The challenge of finding & keeping installers: Flooring Forensics

By Lew Migliore

Floorcovering has no value until it’s installed, but getting it installed—and installed correctly—is a challenge faced by every flooring dealer across the country. Installation is physically demanding work, especially when dealing with large rolls of carpet. Hard surface flooring is more expensive to install, particularly for ceramic tile materials, but is less difficult on the body because the tile comes in easier to handle boxes. However, the installation requires more time and skills. There are tradeoffs from one flooring product to another, but make no mistake, the work is difficult and takes a toll on the installer, no matter what the material.

Unfortunately the industry has treated installation as a necessary evil in many respects and has been reluctant to pay installers what they are really worth. So flooring material gets installed, but often not correctly and not necessarily according to manufacturer’s standards, resulting in dissatisfied consumers, complaints and claims.

Most floorcovering manufacturers offer training to installers for their products. Organizations such as CFI (Certified Floorcovering Installers) continually conduct installer training around the country, and INSTALL (International Standards & Training Alliance) training programs continue throughout the life of the installer. Other than CFI and INSTALL, there are no ongoing installer training programs, and only INSTALL encompasses the lifetime career of a flooring installer. An INSTALL apprentice has to successfully graduate the installation program, or they won’t get raises. However, journeymen installers have to spend their own time and money on training. Union or not, none of them are paid for training.

For nonunion installers, training usually does not affect pay, nor lend them status as a more educated installer, unfortunately all the effort expended on training is often for naught, because most dealers are unwilling to pay for higher quality installations. Most want to offer cheap installation, and then hope to make a profit on it as well.

Seasoned installers, who are worn out and can no longer compete with lower priced labor, are leaving the industry, yet the same old story of beating up the installer for the lowest prices goes on. As Pogo, the classic comic book character, says: “We have met the enemy and he is us.” What would happen if the auto dealers did the same thing with their service departments? They’d have a consumer revolt on their hands and a business model in complete disarray. They aren’t lowering labor prices, are they?

Wouldn’t you want your flooring installed by the best installers? How about marketing and advertising credentialed installers as a benefit to customers? How about selling the sizzle (installation and service) along with the steak (the flooring)? The consumers aren’t asking for low installation prices, nor do they expect them. Dealers ask for and expect low labor rates and then expect problem-free installations. This flawed thinking sabotaged the industry. Something had to give, and that something has in many cases been the exodus of experienced installers and the proliferation of unskilled amateurs.

Unfortunately, lack of respect for installers isn’t new, but some folks are beginning to realize that in order to stay in business and get flooring properly installed, changes have to be made. One such change is to treat installers as employees and another is to pay them benefits. With minimum-wage fast food workers striking for benefits, it should dawn on retailers that installers have unique skills in a specialty, and their services should be available to flooring consumers. It’s time to include installers in the business family.

The big city commercial flooring contractors understand installation issues and make provisions for their installers, most of whom are union members. There is a close relationship between labor and management in the commercial market, and in many residential markets as well. The installers who work for these flooring contractors are professional, trained to install every type of flooring material, and well compensated. Some flooring dealers may complain about this arrangement, but it works.

On the residential side, some dealers understand the advantages of a good working relationship with installers and a fair compensation policy, while others beat themselves up, wrestling with installation issues and the revolving door of installation labor. And lest you fret over free or cheap installation by big box stores, please understand that nothing is free. The fees are built into the costs of the material. Have you gone to these places to price flooring? I did so for a project, and the lowest prices and easiest and most pleasant experience came from an independent dealer.

It might be to a dealer’s benefit to consider hiring the installers as employees. Send them to training programs, pay them benefits and then ask them to work in tandem with the salespeople, so everyone is on the same page. That’s a concept you can market as unique, and the dealers that recognize it and implement it are going to control the market—they’ll get the good installers and their business will grow. Those who don’t will continue to face headaches.

Print the Article