60-Second Interview: Anthony and Lizzie Homewood

From crazy golf to the London headquarters of a Swedish bank, it couldn’t get more varied for Anthony and Lizzie. But where did it all start and what does the future hold for the flooring industry? let’s find out…

Name: Anthony and Lizzie Homewood

Age: 56 and 52

Company: Gowland Carpets

Job Titles: Partners

How did you get into the flooring industry?

Anthony: I started at 15 and went straight into an apprenticeship and learned the hard way by getting told off when I didn’t do things exactly as I was told.

Lizzie: After we got married 25 years ago, we went into retail and founded our own shop. I ran the behind the scenes operations, but I didn’t really enjoy that, so I went into contracts and learned on the job. I was a musician before, and I considered studying further in California, but it was too expensive.

What’s been the biggest change in the industry over the past ten years?

Anthony: For me, there has been changing attitudes to how quickly people expect jobs to be completed. When costs can’t be cut elsewhere, they look to undertake jobs that would once have taken 16 weeks in 12. Products have evolved alongside this, so you have smoothing compounds that set in 45 minutes, for example.

Lizzie: When I started, there were very few women working in flooring, so I was the odd one out. This has improved massively. Also, ‘health and safety’ used to be a swear word. This has also got much better.

Looking forwards, what do you think will be the biggest change in the next ten years?

Lizzie: The way I see it, everything will be geared towards being more environmentally responsible, including reducing waste by making products and packaging more recyclable. I can also see AI being used to project manage large sites to avoid challenges that come from lots of trades working alongside each other.

Anthony: I agree with that. I can’t see that processes can get much quicker, so change will be governed by the need to limit the industry’s environmental impact.

What’s the best job you’ve been on?

Anthony: I like the crazy golf courses that we’ve been working on regularly recently. The atmosphere is relaxed, you’re working with professional artists, and it takes skill to realise their vision. Their imagination is limitless.

Lizzie: I’d say the most interesting ones are where there are bespoke designs, like when we installed carpet tiles in various colours and shapes at the headquarters of Handelsbanken in London. It’s more challenging than straightforward carpet or vinyl installations. That means that it’s also more satisfying. 

And what’s the worst?

Anthony: For me, it was a large project in a temple, also in London. It was a really condensed timescale, and there was rubbish everywhere, and we had to clear it up before we could make a start.

Lizzie: It was in London, about 10 years ago, on a large site. I was the only woman there, working with about 100 men. I felt a bit like an animal in a zoo. I refused to continue with that.

Do you have a go-to product for certain jobs?

Anthony: In the summer, we do lots of work in schools involving installations over large areas, so Stopgap 1200 is a go-to for those for its reliability and suitability for application over different subfloor types. Styccobond F48 PLUS is a favourite of mine for LVT, as are F44 or F46 for sheet vinyl. I have been called ‘the yellow bucket man’ as I’ve used them all my career.

Lizzie: We also use subfloor repair and finishing products, like Stopgap 400, regularly.

What do you like best about the job?

Anthony: The people make the job. We’ve met loads of interesting people over the years, and you pick up lifelong friends along the way. We also have some great memories of working at prestigious locations over the years, such as Wentworth Golf Club and Laithwaites wines.

Lizzie: I like looking back at great jobs and the satisfaction that you get with that.

What is your least favourite thing about the job?

Anthony: The same thing that makes the job great: people. You see the best and worst of people. Lizzie has always been the one to negotiate our way around sites so that we can do what we need to do. She could’ve been a diplomat for the UN. 

Lizzie: Yes, some people are better team players than others. You learn who to avoid. It makes the job.