Gratuities?
- Thread starter EMPgirl
- Start date
Help Support Flooring Forum - DIY & Professional:
Whatever you feel is appropriate. Tipping is rare in my part of the country, in other areas it seems to be common.
If there’s two men $100.00 for each day they spend in you home working.
I think JP is right in the ballpark for gratuity. Now if you really wanna make the installers happy, have some fresh baked cookies waiting for them when they show up in the morning. Guaranteed to make an installer putty in your hand. Shoot I’ll caulk your baseboards, move some extra shit that’s not on the work order, or move some junk to the garage. I guaranteed I’m doin somethin extra just because of the cookies. That’s some grandma level shit. When you advance to supreme grandma level, that’s when you’re so damn good at baking cookies and pies that you can give them instead of a tip and the recipient is happier than if they had actually gotten cash.
We really don't expect anything but I always thought it was a cool gesture. Even $20 for a couple beers after work I think is super generous.
Honestly If the helper's/apprentice's are thorough and well behaved/professional then they would absolutely appreciate it the most. Most installers make pretty decent money. The help doesn't earn so much when their learning the trade.
Honestly If the helper's/apprentice's are thorough and well behaved/professional then they would absolutely appreciate it the most. Most installers make pretty decent money. The help doesn't earn so much when their learning the trade.
Call me a hypocrite but if I just did 5k worth of labor in your house and you only tipped me a $20 I would be pissed. The hypocrisy comes into play because I wouldn’t be pissed at all if you didn’t tip me anything, but tipping a $5, 10 or a 20 would irk me. That’s some rich people shit right there.
Well my floor looks beautiful!
These guys hustle, finished the whole first floor today. They’re coming to finish the stairs in the morning. I couldn’t make cookies cuz the kitchen was part of the job. But we did try to be helpful by moving most of our crap to the garage and taking down all the wire pantry shelves. Put the furniture back into place ourselves. I appreciate your input, I have a nice tip for them tomorrow. You guys have a hard job!
Glad we didn’t try to do it ourselves. 
Lol, I hear ya on that.
I just don't even really expect tip's. So even a couple bucks seems cool to me.
Next time someone tips me a $20 I'll throw it back at them and let them know CJ said a Benjamin is the bare minimum.
.... I kill myself 
Seems it depends highly on location. I remember tipping an elevator operator (commercial job, a lot of material) in NYC a twenty once. I thought I was being nice. He said thanks for the coffee money but we’re gonna need more than that. I explained to the tenant we were working for who fully understood. They tipped him a couple of hundred.
I left a tip for bartender in Ontario Ca. and he didn’t understand what the extra money was for.
I left a tip for bartender in Ontario Ca. and he didn’t understand what the extra money was for.
There's a word for what happened to you in NYC-------EXTORTION. Worst part of that filthy scheme is those SOBs are already overpaid.
I dealt with quite a bit of that over the years in New England but by far NYC was the worst. It's such a corrupt place they don't even understand how the world could operate without "grease".
When I was younger and barely hiring help for my home projects I never thought to tip a tradesman. Being a union installer I expect my pay, benefits and expense package to be adquate compensation for my work. I don't believe a man's livelyhood ought to depend on the customer's sense of appreciation and generosity. What am I, a waitress or busboy?
Anyways, many year later, too old to do everything myself on my 2nd home I've hired help for nearly every major project. Owners/Contractors get what we agreed to. Cash if I have it or a check if not. I might round up to the nearest $100 if I'm super happy. When I'm around and I see their underpaid and overworked helper busting their butt I try to discreetly slip them a $20 or more overtly find out what kind of beer they drink and have a case on ice for the end of the day.
I slip the $20 discreetly because it is actually implying that their boss doesn't pay them enough for what they do. So that's insulting to his boss. By no means do ALL the workers get anything from me as if it's some sort of convention. Most workers JUST do what they're expected to do. I reach into my wallet when I see a guy who I want to encourage for going all out.
Beer is never an insult to anybody.
True…From the top all the way to the bottom. Quite the racket.
Story Time from the past: Everyone got a Benjamin but me 
but that’s because most of my work was behind the scene.
Sometimes the customers perception are off, maybe I could have helped her by expressing that I was also a cog in the wheel. O- well
Back in the designer / Stark Carpet days. I measured and planned a huge ‘ Taylor cut to fit ‘ stair and hallway job as well as some wall to wall bedrooms. The designer, clearly, had already got a price from another contractor as her line of questioning was very direct. They wanted to know if the yardage of the Wilton border and field could be reduced to save Thousands ! That the other guy would not change his layout. So after reviewing the product, I gave them a realistic recommendation that needed their approval. Split the almost symmetrical border in half and safe on half the border amount. Also Add a cross seam in the hallway and save on field carpet. I wish I made time to visit the job during install, because I would have pictures and been the fourth guy to get a Benjamin.
I did all the prefabrication work, cutting, sealing, sewing, binding and even cut all the pad to size, so I made out OK , but ! Still Felt slighted O- well ! I was happy for the boys and jokingly asked for my cut, but they would have none of that 
but that’s because most of my work was behind the scene. Sometimes the customers perception are off, maybe I could have helped her by expressing that I was also a cog in the wheel. O- well
Back in the designer / Stark Carpet days. I measured and planned a huge ‘ Taylor cut to fit ‘ stair and hallway job as well as some wall to wall bedrooms. The designer, clearly, had already got a price from another contractor as her line of questioning was very direct. They wanted to know if the yardage of the Wilton border and field could be reduced to save Thousands ! That the other guy would not change his layout. So after reviewing the product, I gave them a realistic recommendation that needed their approval. Split the almost symmetrical border in half and safe on half the border amount. Also Add a cross seam in the hallway and save on field carpet. I wish I made time to visit the job during install, because I would have pictures and been the fourth guy to get a Benjamin.
I did all the prefabrication work, cutting, sealing, sewing, binding and even cut all the pad to size, so I made out OK , but ! Still Felt slighted
O- well ! I was happy for the boys and jokingly asked for my cut, but they would have none of that 
......so life at the top isn't as glamorous as most people think it is? 
Been a one man show since '87.
Yup, I get all the glory.
Best was $500 and it was a two week job. What I initially gave the guy a price, he paused for a moment and he said is that fair to you?
I didn't have any work going on and I bid it super low. He recognized that and asked me to think about it.
I did, then added $600 to my install and he said that sounds good.
Once completed, I got that big tip.
Neat guy. I've never worked for anyone remotely like him.
At another point in time I spent most of 3 months working for him.
Drywall, texturing, crown molding install, mounting hangers for his large flat screens...... I even cut out new drywall because some carpenters screwed up a pocket door track installation. I cut out drywall to shim the track.
He had me install new solid oak stair treads. I had to remove the temporary treads, then shim and carve out stringers to square and even thinks out. The stringers we're so out of plumb and parallel, it was obvious they were cut and installed soaking wet.
Not very good pay but it was enjoyable.
Been a one man show since '87.
Yup, I get all the glory.
Best was $500 and it was a two week job. What I initially gave the guy a price, he paused for a moment and he said is that fair to you?I didn't have any work going on and I bid it super low. He recognized that and asked me to think about it.
I did, then added $600 to my install and he said that sounds good.
Once completed, I got that big tip.
Neat guy. I've never worked for anyone remotely like him.
At another point in time I spent most of 3 months working for him.
Drywall, texturing, crown molding install, mounting hangers for his large flat screens...... I even cut out new drywall because some carpenters screwed up a pocket door track installation. I cut out drywall to shim the track.
He had me install new solid oak stair treads. I had to remove the temporary treads, then shim and carve out stringers to square and even thinks out. The stringers we're so out of plumb and parallel, it was obvious they were cut and installed soaking wet.
Not very good pay but it was enjoyable.
Ive gotten a 1k tip a few times over the years. Got one in the spring for 1k also a very kind hearted card with a gift certificate for a weekend to bring my family to their island cottage air b&b. That is probably worth 2k by itself. The home is on its own island and a very cool place.
To be fair I went WAY above and beyond to get that job done. Including falling in the damn drink just after the ice melted. Brrrrrrr!!!!!
To be fair I went WAY above and beyond to get that job done. Including falling in the damn drink just after the ice melted. Brrrrrrr!!!!!
