“You know the old adage about first impressions?” says Quickslide’s Ade. “Well actually, when you’ve installed new windows and doors, it’s the last impression that counts most….”
What I mean by that is how the shiny new windows and doors that you have just installed look when they are really finished…glass and frames cleaned, mess tidied up, dropped pins and screws safely collected…and, of course, all the edges neat, clean and beautifully finished.
The homeowner has watched the installation throughout, has seen the windows in place and has a view of what they look like…but the impression that counts is how they look just before you tell them ‘job done missus’ and hand them the bill for the balance. In other words, it’s the final impression that really counts and will have them reaching for their metaphorical cheque book.
So, despite any effort that has gone into removing old frames, and installing the new ones, the final trim and finish is so important, and well worth spending time and skill to do properly. Here’s some tips:
Pre-installation The preparation before attending an installation should be intensive. Make sure you have all the correct materials including silicone (lots of big installs were delayed last year due to shortages of silicone), and if anything is needed, place your order in time for when you actually need it.
Trims You never know if you are going to need trims and, if you do, what size you might need. Therefore, being prepared, and stocking most sizes and colours on the van, is essential because you never know what you might find when you start taking out the windows or doors.
There are always surprises and trims, by definition, can cover a multitude of sins. Having said that, ideally, if the windows and doors have been perfectly measured and surveyed, and the prep work is immaculate, trims should not be needed. But I admit, that is in an ideal world.
Silicone Much derided, silicone is an essential element of every window and door installation. But it should be used intelligently and can be used to great effect way beyond the basic element of keeping out the window and rain.
A detailed conversation should take place with customers about the silicone to be used. It depends on many factors: the type of house, the bricks/blocks/render/pebble dash used and – the most important factor – the colour of the windows. Do you make the silicone match the house to give you a solid straight line down the window; or do you match the windows and with a stone house for example, do you finish with a line following the stonework?
And practice makes perfect: Like so many trades, there is a knack to squeezing silicone neatly and effectively and one that should be mastered with pride!
Remember the old expression: ‘Don’t spoil a ship for a ha’pth of tar’. Well silicone is the modern equivalent of tar and no less important. Beautiful, expensive windows can be easily spoiled by poor application of a tube of silicone worth just a couple of quid. Don’t underestimate the importance of getting this detail right.
For further information on Quickslide visit https://www.quickslide.co.uk/
