 2019, with construction contributing to $887 billion. Construction in Maryland alone contributed $18.8 billion. We found ways to keep the ball rolling. It may not have always been in a straight line, but we kept it moving forward nonetheless (although, the toilet paper situation caused a bump here and there).
Trade work is extremely underrated in this country. We are in desperate need of skilled plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, flooring installers, carpenters, and on and on. Even a worldwide pandemic didn’t stop these folks! This brings me to the point of this article. Where are all the people who want to work with their hands? According to Floorcovering Weekly in an article published in January 2019, “The ongoing labor shortage in the flooring industry is taking its toll and shows no signs of abating”. With the continued boom in construction and the demand for tighter schedules, we need help.
We need reliable individuals with a willing attitude to learn and work hard. As a country, we put much emphasis into pursuing college after high school graduation. Without realizing it, we have made those interested in trade work feel like second class citizens. Don’t get me wrong, installing flooring is hard work. Long days, heavy lifting, being on the floor all day….. these things can all surely take a toll on you if you are not prepared and/or safety conscious.
The options for training in this field are almost nonexistent. If your dad/uncle/cousin/brother isn’t a flooring installer, odds are you haven’t even considered this field of work. It is a very underrated career. Let me entice you, tickle your ears if you will. Flooring installers are not required to have a college degree. I know, this may be a very unpopular opinion, but college is also not for everyone. It takes little start-up or overhead (transportation & insurance is a must!).
You essentially become a business owner! And best of all, the pride of admiring the work that you did with your own hands at the end of the day is immeasurable. Of course, on the other hand, as I mentioned it’s hard work. Just like a surgeon gets better with time, the same goes for a flooring mechanic. You can’t just wake up and decide to be a master mechanic.
You start by cleaning up scraps, loading and unloading, vacuuming. That’s right! You watch and you learn. Soon, you will begin spreading adhesive. Then, laying tiles, maybe even grouting. Before you know it, you are being trusted to make the cuts, plan the layout for the room, heat weld the seams. And so on and so forth. Time and dedication are a requirement for the start-up. In time, you will be the master craftsman training a newcomer.
Please, if you don’t have a dad/uncle/cousin/brother/etc. in the flooring industry, I urge you to contact us. There are many master mechanics who are looking for hardworking, reliable help. They are willing to put in the hard work and dedication to train you, as long as they see the drive that is required to make it in this industry. We, as dealers, are nothing without skilled laborers. The flooring world needs you. We need you.