Name: Jason Pinder
Age: 35
Company: Nova Flooring, Cardiff
Job Title: Flooring Operations Manager
How did you get into the flooring industry?
I fell into it, completely by accident! Having studied Fine Art, Sculpture, I worked in the visual arts industry for a few years, making and exhibiting Sculpture, installing exhibitions and organising events.
An opportunity for some extra work came up when I was asked to help my friend’s brother-in-law, Craig, at Nova Flooring for a couple of days. Which turned into a few weeks. Which then turned into a few months. And five years later, I’m still here.
What’s been the biggest change in the industry over the past five years?
I would like to think that people are starting to think more long term in terms of where products are coming from and how long they are going to last.
The market is also (slowly) becoming more environmentally aware. I know that F. Ball have been making their packaging more sustainable, with the buckets and bottles recycling scheme. Also, the products themselves are safer; we know that if customers ask, we can inform them with confidence that there’s nothing harmful in the products. Though, they’re usually more worried about the effect on their cat or dog than themselves!
Looking forwards, what do you think will be the biggest change in the next five years?
Hopefully much less plastic. The industry is heavily reliant on plastics: plastic packaging, plastic-based vinyl. I would like to think that we’ll start seeing more alternatives coming into play.
What’s the best job you’ve been on?
We recently completed a new showroom at The Flooring Studio, Treforest Industrial Estate (just outside of Cardiff). I particularly enjoyed laying the high end LVT in a range of patterns from the traditional Herringbone and Box weave to some really different, more contemporary, designs.
There’s nothing more satisfying to me than completing a job with a really high quality product in a nice complicated design.
And what’s the worst?
Turning up to a new build estate in winter, having to traipse through a swamp to get to a job, only to find the house still doesn’t have windows!
Do you have a go-to product for certain jobs?
We’re really enjoying the new Styccobond F58 PLUS adhesive – it grabs really well, which enables us to get on with laying floorcoverings, and they don’t fly about, so it’s very handy for all our herringbone LVT jobs.
Stopgap 1200 Pro is our bread-and-butter levelling compound – we use it for almost everything. It’s not the cheapest on the market, but it’s great for peace of mind! You know it’ll still be stuck to the floor when you go back the next day!
What do you like best about the job?
Being in different places and not stuck behind a desk. I really enjoy having a practical job that offers something different every day – one week you’re on a domestic job for a lovely old lady who brings you tea and biscuits. The next, you’ll be on a manic building site, going hell for leather. Either way, at the end of it all, you can stand back and see a great result and it gives me a lot of satisfaction.
What is your least favourite thing about the job?
It’s a tricky one. It’d probably have to be the state of my hands, though that’s probably my girlfriend’s least favourite thing about the job, really!