Baltic on the construction site - an interview with Magdalena Rzepka, or Pani Tapetka

We invite you to the next installment of our Baltic on construction series! After an extremely pleasant conversation with Damian from Magma, it's time for a female point of view. This time Igor talked to Magda Rzepka, known as Pani Tapetka. Extremely inspiring interview, after which there is no doubt - if you do something with passion and commitment, you can't go wrong! Mrs. What is sure to interest fans of professional workwear is the transition from regular sweatpants to Snickers Workwear. Professionals unanimously state that the products of premium workwear brands are a new quality of work! We encourage you to listen to the interview, and for those who prefer to read - we have prepared the entire interview below. Do not forget to leave a like, comment, and if you also want us to visit you at the construction site - we are waiting for your message. And of course you can buy Snickers Workwear clothes at Balticbhp.pl!

Hi, I'm just going to the construction site to Magda, which is our Polish wallpaper champion, also watch the next episode of Baltic on the construction site. See you later.

I: Hello, welcome to the next episode of Baltic on the construction site. Today I am visiting Magda, the queen of Polish wallpapers. Tell me, Magda, what do you do on a daily basis. We all know wallpaper, but if you could tell us more about what you do every day.

M: I am passionate about it, which means that from the beginning to the very end I try to have very good contact with the client. What is it about? The fact that someone can always write to me, advise on the choice of wallpaper, I will come, stick, leave an extra effect, and just a satisfied customer.

I: Tell me how did it happen that you, such a smiling blonde, ended up in the finishing industry dominated by guys?

M: Is she always smiling? Not necessarily, but it generally started with the fact that I started working in a wallpaper shop and it got me so hooked. Working on exhibitions, sticking out, advising. Maybe a flair for my dad, who was a handyman? And that's how it stayed, that then I switched from this shop to the typical gluing, to my own business.

I: Okay, and if you could tell me because it seems so simple. What was the most challenging project you've had the pleasure of doing?

M: I will say this. There were many of them, because I just like challenges, wallpaper challenges. Probably the first time gluing with shelf stairs, these are the stairs that are hammered into the wall. I had three-meter sheets of white wallpaper with such black graphics printed on it, and not only did I have to focus very much on joining the sheets together, but also interweave between these elements. And stick it in such a way that these joints are not visible.

I: It's Magda, tell me, do you often meet women at construction sites who work in a similar profession to yours?

M: And here I will also refer to the previous question about the reaction that you hear about these women, but you don't see them. Why is it such a surprise? In my career, I have met four girls who are engaged in finishing works, or even such heavy construction works. Well, what can I say? I meet Agnieszka every day.

I: Yes. Magda, tell me how men at construction sites react to you. When you walk in with all your gear, professionally dressed, and generally do the job in such a way that their jaws are simply drooping. Do you meet a lot of women in this profession at all?

M: Perhaps when answering the first question it is usually the case that there is a note of such surprise, then there is actually looking to see if she is doing it right. Then, after leaving my work, it is checking if these connections are really not visible.

I: You could install the camera somewhere else.

M: Yes, because they even admit it, or later I find out from the client that they come, look and say "yes, yes, she can do it". There is a certain amount of surprise there. We all hear in Poland that there are women, they are independent, they are so strong, they operate in these male industries because it manifests itself, but we rarely meet them every day.

I: So everyone has heard, but no one has seen too much and not everyone believes it, right?

M: Exactly. This is the moment of such consternation that I go in and "oh yeah, ah, they are so, okay, but we'll check if she can actually do it."

I: What is the level of knowledge in Poland about professional wallpapering, that is the way you do it, and not based on some old construction beliefs, that is "because a foreman once taught me"?

M: The level of knowledge of people who want to take up wallpapering is really minimal. What's the biggest problem? No material science, a variety of wallpapers, weights, no knowledge of what material behaves on the wall and how we, as professionals, must also work on this material. So we notice that it is stretching, we have to act this way. If something is different with it, then we have to change the proportions of the glue, it has to be thinner, it has to be thicker, it has to be stronger, it has to be weaker. There is no such coordination between the material, the wall and the contractor.

I: Each industry has its own patent, code, secret knowledge. Could you show such a tool that you use, and our viewers are certainly not familiar with this tool?

M: I don't know if I can, but… it's my nail. Listen, seriously, in fact, my hand, my toenail, will make me work it out perfectly together.

I: Gentlemen, listen, nails are the basis of this profession.

M: It is. However, for those who do not have, there is a squeegee. We have three types of squeegees. Depending on their density, they are hard, soft and are used to smooth the wallpaper. I no longer use the typical rubber roller that is ubiquitous and ubiquitous. Simply the squeegee is my extension of my hand. I trim at the ceiling, work on the joints, smooth the wallpaper.

I: Tell me more, because you are a bit of a phenomenon in the industry. You have thousands of fans on Instagram or on social networks, you organize trainings. You are the embodiment of a professional. Is it not a symbol of change nowadays, that we move from a builder to a specialist, a professional. What is your opinion on this?

M: Well, I would like and believe it deeply that our world would go in this direction, that there would be narrowly specialized personalities who deal strictly with their work. Therefore, because the client, when confronted with such a person or during a meeting with such a person, obtains a full range of knowledge about his activities. He will advise you whether such a solution is suitable or not suitable for such a room. Whether this type of material is suitable or not. The fact that it looks cool at my neighbor does not mean that the same wallpaper will look at my place. So it would be nice if everything went in this direction, that the client deciding ... We know we are chasing money. We're all overworked. We want for now. Just pay and get it done, but it's worth just finding someone who will do it right so that we don't have to stress.

I: Our domain is work clothes, so I can't help but ask about your wardrobe evolution, which we followed up to date, where you probably started with trousers such as tracksuits, jeans, and as if the evolution was going up all the time. Tell me, do you notice that it has somehow influenced your work, your comfort when you come home - are you more tired or is your job doing better?

M: Comfort at work is essential. Both when preparing your workplace and clothes. I started to appreciate it the moment I got to know professional clothes. Due to the fact that I actually started with tracksuits in which I had two pockets. Not only did everything stick to these clothes, it also irritated me. Then there were some work trousers, which already had a pocket on the side, where I could hide something there. Well, just uncomfortable, then I found Snickers, well...

I: So love at first sight?

M: Yes, love at first sight. You just got dressed and bent down and that was that.

I: Okay, which means convenience, usefulness and I also think that it is easier to talk to the client if he is dressed like a professional.

M: Yes, the image is very important in our profession, because we present ourselves for good morning, this is our showpiece, that is, we are neat, clean and have a professional approach to our industry.

I: Sure. In your case, it is the consistency of the whole image at all. I saw a car downstairs, great social media and clothes, so it's hard not to trust you. If I, as such a total beginner, wanted to start laying wallpapers, what golden advice would you give me?

M: The first thing I have in mind is to come to Ms. Tapetka for training, but it is known that not everyone can afford it. Not everyone has such opportunities and there is a situation that we want to cover a child's room with one wall mural and we do not want to take this professional, because we want to be a hero in our own home. We want our daughter or son to put on this wallpaper so that he can enjoy it. Okay, no problem. I work with many companies in this market that produce wallpapers and photo wallpapers. I am recording instructional videos with them, so it is impossible to put into words at the moment, but my golden advice for you is to just take a look at these videos. There it is precisely described and shows how to stick the wallpaper.

I: And this is what we advise you too, that is, check the Madame Wallpaper channel. Magda, thank you very much.

M: Me too.

I: Thank you also for watching and I invite you to the next episode of Baltic on the construction site. Hi.

M: Hi.