THE Academy for Excellence in Flooring is the perfect place to brush-up those self-taught skills and learn the quickfire tips and tricks that will turn you into a flooring expert from the industry’s very best.
There’s no doubt the flooring industry has its fair share of self-taught installers, many of whom have racked up many years, if not decades, of successful work. However, that’s not to say there’s no room to improve and even the most battle-hardened installer can learn a thing or two at the academy. In fact, a course at the academy can be a way to unlock even more business and tackle those jobs previously thought out of reach.
Lee Thompson, technical manager at the academy, explains more: ‘We often find self-taught installers will be wary about complicated jobs or simply just avoid them altogether. At best this is somewhat deflating for confidence and at worst it is damaging to business. Taking a course at the academy is a way that they can gain skills and make sure they are ready for any challenge.’
Take stairs for example, a notoriously problematic topic for wood, laminate, and LVT floors. Even measuring them can cause problems. Taking the errors out of tape measures and overcoming the curves that defeat stair spiders, the academy teaches a simple way to get the perfect measurements on all shapes and sizes of stairs, every time.
It’s getting these details right that’s often the difference between a first-class job and a disaster that seems never to go away.
The academy also teaches how to fix problems, so that experienced self-taught installers can become the expert of the moment, fixing the problems that others simply can’t. Teaching how to replace a single damaged plank whether it be laminate, LVT, or even nailed down solid, rather than having to remove skirtings and lift the entire floor; is just one example of how a course at the academy will turn you into a flooring superhero.
‘A damaged plank will often see installers break out in a sweat, but that really need not be the case,’ continues Lee. ‘We’ve a record of seven-and-a-half minutes for taking out and replacing a nailed down solid wood board – the worst kind of floor to have damaged during an installation. The principles are the same no matter what floor, so with the worst-case scenario in the bag, installers can tackle a similar situation with complete confidence.’
If you want to become one of the country’s flooring experts, then head to the academy website to check out its range of training courses.
www.quick-step-academy.co.uk
