Anybody in here do ceramic tile installation for a living?

Been outa work for 8 months now. High tech is dead in this area and will likely remain so for some time to come. Enjoying the time off and all, but the old bill pile is getting pretty high.

Not crazy about working for myself or starting a business at 50 yrs of age, but.......

So what do I need?

A van for my stuff.

Manual and power cutters (what's a pwr unit worth)

Normal tools for laying sub-floor

What else?

Business licence, I guess?

Anybody know what kind of living I could make at it?

I live in a town of 9,500 people, with several other similar sized towns nearby and a city (and suburbs) of approx. 750,000 people - many with money. Housing industry continues to be VERY strong in this area......

Any words of wisdom?

 

Chances are you have a SBA (small business administration) in your area. SBA consists of businessmen, both working and retired, that mentor you and answer your questions. This is done for free in my area and they have helped three of my buddies start their own business. Look in the phone book or ask around.

There will also be the issue of keeping the business separate from your personal assets to prevent some lawyer from attacking you if you mess up. You may want to form a LLC to do this. I'd talk to a lawyer myself once you have a plan roughed in. You will also want to look into bonding to protect yourself financially.

 

Is it safe to assume you have an inherent skill for laying tile?

 

Being a building contractor in the Ca. Bay Area for 15 years and a carpenter for 30 I've seen a lot of back-of-the-truck subcontrators and haven't been impressed with many. All my business now is commercial but I do the residential gig now and again and this is what I found...

Assuming you have the skill, the tools AND know how to use them as well as proper licenses and insurance to protect you and your client, follow these simple rules:

First rule is always, always show up for the project on time and meet schedule. The "gone fishing" guys will fall short if you do and you'll have more work than you can handle.

Seond rule would be to do execellent work with good customer service. Meaning if there's a problem, put it first on your list...not when you have time to respond.

Third is don't take on more work than you can perform correctly with the before mentioned.

Forth is don't make excuses. Do the job and do it right. If you don't have the skill, don't take the contract. A man has to know his limits and there's no shame in saying a job is above your skill level.

Fifth is follow up on every call you get. Don't ignore calls from customers or contractors you may sub to. That will result in no future work.

The final rule is common sense and CYA. Keep good financial records, phone logs, and jobsite logs DAILY. These will become your bible.

Good luck.

 

I do have the ability and pride in my work to do a proper job. I've done approx. 10 jobs for myself and others (floors, counter tops, backsplashs,etc) with results that pleased the homeowners and my fussy wife.

I've seen enough local examples of fly-by-night operators to know and understand how people want/expect to be treated, not that I mind the reminders of it above.

I have done my own and helped others with all kinds of building work for the past 30 yrs - hardwood flooring, drywalling, framing, roofing, cabinet making, etc.

Based upon my experience I see ceramic tile work as something that doesn't require an excessive outlay for tools, doesn't require long hours working out estimates, is relatively easy to do so long as you know the basics and have an eye for accuracy. You work inside as opposed to freezing your **** off in winter and sweating to death in the summer. Something I could bring my younger son (presently 17) into and eventually turn over to him.

The general advise already is apreciated, but I'd still like to hear from anyone in the business if any of this group are in here.

Thanks,

 

All the above suggestions are good ones. I've been a carpet and sheet vinyl flooring installer for over 30 yrs. and tried to follow those guidelines.

I've also found that cleanliness and a good repoire with the customer is as important as job quality. You can do a 100% installation; but if they don't like your attitude (helpers swearing around little kids, radios blaring, etc.) or you leave garbage behind on the job site, then you still have an unhappy customer who won't be giving you good references.

Don't figure if you have a super month that you can multiply that by 12 to get an annual salary. You'll get a big disappointment. Plan ahead for some lean spells.

It shouldn't take much to get the basic tools you need to get started. Take the jobs you can handle and slowly invest in more expensive tools as you feel they are needed or warranted. If you are just getting started; you probably won't be that busy. You can take a little longer to do the job with less tools. If and when you get busier and into the "production" mode; then you can justify bigger and fancier tools. This would also depend if you are doing a lot of commercial work or residential work.

There are many pros and cons to being self-employed; but doubt you'd go back to 8-5 if you can make any type of living.

Good Luck.