‘During my internship I was the only woman on a construction site’

Image: Nine IJf

Lieke Teurlings (48) is the single mother of Sam (10). She has her own kit business: Miss Kitter.

“My bathroom was renovated a few years ago. When I saw the sealant edges, I thought: wow. No boring white, but different shades of gray and super clean lines. Don’t ask me why, but I thought: I want to be able to do this myself. I am the type that loves results. I do cleaning and odd jobs to make a difference, otherwise I won’t even start. That nimbleness was always there.

On the farm where I grew up, I built watchtowers and picked up a drill myself to hang things up. Kitten, on the other hand, is really a profession in its own right. It’s precision work. You have to hold the sprayer straight and pull along the joint in one smooth motion – not too much sealant, not too little. After that, the trick is to iron neatly.

Also read – Mama loves hard work: ‘Sometimes I encounter incomprehension’ >

kitten

When my bathroom was finished, I thought: I must have mastered that kitten in no time. Ha, it took me two years. I had just lost my job as a project assistant in the cultural sector and had been toying with the idea of ​​starting my own company for some time.

“With my first shower cubicles, everything was covered by the sealant. But the more hours I put in, the tighter it got”

To find out if kittens were for me, I called a large kit company to ask if I could do an internship there. Not long after that, I was the only woman on a construction site of student housing. A young lad was going to teach me the trade. We clicked – he thought a lady with a helmet and steel noses was a welcome change as a colleague and I liked him more than an old fellow. In my first shower cubicles and toilets, the walls and floors were covered with sealant. But the more hours I put in, the tighter it got.

Own company

Last year I started my own business. According to family and friends as ‘girl with balls’, because which woman is going to kitten? Sometimes I even look at it myself. I love to work with my hands. The focus on one thing, not thinking about anything else. After a working day my head is empty and I only feel my back.

“My son proudly shouts that his mother is a kitter and wants to learn the trade himself”

Actually I should strengthen my muscles in the gym, but find the time. I also organize after-school activities in primary schools and take care of my son full-time. He proudly shouts that his mother is a kitter and wants to learn the trade himself. The other day he ran a caulking gun in our caravan – everything was covered right away. Fortunately, it is not paint and can always be removed.”

This article appears in Kek Mama 08-2022.

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