By Matthew Spieler
Whether it’s a residential or commercial job, just about everyone involved in flooring knows installation is one of, if not the single most important part of the entire process.

One of the biggest factors to ensure a floor covering is properly installed, is to have the correct tools for the job. And by most accounts, today’s tool manufacturers are doing their part in providing the necessary equipment to help installers do their jobs easier and safer. If anything, those involved on the installation side say these innovations do not get used enough because most installers are still not educated enough to know or care about them, or they cannot afford to make the investment— even though in the long run they could save money and wear and tear on their bodies.

“We have found there are two basic kinds of installers— those who are always looking for a better way to do something, and those who want to stick to the old ways,” said Jeff Van Horne, president of Lam- Hammer.

Invented by Van Horne, the Lam-Hammer, which now comes in four models, was created to replace the pull bar for laminate and wood floors. “It virtually eliminates damage to walls, cabinets or floor surfaces while saving a significant amount of time,” he explained. The problem? “We have found it a challenge to get people to try it. Once an installer tries one, he’s sold, but…”

Jim Walker, CEO of the International Certified Floorcovering Installers Association (CFI), agreed with Van Horne’s assessment and added, “Overall, the tool companies are giving us what we need. The problem is getting installers to use them. How many power stretchers are out there, and we’re still begging people to use them? Gundlach is doing a good job, in that its seam sealer tubes are innovative and they do work. It’s just a matter of getting people to utilize these products.”

Roland Thompson, assistant manager of Kean’s Carpet One in Frederick, Md., and a 36-year veteran of the installation trade, said in the last four years manufacturers started to catch up on technology and market tools with benefits for the installer.

“I’ve seen a good many tools in all types and quality,” he added. “Just look at nailers. They can do so much more and are a lot easier on the mechanic. You can now stand, which eliminates back issues. Hitting the trigger has gotten a whole lot easier. You used to have to wallop it; now, you just tap it so there is less stress on shoulders and hands.”

According to manufacturers, installers will use the newer products, which today are designed to be ergonomically correct and easier to use, thus preserving the installer’s health, if they are exposed to them.

Ted Killpack, national sales manager of Taylor Tools, which recently introduced the Carpet Tearor, noted, “Since we started showing it, the demand has been great. The guys that have seen it fall in love with it almost immediately.”

Designed to make carpet pull up easier than doing it by hand, the Carpet Tearor incorporates the Archimedean principle of first- class leverage to help installers quickly and easily take-up and remove carpet in places where noisy machines are not allowed. “It turns a large, back-breaking, glue-down tear-up into a fast, easy, one-man operation,” he explained. “It is also far less expensive and safer than a cable puller.”

John Maddy, sales manager of Carpet Shims, which just introduced its Super Shims to help solve extreme transition height problems, agreed that as word spreads about how good a product is, more installers start gravitating to it.

“Carpet Shims is continuing to grow as word gets out about our product,” he explained. “Recently, there was an article written in Handyman Magazine about Carpet Shims, and we literally received hundreds of calls from people needing our product to solve their transition problem. Carpet Shims have been on the market for the past seven years, and a comment we hear on a regular basis is ‘I only wish I would have come up with this idea.’”

Expensive proposition

Coming up with an idea for a tool is one thing, developing a working prototype is another, and getting it to market is yet another. Getting a new idea mass produced and then carried by enough distributors to make it worthwhile is a very costly proposition. One that most tool inventors cannot afford and most manufacturers will not risk.

“Everyday I see some great innovations and ideas,” Walker said, “but the problem is getting them to market. In most cases by the time a tool gets to the distributor, the person who invented it made no money, so most people don’t even bother trying to get their creations marketed.”

He pointed to some of the new cutting tools he’s come across recently. “There are some new blades that are ergonomically correct, easy to use and safer for the installer, but they are not on the market. Why?”

On the production and distribution side, Walker noted, “Manufactures and distributors don’t want to take the chance, especially in today’s market as they are hurting too. Plus, unless it’s an earth-shaking product, they don’t want to disrupt everything. It’s an expensive proposition to bring something to market.”

For the tools that do make it to market, the question then becomes, can the installer afford it? “For properly trained installers they have lots of tools—and good ones,” he added. “Whether the installer is making enough money to buy the tools, is another story.”

Walker called out KoolGlide as “one of the best tools out there to me. But not enough people and distributors have warmed up to it because it is a big investment. But it is one that pays for itself.”

Thompson said cost is certainly a factor. “That’s where manufacturers have to decide is it better to make it more available with less of a profit or keep it to where only a small amount of people can buy it. If they want it to be used more in the market, they need to lower the price. Especially in today’s market. If there is a cost difference for an alternative tool, the installer will stick with the one he has.”

Lam-Hammer’s Van Horne added, “What surprised us most was that the manufacturers of flooring are not interested in selling good installation tools and do not care about damaged product.”

Others in the industry echoed this sentiment and speculated the reasoning behind this is if the installer ruins a job, more flooring will need to be purchased.

No retail help

“More surprising still,” he added, “is that very few flooring retailers will buy tools for their installers—even though it’s a kind of insurance policy against damage.”

If the installer damages a wall or a cabinet, it’s the [dealer’s] problem, and he’ll have to get it fixed, Van Horne added. “Nevermind the customer is inconvenienced—or that she won’t remember the installer’s name: she will just tell her friends not to buy flooring from that particular store.”

Walker agreed: “Most retailers today do not assist in providing tools even though they insist on a professional installation.” He added it also has to do with Mrs. Consumer not being properly educated on what needs to be done for a proper installation.

“Her perception is if the carpet is flat and the fuzzy side is up it’s OK. And that’s a major problem,” he explained. “She doesn’t know what a professional installation job looks like so that there will be no problems with the floor a little while later.”

One way to solve this, Walker offered, is for the flooring mills to take installation seriously. “They need to say their products must be installed by a qualified installer. I’m not saying a CFI installer, just a qualified one. There are a bunch of great training programs out there, so it could be CFI, union, or whatever, so long as they are properly trained on the product to be installed.”

Advancing the trade

In addition to providing a way to do a professional installation, two of the main reasons for creating new tools and methods is to make the work of the installer both easier and safer.

Thompson agreed that manufacturers are more safety conscious when making tools. He pointed to today’s saws as an example. “There are lots of safety items built in so they are not as receptive to kickbacks and boards flying in your face or cutting off your fingers. Look at what Festtool has done—set it on rollers to make it easier to pull back and forth, which also means less stress on the body.”

He noted other items such as knives are now designed with quick change features, easier blade storage, easily retractable, and the grips now fit in the hand correctly. Even the tucking tools have been made to be easier to work with and cause less damage to walls.”

Thompson went so far as to point out the advances in seaming tapes. “They don’t have the odor and smoke like they used to. Who knows what kind of damage has been done to installers’ lungs over the years. Now we don’t have to worry.”

When it comes to using technology, “we find tools like the pull bar hopelessly antiquated,” Van Horne said. “Other companies are trying to find a replacement for the pull bar, but so far none, in our opinion, can compete with the simplicity of design, quality of material and ease of use of the Lam-Hammer.”

Maddy added, “Installers love using Carpet Shims because we solve their transition problems, quickly and economically. We just received a call from a flooring company needing a transition to cover a 1-3/4-inch rise, and we solved his problem. He was extremely pleased with our recommendations.”

As the CEO of CFI, Walker noted, “My job is to help installers find the best solutions out there to help them not only do a professional job, but save money and their health in the process.”

This means he is constantly on the lookout for new and innovative tools. “One of the biggest items for an installer is having to nail the tack strip into concrete without hitting the base. The tools and supplies needed for this can be very expensive, not to mention hard to use. We found the perfect solution—a urethane thermoplastic glue stick. In 10 minutes you can start stretching carpet off the tack strip. This can really save guys time, money and energy. Plus it’s much easier and faster to train someone on how to use it. To me, as an installer, this is earth shaking. But why is it not readily available?”

While there are still obstacles in getting installers to understand the benefits of today’s tools as well as getting the right tools out there Thompson, like Walker, feels the industry overall is doing a good job.

“Overall manufacturers have looked at what installers are going through and are listening to our needs before designing new products,” he concluded. “Installation is still a very strenuous job, but they’ve been doing what they can to make it easier for us.”