Name: Brendan O’Brien
Age: 36
Company: BOBF
Job Title: Company Owner
How did you get into the flooring industry?
My father was a flooring contractor, so I followed in his footsteps and left school at the age of 14 to work with him. Then, at the age of 16, I travelled around undertaking training courses in subfloor preparation and floorcovering installation, including in Europe.
What’s been the biggest change in the industry over the past 10 years?
Regulations have become more exacting and product quality has advanced. Nowadays, people expect a lot more from adhesives and levelling compounds because the quality is so much higher. On the other hand, we also get more support from manufacturers, such as F. Ball, who provide advice on the best products to use in particular situations and how to use them.
Looking forwards, what do you think will be the biggest change in the next 10 years?
The future will be speed orientated. There will be more pressure to work more quickly as new building techniques enable faster construction. In fact, we are the only company in Ireland that uses a screed pump to apply levelling compounds for other flooring contractors. With all the tight deadlines, we are now busier than ever. As the quality of floorcoverings keeps improving, people will also have higher expectations of finished results.
What’s the worst job you’ve been on?
Shop refurbs in general are the worst. The conditions typically aren’t great. You’re always working alongside other trades, such as electricians and carpenters, who walk all over the floor, making it harder to meet tight deadlines, which can’t be extended.
And what’s the best?
It is always great when you can install floorcoverings over a large area in a short period of time. Last September we pump-applied 47 pallets of F. Ball’s Stopgap Red Bag over an area of 8000m2 to prepare the subfloor in just ten hours, in a new HSE Primary Care Centre in Tralee, Ireland. That was very satisfying.
Do you have a go-to product for certain jobs?
We mainly use F. Ball’s products; we have done so for 15 years. We use a lot of Stopgap Red Bag, Styccobond F46 and Stopgap F77.
What do you like best about the job?
I love that I can travel across the country, meet new people and constantly learn new things about the industry. It is changing rapidly, so we have to keep up and adapt all the time.
What is your least favourite thing about the job?
Sometimes the deadlines are too strict, which creates a lot of pressure. The industry also takes a toll on your health. It’s a trade that involves being on your knees a lot of the time, sometimes up to ten hours a day.