julia_lee•28d agoMost Upvoted

Just hit 1,000 seams in 5 years and it hit me different

I was counting up my seam tape rolls for a tax thing and realized I've done over a thousand seams since I started installing full time back in 2019. That number blew my mind because I never really stop to think about how many rooms I've walked through. Most of them are in new builds around the suburbs outside Portland. But the real kicker is I still mess up a seam every now and then, usually on patterned carpet. Anyone else ever count up their work and get weirdly shocked at the total?

3 comments

3 Comments

drewsullivan28d ago

That "still mess up a seam every now and then" part hits too close to home. I've been doing this long enough that I should have it down perfect by now but I still get a patterned carpet that makes me look like I'm installing it for the first time.

parkerp8028d ago

I gotta push back a little on the "I should have it down perfect by now" thing. I mean, isn't that just part of doing any kind of hands on work? You can know the steps inside and out but every job throws something different at you, especially with patterned stuff where the repeat is off or the lighting in the room plays tricks. I feel like thinking you should be perfect at something makes it worse when you hit a snag, like you're beating yourself up for no reason. Honestly, the guys who've been doing it the longest around here still cuss out a tricky seam now and then, and I respect that more than someone pretending they never mess up. Maybe it's just me but that little bit of struggle keeps you sharp, you know?

margaretm2321d agoMost Upvoted

Stick with that thought because it's the truth. I've seen guys with thirty years in the trade still have to stop, step back, and stare at a corner for five minutes before they cut it. That pattern matching on a diagonal wall? Nothing prepares you for that until you're actually kneeling there with the knife. The ones who think they've got it all figured out are usually the ones who rush, mess up, and waste a whole length of material. Keeps you honest, keeps you humble. That's way better than pretending you never hit a rough spot.