I was asked by a friend to look at an installation that had been done 8 years ago. The store owner knows that the labor is out of warranty, but he has an upset customer...

As a young carpet installer, I had the opportunity to witness more than a few different management styles from the installation managers at the shop from which I received work. 

One of the first things I learned as a carpet installer is that I could not last forever on my knees.

If you are in the business of bidding jobs you know that customers are more educated than they used to be.

I keep hearing about the economy from installers. It seems some installers find it easy to blame a bad economy for lack of business.  When work is down, it means you need to create some.

As a seasoned installer, I have had an opportunity to see different aspects of our trade. I have worked as an in-house installer. I have bid my own projects both small and large. Now that I own my own flooring company with my wife, I have the distinction to be the guy that hands out the work. I constantly get asked, “How do you decide who gets what?”

One of the many tasks that I perform for the company is that of technical advisor.  I am constantly asked how to quote specific items that seem simple tasks to many involved in our industry.  The problem: there are not always simple answers to simple questions. Take, for instance, carpet restretches. I will be on a jobsite and receive a call from a store associate asking how much I charge to restretch a room of carpet. The associate tries to get a low flat rate without providing any information about the job.  This cannot be done. It is important to know the size of the room and what is required to correct the issues. In other words, what caused the bubbles?