We employ our Flooring install teams

Higher Quality Work, Less Issues And A Better Customer Experience

Why is it good for me if Newcastle Carpet and Flooring has its own in house directly employed installation teams?

The subcontractor experience.

The standard business model of a retail flooring store is to sell the flooring, get the work and then farm it out to subcontracted installation teams. Some subcontractors are very good and do take pride in their work. I used to be one many moons ago, I am biased but I will go ahead and say, I was this type of subcontractor. Unfortunately in my experience this type of subcontractor is in the minority. Most are average at best, sorry to be brutally honest but I have seen some shocking things in my time. Things have been made worse recently as there is officially a skilled labour shortage in the flooring trade so we do have all sorts working their way in.

The main issues with subcontractors are:

They are paid by the meter or amount of material laid. This encourages rushing to get as much down as possible as quick as possible. There are teams out there with the “don’t worry about the little things, just push forward” frame of mind.

Some teams that are less than great will be hard to hold accountable for their poor quality work as they can just float to the next store and pick up more work, and they do float from store to store. This leaves the store holding the bag without anyone to properly rectify the work or rectify it at great expense. This makes it much more likely that the store will be defensive and act like the issue is “normal” or that it is not their problem. They will basically become evasive and defensive about the poor quality workmanship. Leaving you with an expensive but average looking floor.

A disconnect between store and subcontractor. So subcontractors often work for several stores at once, they might have a little job from Shop A in the morning and then pick up a half day arvo job at Shop B. All they are looking at is the plan and often very limited information on the job sheet. There is often conflict between these 2 separate business entities about payment, work not included that needs to be done for the best job etc. I can tell you that subcontractors and flooring stores do not often see eye to eye. Arguments and disagreements are common. If there is unforeseen issues during the install it can be a sticking point and I have seen many Mexican standoffs between subcontractors and flooring retailers. Does this make for a good quality installation in your home?

They are the big 3 but of course there’s also many other things to think about most of which arc back to who are you going to get in your home on the day,

Are they trade qualified?

Are they insured?

Are they trustworthy?

Are they under pressure to rush through your job?

The main advantages in dealing with Newcastle carpet and Flooring’s directly employed fully qualified tradesmen and apprentices are:

Our guys work directly for us every day and are directly under the management and quality control parameters of myself (the owner) and the installation supervisor (Kane, my extremely capable nephew). There is no lay and run mentality. They know if there is an installation issue, they will have to answer for it and be part of the immediate solution. This does promote the best quality work and minimises issues.

Our guys are not paid per meter. They are specifically told not to rush and take what time is needed to achieve a premium finish on your job. Some jobs may run a little over schedule but due to the fact that we have complete control over our 5 teams we are able to allocate more resources where required to alleviate delays and deal with unforeseen issues.

Kane and I measure, estimate and allocate what’s required to all jobs. We are also in the warehouse every morning loading up the guys, talking to them about your particular job, what to look out for, what the main concerns or possible issues we need to deal with and how can we make the job the best possible quality. This way the installers are fully informed and can take proper ownership of the job.

We stock all installation materials, glues, Masonite, levellers, ramps, trims, underlays etc in our warehouse. We also have our own, grinders, mixers, cutters, saws, welders, jackhammers, polyvac’s, commercial vacuums’, commercial fans etc. This means the correct specified materials and equipment are allocated to the specified requirements of you particular floor. Usually the subcontractor supplies this and it ends up being whatever type he has in the van will do.

Kane and I are there during the day to support the teams. If there are unforeseen issues on site Kane can and often does run materials out, we sometimes even get our hands dirty to deal with the problem on site or to stay on schedule.

Your install is fully guaranteed under the one purchase agreement. We are totally responsible for the whole lot, product and install. You wont be left chasing Jo Blogs around the country because the store has wiped their hands of it. You are fully guaranteed. If there is an issue we take responsibility for it and fully rectify the problem. Our reputation speaks for itself.

Your supporting a local business that employs local people. All of our trades and apprentices are from Newcastle and Lake Macquarie including my son Sampson 1^st year apprentice from Caves Beach.