In everything done in business, and life for that matter, it is important to have a plan. At least one should know what they want to accomplish as an end result and consider what must be done to achieve the final objective.
We’ll sight two cases where, with one, planning was not done properly and with the other it was. You’ll see that the lack of a plan created havoc, frustration, cost overruns and bad feelings. You’ll also see where planning had everyone going in the same direction with shared and contributed information that will result in a very successful project.
The first case involved a large addition to a church that had several different colors of two styles of carpet from two different manufacturers. One of the carpets had a geometric pattern that would be installed in open areas that necessitated angles be used. The project was being worked on with the church and a designer. The products were chosen by the fairly large and reputable design firm. The flooring contractor was a local firm that was experienced with large commercial projects and one of their key markets was churches. The flooring contractor had the plans to the job and figured out his scope of work and costs relative to the areas requiring floor covering. He never saw the products he was going to install because that information was never shared with him and unfortunately he never asked. He received the first order of carpet from one of the manufacturers that was a multi colored textured loop style. Since this product was being used in corridors it offered little challenge to layout and installation and presented no issues to the flooring contractor. He assumed that the balance of the carpet would be a similar product. In fact, the additional carpet was a patterned style product in three different colors. When this product arrived and the installer brought it to the job he immediately had problems laying it out. This product was supposed to form a natural break at the color changes which didn’t happen and couldn’t. The designer failed to realize that using this patterned product would prevent it from being used as anticipated. This may sound ridiculous but it is the truth.
The manufacturer had to be called in to assist these folks in making the carpet work. One of the discussions was to use solid colored fill at the joins of the patterned goods. Though this was a good idea it was not what the end user wanted. The job was held up from completion for weeks because planning was not done. There was a lack of communication from two directions. The designer did not share the product to be installed with the flooring contractor. The flooring contractor bid the job with little questioning. He was unaware that one of the products being installed was a pattern and that there were three different colors of it. This may sound absurd but it is more common than you may think. I’ll explain.
I remember attending a flooring installation contractors convention about five years ago, sitting in an installation presentation and hearing the woes of these guys about not being informed of what carpet was to be installed. Many of the attendees bid the jobs “blind” and when they finally saw the flooring product and the challenges it posed to installation they were forced to install it at a lower price than they would if they knew it was going to be difficult to work with. I was flabbergasted at this because I couldn’t imagine quoting a price for installation if I didn’t know what the product was. The flooring contractor, in the church case we’re sharing, was not in the loop of information. He didn’t know what the carpet was that he was responsible for installing. When he saw the first product he assumed the balance of the installation would be with a product that had no pattern. When he saw the patterned carpet he immediately realized that it could not be installed the way the end user and designer wanted it. Since there was no plan a wrench was thrown into the works slowing down the process and increasing the costs considerably.
In the next case of a large public facility where the existing carpet and flooring material had been installed for almost ten years, a detailed plan was devised. A large architectural/design firm was employed for this renovation project. One of the first things they did, which was very impressive, is prepare a booklet over 60 pages long that dealt with carpet replacement evaluation. It included the carpet selection criteria, all aspects of the carpet, construction details such as pile density, yarn twist, etc., in general terms but applicable to the product to eventually be used. It had floor plans, high traffic lanes, alternatives for design and layout and photographs of the existing carpet and how it looked in various areas. There was also a maintenance section, information on recycling and Leeds information. I have never seen a document so detailed in 35 years of working in this industry. It may have lacked some “technical correctness” but that could be easily dealt with. What it contained was information in a manner rarely if ever presented to a client and this was just the start.
In the first floor covering meeting for this project we met with the Vice President of facilities and a contingent of participants including the general contractor and members of his staff, members of the client’s staff, the architect in charge and myself. The vice president of facilities described his concerns and what he would like to get from the new flooring material with regard to performance, appearance retention, installation integrity and maintenance. Relative to this we looked at what was currently installed, how the installation was holding up, the “wear” on the carpet, its appearance retention, overall soiling condition, high traffic areas and changes that were going to be made in the new layout of the floor plan and traffic flow.
Having a basic plan, opening a line of communication, discussing the likes and dislikes of the current product, what is expected and desired of the new product and how best to implement the product and how to use the element of design to maintain and extend the life of the carpet are all important aspects of insuring the client gets exactly what they want and need. The next phase of the plan was bringing in the flooring contractor and exploring running line product offerings that will work for this application from manufacturers with proven track records in the specific space being renovated.
The carpet will also be used to define space and separations in the facility. A field product with a busy pattern to hide soil and traffic and bring a new, somewhat contemporary look to the space is being considered. The product itself will be a high structural integrity construction that will withstand very heavy traffic and use, continual maintenance and will lend itself to a very problem free installation. The high traffic areas will have insets of a complimentary design that can be replaced with higher frequency, four to five years for example, without having to impose on the field product. These locations could even be replaced with a different design to “freshen” the space.
The flooring contractor initially brought a number of products to our subsequent meeting to show as examples of manufacturers products that would comply with the desires of the end user and would deliver the performance necessary. His expertise and experience allowed the end user to see products that were proven in the same type of environment to work. The flooring contractor also knows exactly how the job is to be laid out, what is required of him and every other detail necessary to fulfill the contract. He made suggestions that actually relieved the end user of a concern for seam integrity, which was a challenge with their previous product. There will be no surprises the flooring contractor will have to worry about because he is an integral part of the process, a partner in conjunction with everyone else involved to insure a successful completion of the job.
Contrary to the first example where the flooring contractor knew very little about what was to be used and how he had to install the product and work with it, the second example goes the to opposite extreme. It embodies the concepts all commercial projects should in that all parties are working in unison, as a team, openly communicating and well aware of what the objective is and how it is to be accomplished. While nothing in a construction project ever goes without a hitch, especially when it comes to the floor covering, it certainly pays to have a plan that details ahead of time the floor covering part of the project.
The importance of planning on any commercial floor covering job or project is that it will eliminate guesswork, headaches, frustration and costly mistakes. It’s the professional way to do business and all parties, from the manufacturer to the maintenance contractor should be part of the process. Frankly put, when you plan everyone knows what to expect, when you don’t plan you don’t know what to expect and that is never a good thing.
Author – Lewis G. Migliore – The Commercial Flooring Report
LGM and Associates – The Floorcovering Experts