Epoxy resin flooring is a growing trend for commercial and residential spaces, known for its seamless, glossy finishes and extreme durability. But starting a resin flooring business takes more than just working with the latest materials. It requires dedication, an eye for design, and the ability to manage a complex hands-on trade.
We spoke with Lou and Harry, a father-son team running the booming resin flooring outfit Gafflow Resin Flooring in the UK. They provided a raw, honest look at building a business in this market from the ground up.
Getting Started with Epoxy Resin Floors
As a plasterer by trade, Lou first discovered resin flooring while helping on an industrial job, long before it started appearing in homes and venues. Right away, he was drawn to the sensory experience of working with the materials.
For years Lou continued his regular work while experimenting with resin in his spare time. It wasn’t until quality resin products became available for decorative applications in 2015-2016 that he and a young Harry started taking on jobs, learning as they went. Their big break came thanks to an Instagram DM—within a few months, the father-son duo had caught the attention of Chloe Ferry through their social media presence and completed a high-profile job for the celebrity client.
Importance of Training and Education
According to Lou and Harry, proper training and education makes or breaks resin flooring companies. They started by taking a hands-on course to learn the fundamentals before experimenting further at home. And as soon as they’d completed around 20 jobs in 2-3 years, Lou knew that in order to grow the market there needed to be more trained installers—so they began informally teaching others between their own jobs.
Once you understand the basics, much of the resin flooring trade involves experimentation and developing personal techniques. For Lou and Harry, attending additional training sessions around the world has allowed them to continuously expand their expertise in new trends and specialty flooring like metallic finishes. They now run formal multi-day training programs and on-site courses with real clients to help prepare newcomers.
Managing Long Days and Challenging Projects
Resin flooring requires extremely long workdays and challenging on-site conditions at times. Most floors must be completed from start to finish in one go, with teams working for up to 20 hours straight. Lou and Harry talked about the physical and mental stamina required, working through exhaustion as you race to finish within tight timeframes and avoid costly rework.
They also emphasised how failures or mistakes get magnified when using expensive resin materials, tools, and shipping—you may only have one shot to get a job right before taking a huge loss. However, the pair explained that teaching newcomers adequate prep work, attention to detail, and vigilant quality control helps set flooring crews up for success on each unique project.
Cultivating Strong Teams and Relationships
Given the demanding workload and potential stresses, Lou believes building a family-like team culture is critical in resin flooring. “We’ve got to be trusting the other person as much as the next and you’ve both got to be savages…in it cuz we’re not stopping,” he explained. Longtime friend Stuart was brought on board thanks to his shared drive and passion, while Ollie was trained up over 2 years to round out the core crew with complementary skillsets.
It’s also essential to cultivate strong relationships with clients, vendors, and partners in other trades. As Lou put it, “By connecting with likeminded people with that you grow together even if you’re in a different industry…you become about bringing people together.” Gafflow is adamant about teaching competitors rather than fighting for market share, frequently collaborating with everyone from general contractors to Instagram followers battling personal struggles.
Enjoying the Fruits of Your Labor
For Lou and Harry, pushing through sleepless nights and time away from home pays off with exclusive experiences money can’t buy. They often travel for multi-week projects installing custom floors at celebrity mansions, luxury hotels, and hot nightlife destinations across Europe.
Oftentimes design work even leads to sponsored events, VIP treatment at clubs, and inclusion in exclusive product launches—like the pair detailing an expenses-paid trip to shape a new Lamborghini showroom interior alongside acquiring A-List party invites. However, Lou is quick to point out the job itself and craftsmanship remain top priorities over glitz and glamour.
Striking a Life Balance in the Trades
Sacrificing family time and personal wellbeing is an unfortunate reality in the pressure-cooker trades. For Lou, staying focused on how current sacrifices set up his children’s future helps justify the endless days away installing floors and expanding the Gafflow brand globally.
Meanwhile, Harry continues enjoying the job itself as a creative outlet, while using social media to find community with both clients and followers going through similar struggles. Maintaining mental health and sobriety on the road hasn’t always come easy, though improving physical fitness has helped.
Looking to the Future
Rather than guard industry “secrets” Lou and Harry actively work to grow resin flooring’s popularity whether through formal classroom training, published YouTube videos, or side projects making artwork and furniture from leftover materials. They insist “There is loads of work…for everybody” in the decorative resin trade.
Lou also talks about the need for a long-term plan, hoping to eventually step back from installations and focus on consulting or product innovations once the next generation leads day-to-day operations. No matter what, Gafflow has an insatiable drive and passion to create artisan floors customers never realised were possible.