Don't you just love laminate flooring (not)

[ProDave]

One of the jobs at a rented house today was to try and fish a cable through for a new storage heater.

Laminate flooring in living room, kitchen and hall.

The best I could think of was drill down (blind) through the floor and send my fish wire down and hope I could find it in the access trap in the meter cupboard 10 feet away.

Just as the drill broke through bad day explode downstairs ring final now off.

Yes, because I was drilling blind, I drilled right through one leg of the downstairs ring that must have been clipped to the side of the joist.

So now I'm rather committed to pulling two cables through, one for the storage heater, and one to replace that leg of the ring that I've just drilled through.

It took 2 hours to get the fish tape through, with the tenant helping. Had I not needed to get a cable through I would have given up and told them it was impossible without lifting the laminate flooring.

So all worked out in the end. Cable for heater in, and ring repaired.

Because it was me that broke the ring, I knocked an hour off the labour charge so they were not paying for my time to connect the new leg and test it, as it wasn't their fault.

I just wonder what the rest of you do when you mess up. Do you put it right at your own cost, or just keep quiet that you messed up and charge for putting it right again? (I couldn't do that as the tenant witnessed the bad day explode )

It's made me re think laminate flooring. Perhaps next time I won't put myself in that position, and simply say they need to send a floorer round to lift the laminate flooring for me and put it back after I have finished.

 

[steptoe]

drilling blind!!!!

I try to drill almost through, then knock the last bit out with a hammer and old screwdriver,

doesnt always work though, but, I have been lucky so far, and not hit any cables or pipes,

did screw through a gas pipe once when putting floorboards back down mind, :|

as for telling the customer, I think you did right by knocking some of the time, its a 50/50, they put you in the position of trying to save them some money by not having the floor lifted,

might be an idea to tell them in future that this drilling blind is at their own risk if they dont want to get the floor lifted.

 

[kerching]

Laminate flooring or 'future firewood' is the work of the devil and all his little cohorts... :coat

 

[ProDave]

Laminate flooring or 'future firewood' is the work of the devil and all his little cohorts... :coat

Speaking as a log stove user, laminate is of no use whatsoever as firewood. If removed it's just something to clog up landfill sites with.

 

[Sidewinder]

Not round here they don't let it go to landfill!

 

[batty]

I hate fishing had to get two SWA's through an outside wall across a utility room under the floor and through another wall into cupboard under the stairs. Didn't want to take utility flooring up as it had vinyl down so fished for a couple of hours but amazingly got a rod through. Think it must have gone through about four herrinbone walls but they only had small parts of the bricks missing not a good start to the job but got there in the end.

 

[kerching]

I hate fishing had to get two SWA's through an outside wall across a utility room under the floor and through another wall into cupboard under the stairs. Didn't want to take utility flooring up as it had vinyl down so fished for a couple of hours but amazingly got a rod through. Think it must have gone through about four herrinbone walls but they only had small parts of the bricks missing not a good start to the job but got there in the end.

Super rod have some fairly funky accessories that have got me out of the carp many times!...just thought....'Carp fishing'!, No?, well I thought it was mildly amusing............... :coat

 

[batty]

I did have a bendy end on the rods but unfortunately it got broke off in the process of getting the rods through in the first place think I also lost a couple of rods too.

 

[Zeespark]

Would the vide-cam part of the rod set not have helped if you have one Batty?

AndyGuinness

 

[batty]

I am not that technical but probably would if I had one.

 

[Zeespark]

Plumbers use that technology a lot now apparently.

AndyGuinness

 

[kerching]

I have B^M Cam , but it is not the super rod version. Just one with a 0.4m flexi arm. Excellent bit of kit when you need it, though but!... :coat