Name: Mark Grant
Age: 33
Company: Derbyshire Flooring Contractors
Job Title: Managing Director
How did you get into the flooring industry?
I got into it through my father; he’s been involved in the industry since the 1980s, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I started learning from him at a young age, and I began fully pursuing a career in flooring from 2004.
What’s been the biggest change in the industry over the past 10 years?
The lack of skilled labour. Not a lot of people know about careers in the contract flooring sector, so school leavers end up going into other trades instead.
Looking forwards, what do you think will be the biggest change in the next 10 years?
Advancements in technology. There’s been a massive change in my time, so I can only begin to imagine how the flooring industry will change through companies investing in new technology and making improvements to existing subfloor preparation products and adhesives.
What’s the worst job you’ve been on?
It was a refurbishment at a hospital in 2006. This was when carpet was being replaced with vinyl at hospitals across the country. We had a lot of wards to renovate, and back then we didn’t have the equipment to do it that we have now, so it was quite the bout of work.
And what’s the best?
Installing vinyl flooring over 1,500m² of raised access panels in a new facility for laboratories operator Tentamus Group, at Pride Park in Derby. There were no time constraints, so it meant the team could go to extra lengths to make sure that everything was absolutely flawless, and it went very smoothly.
Do you have a go-to product for certain jobs?
We tend to use a lot of Green Bag and Stopgap 1200 Pro levelling compounds. We also regularly use Styccobond F46 and Styccobond F44 adhesives.
What do you like best about the job?
The kind of work we do involves lot of maintenance projects. We’ll have a building that hasn’t been renovated in decades, and we’ll go in, completely refurbish the flooring and make the whole space look completely different. It’s really satisfying seeing a job like that when it’s finished.
What is your least favourite thing about the job?
Stress and pressure, as well as the physical nature of the work.