Tips For Top Repairs

I was reminiscing the other day, like you do when you get to a certain age, when your mind wanders back into the distant past to a time that seemed better, brighter and full of promise. When the summers were warmer and dryer and winters were colder and snowier. When an occasional daffodil coming out in January meant that they were a bit early rather than being heralded by the harbingers of doom as yet another sign that the world was going to self destruct. Happy days?

Anyway, I got to thinking - sorry reminiscing - about my early floor laying days and one job in particular. As an apprentice at the age of 17, I was given the job of repairing damaged thermo plastic tiles in an office block in Manchester. The block was 20 or so storeys high and had damaged tiles on every floor so there was plenty to keep me going for weeks. I had a little lock up where everything for the job was stored and each morning after catching the number 15 bus into town, I would load up my little truck with tiles and adhesive and spend the day trundling around the building completing the repairs.

Successful and effective repairs to a contemporary flooring system can extend its life for many years. It’s worth remembering that a repair which is poorly carried out achieves nothing and usually takes as long as doing it properly.

This is always assuming, of course, that you’re given enough time and you know how to do it in the first place. Many repairs fail quickly after completion often due to a lack of understanding by the client of how long things take and not enough time being allowed. Sometimes repairs are trafficked or abused before adhesives have had time to cure, or welding is too weak due to adhesive contamination of the joints.

Often, if a repair is to incorporate the use of a smoothing compound, it must be allowed to dry thoroughly before fixing the flooring to it as obviously the adhesive can’t perform properly otherwise and the screed will not fully harden.

Kitchen floors are perhaps the most challenging to repair. Normally they will be dirty, greasy and in most cases very little time is given to carry out the repair to the standard needed to contend with the rigors of everyday kitchen life.

So here’s my unofficial guide to carrying out successful repairs:

1. Always cut out all loose material and remove.
2. Remove all degraded adhesive, particularly if affected by water, and allow thorough drying.
3. Clearly state the time needed before you start work so everybody knows where they stand.
4. Use the correct adhesive for the job.
5. Learn to say no if something isn’t feasible.
6. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes - if you’re not allowed to carry out the work to the standard you know you can and should achieve, use them.

This article first appeared in the June 2007 edition of the CFJ.