Top 10 Best Products for Flooring Contractors
Flooring contractors usually deal with a wide range of materials and tools. If you don’t keep up with the options, you just never know what you could be missing. We’re not saying this is the final word on the top 10 best products for flooring contractors, but it’s definitely a start.
Be Mindful of the Knees
Until your business gets big enough to get you off the floor, your knees are your livelihood. You can struggle by with off-the-shelf kneepads, but for hours at a time they are point-loading the weight right on your kneecaps. Your body is a little bit different from the next person’s, so going the custom route makes good sense. Check out ProKnee to get custom fitted with kneepads that distribute your body weight across the length of the pad, reduce stress on the knee joint, and come with straps that won’t cut off the circulation to your legs.
Knowledge is Power
Before you fully develop skills, you need knowledge. That’s where The National Tile Contractors Association comes in. The organization offers a full range of training opportunities from online to workshops. There are 39 courses alone in the NTCA University’s Online Courses, and besides the basics of tile installation they cover business management topics like customer service, entrepreneurship and safety. There are many other knowledge products rounding out the association’s offerings.
Conquer Those Noses
Running carpeting on stair nosing keeps you standing on your head and wearing out your hands and wrists. But, a simple tool like the stair claw will make the job a lot easier. You hook the gripper teeth into the carpet just above the nosing, push down on the handle and pop in a staple through one of the cut outs on the underside of the tool.
A Powerhouse for Big Tile
Commercial tile jobs are notorious for large format tiles. Not only are they hard to handle, but, they’re also hard to cut. The Rodia 75 Spider has a built-in roller system to make it easier to place and remove tile. It cuts up to 28-inch tile, at thicknesses to 7/8-inch, and does it with 4,400 pounds of breaking power. You can score and break with one hand, and you have full flexibility in where you choose to place, score and cut on the tile surface.
Save Your Back
Although you’d like to avoid it, sometimes there’s no avoiding having to move furniture, boxes and appliances. These 48″ EZ Moves give you a lot of flexibility while making the task easier. They have foam on the top side to prevent slippage, and a slick underside to reduce friction. If you get the optional pull straps, you won’t be disappointed.
Power for Undercutting
For remodel work it takes a few specialized cutting devices to get a trim look on the finished floor. The Crain 812 Super Saw Kit is a workhorse for all those undercutting chores. Whether cutting flush to the floor for vinyl along the walls, or removing an inch from the bottom of a door, this saw has the power and precision you need. You get full inside corner cuts, and it has a vacuum attachment so you can save on cleanup time.
Help With Straight Cuts
Track saws have been around a long time, and besides being one of the best options for cutting sheet goods, track saws come in really handy for making those long cuts on laminates and hardwoods. You can get tracks to match the lengths of material you’re dealing with, and because you can preset the plunge depth on the saw you won’t cut material you don’t have to, or don’t want to. The bonus is accuracy. You’ll have dead-on straight cuts.
Simplify Measuring
If there’s a trade that spends a lot of time dealing with math it’s the flooring trade, And, what feeds the math are measurements. You can simplify that process with a laser measuring device. Turn it on, aim it at the far wall and press a button. It records the distance accurate to 1/16-inch over 100 feet.
Concrete Artistry
An artist lurks inside every flooring contractor, so, why not get artistic and make it pay off. Concrete etching can add a new product to your line while providing a needed artistic outlet. To help out with that, is the latest in the Mongoose lineup. It’s the Mongoose3 decorative concrete engraver. It has 10,000 RPMs, a profile that makes it easy to follow chalk lines, and you can attach a vacuum to it to avoid the dust.
Banish Moisture Issues
If you’ve received the go-ahead to install flooring on a concrete surface that has high moisture, and there’s no way you can delay until conditions are better, you have the option of using a surface-applied treatment. Most are liquids you apply over the concrete. But, a new option from TRAXX comes on a roll, and the manufacturer claims it is the ”first peel and stick moisture barrier of its kind.“ You can install many types of materials on it, and it suppresses water vapor emissions up to 99% R.H.
Do you use a product you can’t do without? Let us know by leaving a comment!
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