Tilers on tour at Schlüter Systems HQ!

In the summer of 2012 I had looked into booking the 4 training course modules that Schlüter Systems offer at their UK headquarters in Coalville, Leicestershire. I was keen on furthering my knowledge of their vast product range & very interested in getting hands on training with their BECKOTEC-THERM underfloor heating system. I was also keen to take part in the training course modules to take advantage of becoming one Schlüter's registered installers. With a booked up diary & no free time looming I put the idea on hold. Sometime in december there was rumblings on Twitter via a few of my now Twitter tiling amigos that there was a possible road trip to Schlüter to undertake the training modules. So I sent a tweet to @Stewart_ & @mitchelltiling to see if I could tag along depending on dates & schedules! Within a week of liaising via twitter with Stewart at SPM Design & Kevin at Mitchell tiling, the dates were booked in the diary, Schlüter had kindly organised the 4 course modules to be put back to back over 2 days rather than the usual 4 days to accommodate the northern contingent! To top it off I received an email from Stewart who had orchestrated the trip that Schlüter had paid for our hotel costs & transfer to & from the course along with all required travel information & training agenda. I thought that it was a wind up for sure but to my surprise it was not & it was only the start of Schlüter's generosity & hospitality. 

Throughout the various Twitter conversations & banter whilst organising the trip I coined the hash tag #tilersontour which I am taking credit for as well as copyright & the rest is history!!! 

A month later myself & Bill aka 'Dad' or 'Mad Bill' or 'Crackerjack' had finished a days graft & the time was upon us to break out the new Snickers work trousers & Nyc Ceramics t-shirts, throw the holdalls in the back of the van & hit the motorway Leicestershire bound to finally put the faces to the names & meet the lads. After a blustery journey down to Leicestershire we arrived to find Stewart from SPM Design (Dunfermline), Kevin from Mitchell Tiling (Orkney), Joe from Hillhead Tiling Services (Armagh) & Jamie from JC Tiling (Fife) tucked up in the hotel bar nursing pints of stella & predictably geeking out regarding anything & everything tile related! A couple of cheeky ones were put away before last orders & the arrangements for the morning were confirmed before hitting the hay.

Builders brews & breakfasts devoured, the transport that Schlüter had kindly
organised was waiting for us at reception, ready for the short trip to the headquarters in Coalville. We were welcomed by Andrew Curry & his team upon arriving with the following introductions & a brew. The staff were very friendly & accommodating from the minute we arrived.
The theory based sessions were presented in a relaxed environment but very 
informative at the same time. There was great interaction between us all & the staff throughout allowing us to ask questions along the way regarding the product, installation & theory. Throughout the 2 days we had the opportunity to handle numerous samples from Schlüters vast product range with familiar products such as Ditra membrane & numerous tile trims. To go hand in hand with the theory sessions there was the practical sessions where we all could get hands on with the product & install a range of products in a working environment. This was excellent as I was most looking forward to this as its the best way to learn the process & gives you the confidence to install the products in a working environment on site. Credit to Andrew & his team as they had to squeeze 4 courses into 2 days & they did a great job keeping it interesting & informative at all times.

I was glad I finally attended the Schlüter Systems training modules in these circumstances as it meant I got to finally meet some of the most highly skilled & knowledgeable tilers in the British Isles. It was a bit odd travelling down thinking how the 2 days would pan out having not met any of the lads before other than Bill but #tilersontour was an instant success & some quality banter was had all round. I will leave the "unions'' debate between Bill & Stewart for another blog post! It was also great to meet up with Dave Carr from the Tiling Forum on the first night & Lee Simpkin of Tile Town who took the time to show us all around the Alvaston showroom & thank you for the hospitality. 

If anyone is debating going on any the courses Schlüter offer do not leave it as long as I did, get them booked! Again, a big thank you to Schlüter & all the staff at Bardon 22 for their time & hospitality.

As #tilersontour was a resounding success keep your eye out for our our latest trip #tilersontour2 & trade magazine publications of our trip to Schlüter over the coming months!

Photo courtesy of Schlüter-Systems. Left to right: Bill (MadBill), Andrew Curry, Karl, Jamie, Kevin, Stewart (Moby) & Joe.

Blog enteries are like buses!

Well, after 13 months of trying to get my Blogger & Google accounts back up & running after it got hacked, Nyc Ceramics is back!

A lot has happened over the last year, firstly I have gone into partnership with a good friend that I have known since my junior football days. My new business partner is Bill Jackson who managed our Sunday league team whilst playing alongside his son. Teaming up with Bill who brings 35 years of experience & knowledge in the building trade has propelled the expansion of the business. This has changed the dynamics of the business as we have now expanded our services which include, extensions & new development projects. With the addition of two in house architects, collectively we can also extend our services further to include planning application packages, building regulations packages, 3D modelling & visualisations, sustainable design solutions & project management.

In time we will be updating & tweaking the website & social media streams to showcase our new direction but not forgetting our expertise in tiling, bathroom & kitchen installations which the company continues to produce stunning results.

Keep an eye out for up coming posts featuring the tweeting tilers on tour at Schlüter Systems HQ, our new contemporary kitchen range, a couple of our latest bathrooms & the outcome of North Trafford Athletics 2012/2013 season!

Nyc Ceramics sponsors North Trafford Athletics F.C.

During the summer I was asked if I would be interested in sponsoring a local under 12's junior football team by a good friend of mine that I have known for many years. My friends son has played for the team for a number of years & I also used to play for the same club in my heyday from the age of 7 through to 15.

I have great memories from my time playing for the club which started out originally as Urmstonian's F.C. when I first joined which then changed to North Trafford F.C. & then Trafford F.C. a couple of years later before being renamed under its current name North Trafford Athletic F.C. I could not wait to get involved after being approached & after a couple of meetings with the club we had organised a new strip & training tops in the clubs new colours sponsored by myself - Nyc Ceramics. Below are a couple of photos of the football shirt & training top!

Van sign writing & branding!

After several busy months I have finally had time to sit down & update the blog, so here goes! Back in August I had had a few designs drawn up by Digital Revolution a local company based in sale. I finally narrowed the designs down to 3 & then asked for peoples feedback on which design they preferred & why. After collating every ones feedback I decided to go with design 2 with a few minor tweaks. Please see below the finished product which looks fantastic, great job by the lads at Digital Revolution!

Sign writing for Nyc Ceramics new van?

I recently purchased a new(er) van as the business has out grown the old trusty VW Caddy, it has seen some serious action over the years! I have had several designs made up by a local company in Sale, Manchester called Digital Revolution. I have narrowed it down to just three designs so please take a look at the design images below & feel free to let me know which design you like best & why? The sign writing will hopefully be done within the next few weeks, so I will post some pictures of the chosen design! FYI the lettering in design 3 needs to be centralised in the upper panels.

C.P. HART Summer Sale Manchester

Check out the latest summer sale at C.P. HART Manchester, they are offering up to 50% off selected items from 27th June until 27th August 2011.

Treat your bathroom or cloakroom to a luxury mid-year makeover with decorative accessories, cutting edge brassware and statement bathroom suites, or prepare your home against the chill of winter, with deep well bath tubs, spa-style shower enclosures, complemented perfectly with our luxury toiletries.

If your planning a new bathroom, wet room or cloak room in the near future why don't you call in to the Manchester showroom and take a look first hand at the mesmerising & beautiful displays or have a peruse on the website or alternatively you can call myself  on 07977 984 550 or email me at
nyc-ceramics@hotmail.com for further details and contact details of C.P. HART sales representatives.

www.cphart.co.uk



Tile & Stone Journal - Alan Reynolds Article

Work has been unbelievably busy since my last blog hence the lack of updates. The other evening I heard my wife call out from the lounge, "Has Alan Reynolds written an article about you in the latest Tile & stone Journal?", " Very funny, you do have a point though come to think of it!" was my reply. A great article that looks at us tilers from a distance, when I read the article again myself I thought, "Yep, that sounds like myself and several other tilers and tradesmen I know". So, due to the British weather my days exterior tiling work has been rained off, so I thought I would use the time to blog about the below article.

Tile & Stone Journal - Alan Reynolds

When it comes to health and safety issues, I like to think I'm pretty conscientious. I have seen way to many accidents over the years to be lax about such things. Having said that, there is one affliction unique to fixers for which there is no suitable protective gear or best practise guidelines. You are literally on your own when it comes to this condition.

I am talking, of course, about 'tiler's syndrome', that embarrassing complaint that can strike without warning; an ailment that has nothing to do with shot knees or a bad back, quite the contrary. Its a little known malady that manifests itself on an emotional level rather than the physical and usually appears later on in a fixer's life when its far too late to consider a career change.

A friend of mine, now retired, with whom it has been my privileged to work with on numerous occasions, succumbed to this debilitating disease literally in front of my eyes. One moment we were happily laying travertine in a huge conservatory/kitchen; the next thing I knew he had morphed into this scary 'Mr hyde' character and was standing toe to toe with the customer.

I watched in horror as he ranted and raved about refusing to compromise his artistic integrity. Apparently the customer was considering dividing the two rooms with a slate border, laying the travertine 'brick-bond' in the kitchen and diagonally in the conservatory. 'It's going to look a pigs ear!' barked my friend. 'There's no way my name is going to be associated with a botch up like that' - or words to that effect. Personally I couldn't see the problem - different strokes and all that - but my friend was incandescent with rage and, gathering up his gear, stormed off the job leaving me to pacify the customer.

Maybe its the stress associated with the strict time constraints or the intricate nature of the work or perhaps its the fact that we are always expected to rectify other peoples shoddy workmanship. Whatever the reason, my friend's breakdown threw it into perspective similar incidents I've witnessed over the years involving fixers who snapped for no apparent reason - all well respected tradesmen at the top of their game.

Throwing tantrums seems to be very much a fixer thing and who can blame us when you consider what we have to put up with. What with plumbers cracking tiles when fitting sanitary ware, plasters producing works of art rather level surfaces and painters who insist on giving newly tiled walls and floors a coat of emulsion. The truth of the matter is that, when it comes to really losing the plot, nobody does it with as much panache as a tiler. They don't call us prima-donnas for nothing. AR.

www.tileandstonejournal.com