While on a four-hour flight to Portland recently, I brought along some reading materials: an old FCI (Floor Covering Installer) magazine dated October, 2017. One article that caught my attention was by Editorial Director, Jon Namba. Jon was exploring the problem of the ongoing labor shortage that was affecting the flooring industry – in 2017. Fast forward to 2025. We have not yet cured the problem. In fact, it may be growing.
I’ve been in the tile and flooring trade for over 54 years. First, as a helper at age 13 during weekends and summer break. At age 67, I am still at it. Being in a trade that requires such physical demands, and being healthy enough to continue is an accomplishment on its own. I have been sought after by some publications to lend my perspective of how specifically I have seen the tile trade go from “how it was, to how it is” in my almost five-and-a-half decades of doing it. My common remarks are usually about the advancements in the formulations and technologies of the newer installation products we use nowadays. Thinsets, adhesives, grouts, and tile backers have changed a lot from greenboard and mastic.
But in this article, I want to focus on why and how I got started in the trades in the first place.
Many from my generation had a father, uncle or a grandfather that did home projects or repairs themselves.They didn’t shy away from tackling a project and learning along the way. This was, in many cases, the first experience that a younger person had with using tools. It was just normal then for a young person (boys and girls) to borrow dad’s hammer and saw and build a clubhouse or tree fort. I remember straightening nails.
Then in junior high school, grades 7 and 8, we were introduced to shop classes. In my case, drafting, woods and metals were offered. This was where we were taught how to use tools properly and safely. To be honest, I wasn’t that good in shop class, but it sparked something in me. I was finally exposed to the sense of accomplishment of building something with my own hands, and it felt good.
Unfortunately, many school systems have determined that shop classes are not part of electives anymore. They have been replaced with other courses, but by doing so, they have also taken tools out of the hands of the next generation.
Remember Jon Namba’s concern about labor shortage in the trades? I think taking shop classes out of the schools has contributed to this by default. Sure, we could lobby school boards to reinstate shop, and some do offer a few options. But, I have a couple of other ideas to present.
First, be that person that introduces and mentors a younger person to using tools. I remember helping to build sets for plays and musicals that my youngest son was involved in. I taught kids how to use some tools and then saw them experience the satisfaction of accomplishment seeing what they had done. The look on a young person’s face the first time they use a pneumatic nail gun is priceless.
Secondly, I propose we reach out and incorporate the technology that the younger generation is very good and familiar with to reach the audience we are targeting. Short videos, almost infomercial-like, that show and talk about the opportunities that the trades offer to students debating a future path can spark interest. The trades can offer a rewarding career. I have said many times, “Find a job you love, and you never work a day in your life.” This is my life motto, and I still love it. These videos would be posted and shared on all the social media platforms to bring exposure to a whole new generation.
Even as AI and other virtual advancements continue to emerge, the need for a physical person, with physical hands, to do trade jobs will never be replaced completely, and will continue to offer value to the client and a sense of pride for the tradesperson.
This story was penned by NTCA Member Phil Green, of P.G.C Construction Remodeling and Design in Gilberts, Ill. He is also the inventor of Edge Strip Kits for in-floor heating and the innovative Back Butter Buddy, that reduces arm and body fatigue for the contractor when back buttering tiles of any size.
View Phil’s video and invitation to youth to enter the trade here: https://youtu.be/k14W7fA68a0?si=cwKNq6cf2mBGrhyL
