All Things Wood Floor

Join host Steve Diggins from Specialty Forest Products for this sponsored episode as he delves into the world of wood floor finishes with two experts from Canlak Coatings, the name behind trusted wood floor finish brands like Absco, Poloplaz, Sampson and Wilson Imperial. Laura Posadas and Doug McGrew from Canlak peel back the curtain on the extensive research that goes into wood floor coatings chemistry and innovations at this major manufacturer. Hear their insights on everything from residential to sports flooring, including where the industry has been and where the world of coatings is headed in the future.  Find all the industry news, a massive archive of wood flooring articles, the latest blogs and more at woodfloorbusiness.com.  Follow Wood Floor Business on social media: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok YouTube Pinterest X Join the Wood Floor Business Community + USED Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook Group.

In this episode of All Things Wood Floor, host Steve Diggins of Specialty Forest Products talks with young wood flooring pro Israel Alejandre, the owner of Cedar Oak Flooring based in Middlefield, Ohio. Featured as part of Wood Floor Business's annual discussion about the Next Generation of emerging talent in the hardwood flooring industry, Israel shares insights into his journey as a young professional navigating the trade. Broadcasting from Ohio's Amish country, just outside Cleveland, Israel reflects on his early experiences, the founding of his company, and what drives his success as a next-generation flooring pro.  Read "The Next Generation: Advice For Aspiring Wood Floor Pros," featuring Israel Alejandre, from the February/March 2025 issue of Wood Floor Business.  Find all the industry news, a massive archive of wood flooring articles, the latest blog and more at woodfloorbusiness.com.  Follow Wood Floor Business on social media: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok YouTube Pinterest X Join the Wood Floor Business Community + USED Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook Group.

Brad Rushing of North Palm Beach, Fla.-based California Designs discusses what it is like being a retailer in one of Florida's luxury markets, what he learned about business and people from his father, how the company has kept both clients and employees for decades, how Brad modernized the family business, including their marketing, and how educating clients boosts their business. See California Designs' profile in the 2024 Wood Floor Business Outstanding Retailer Awards: https://bit.ly/42bFHpv Read Brad's article in Wood Floor Business “How We've Managed to Retain Employees for Decades” here: https://bit.ly/on24retail

Jack Horton's father was a doctor, but he encouraged his four sons to go into the trades, and at age 16 Jack was learning to run a sawmill. Today, at age 30, he is a wood flooring contractor who installs, sands and finishes wood flooring he and his brother mill themselves, and they also sell whole-house packages of flooring and millwork to contractors. Jack and host Stephen Diggins discuss Jack's unique journey into the trade and the insights he has about working with customers, including creating the right expectations for wood flooring and being upfront about the fact that he's expensive. Jack also shares the biggest challenge in his career. Look for Jack's article in the upcoming April/May 2025 issue of Wood Floor Business (https://www.woodfloorbusiness.com).

In Part 2 of this episode with T.J. Haas of Mad Science Flooring (www.madscienceflooring.com) in Syracuse, N.Y., T.J. and host Stephen Diggins discuss the right ways to use multi-disc and planetary sanding machines to get a floor flat while removing the scratches, how to choose your abrasives wisely in today's wood flooring market, how T.J. has made a living out of doing things that nobody else wants to do, and how he charges a premium for his work and also finds new revenue streams for his business every year. They also talk about cool old wood floor sanding machines and funny machine maintenance mistakes.  To read T.J.'s article “My Trigger Phrase: ‘Been Doing It That Way for 35 Years'” about his dad and why he cares so much about electrical safety, click here: https://bit.ly/jj23llearn Read T.J.'s article “Do You Need a Power Station? Yes, and Here's Why” from the February/March 2025 issue of WFB here: https://bit.ly/fm25ftf To read T.J.'s ghost story about working at a bowling alley, click here: https://bit.ly/on24talkback

T.J. Haas of Mad Science Flooring (www.madscienceflooring.com) in Syracuse, N.Y., grew up learning anything and everything about bowling lanes and wood flooring, and today he continues that legacy. In Part 1 of T.J.'s episode, hear T.J. and host Stephen Diggins discuss what it was like growing up in bowling alleys; the story of his dad's health issues and why he's so passionate about hooking up electricity safely and correctly; modern advances in dust containment; creepy ghost stories from working on jobs, and funny stories about the first jobs T.J did on his own. Look for Part 2 of T.J.'s talk with Stephen Diggins coming soon. To read T.J.'s article “My Trigger Phrase: ‘Been Doing It That Way for 35 Years'” about his dad and why he cares so much about electrical safety, click here: https://bit.ly/jj23llearn To read T.J.'s ghost story about working at a bowling alley, click here: https://bit.ly/on24talkback  

In this sponsored episode, host Stephen Diggins dives into the world of wood floor experts Mike Hoy and Chris Pester, who have decades of experience in wood flooring and are now representing GameTime. GameTime now offers everything from vinyl graphics to coatings for sports floors and residential floors. Mike, Chris and Stephen discuss how vinyl graphics have transformed the world of sports flooring, the sponsorship opportunities they create, the training available to use these products, how to deal with environmental conditions when dealing with maple sports flooring … and much more, including Cosmo the Peacock. Learn more about GameTime Wraps at https://gametimewraps.com. 

Lifelong wood flooring pro Ron Teljeur of Acorn Wood Floors in Aldergrove, British Columbia, grew up in the wood flooring business with his father, went to college to study physics and ended up circling right back to wood flooring—a job he still loves. In the years since he graduated, he started his own business, sized up, sized back down, and learned a lot along the way, becoming a specialist in renovations and particularly the top-nail 5/16-inch flooring that is still common in the region and in small pockets in the United States.  See Ron's article about the tools and techniques involved in top–nail flooring here. See his Trick of the Trade for repairing shake here. You can watch his video with a useful trick for board repairs here.  

Aaron Sheaves has been on wood flooring job sites as long as he can remember, but one thing he never would have predicted would be how posting on TikTok would transform his business—and generate income. On this episode, he and host Stephen Diggins discuss how he got started on the platform and the impact it's had on his business, as well as what it's like working on historical homes in his Virginia area, particularities of working with heart pine, how he ended up working on job sites with his mom, and much more. Find Aaron Sheaves on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@grain_lyfe Watch the video tour of Aaron's "Most Organized" winning van here: https://bit.ly/22sheaves See Aaron's wavy bent-wood floor here: https://bit.ly/am17sheaves See one of Aaron's heart pine projects here: https://bit.ly/222wfotwheartpine See the project with the butler bell: https://bit.ly/221wfotwstairs See the tiny pneumatic sander for between balusters: https://bit.ly/am22tot

In Part 2 of this episode, João and Susy Dias of Fino Oficio continue their conversation with Stephen Diggins and explain why they only hire people with no experience in the wood flooring industry, how they manage to charge so much more money than other wood flooring companies, how they work together as husband and wife, how they handle client relations so that customers realize they don't have to worry about their wood floors, the mindset common to all elite wood flooring pros, and much more.

In Part 1 of this episode, listeners will discover the origin story of how couple João and Susy Dias of Fino Oficio in Lisbon, Portugal, went from no experience in wood flooring to being one of the best-known wood flooring contracting companies in the world, why they are always willing to help other wood flooring pros, what it has been like to participate in the Workcamp Parkett gatherings in Europe, and the inside stories from some of their most out-of-the-box and award-winning wood floors—including why João decided to add fire to the lacewood in their 2024 WFB Design Award-winning floor.

Occupational therapist Jennifer Hale spends all day every day helping people do their jobs without pain, and in this episode, she's concentrating on hardworking wood flooring pros. Jennifer and host Stephen Diggins talk about how pros are really "industrial athletes," and how they need to train just like any other athlete to perform their jobs without injuries or pain. She explains why nutrition and hydration are so important for preventing pain, as well as her top tips for helping wood floor pros age well. She and Stephen also go through examples of real-life wood floor pros and her feedback for them as they try to preserve their bodies and work well without pain.

When Adam Bissey was a wood flooring contractor, he saw how so many retailers were missing opportunities, and so he made the leap to open a retail location of his own—one that is now a thriving staple on the Jersey Shore. In this wide-ranging conversation, host Stephen Diggins and Adam discuss the challenges of starting as a retailer; how Floors by the Shore succeeds by focusing on excellence in every way, from subfloors to customer service; why he's so focused on healthy products; why profitability is so critical; and much more.

Lifelong wood flooring pro David Ford of Stauf USA is back to talk with Stephen about some important issues in the wood flooring industry, including reverence for the previous generations of pros and the importance of training and work ethic. They also discuss ideas for other value-added things wood flooring pros can do to increase margins on every job, the incredible potential there is in the wood flooring industry to make a lucrative living, and some sound financial advice about planning for retirement (something many pros don't do). As a bonus, David, a native to the Memphis area, has some insider knowledge to share about none other than Elvis Presley!

When Kent Rogerson and Jamie Lambert of South Carolina's Low Country Flooring got their first wood flooring job, they had never even seen the tools required to do the trade. But they learned quickly and grew the business—and then realized they had to down-size the company as they pursued their obsession with quality. In this episode, they detail the hilarious details of their first install, sanding and finishing jobs; what they look for (and don't look for!) in employees; and some of their practices and philosophies that put them among the wood floor industry's sanding and finishing elite—and allow them to charge accordingly for their wood floors.

Steve James transitioned from a career at General Motors to the lumber industry when he became CEO of Frank Miller Lumber in Indiana, transforming the company culture there to create a motivated long-term workforce. James and host Stephen Diggins discuss the challenges of a lumber business focused on quartersawn lumber, as well as James' insights as a member of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team.  

Matt Garcia was a typical wood flooring pro with a small company of craftsmen when he moved to Texas and realized he had a huge opportunity to grow his business—but after trial and error, he also realized that in order to grow his business AND be profitable, he had to work on his business, not just in his business. Hear his advice about what he learned and the key changes he made that have transformed his company, improved quality and motivated his employees. 

When the U.S. government needed the massive chevron floor replaced in the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., Universal Floors tackled the job with the help of some friends, including Kent Rogerson and Jamie Lambert from Low Country Flooring. Hear Universal Floor's Sprigg Lynn, along with Kent and Jamie, discuss the intricacies and complications of handling this job. In Part 2 they reveal more about the installation, sanding and finishing, and how when it comes to jobs of this magnitude, you need to lean on fellow pros to make it all happen.

When the U.S. government needed the massive chevron floor replaced in the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., Universal Floors tackled the job with the help of some friends, including Kent Rogerson and Jamie Lambert from Low Country Flooring. Hear Universal Floor's Sprigg Lynn, along with Kent and Jamie, discuss the intricacies and complications of handling this job. In Part 1 they discuss demo, subfloor prep, installation and more. 

Angelo DeSanto is one of Wood Floor Business's most popular authors and bloggers—in addition to running his own wood flooring business in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. He and Stephen talk about how he stands up to contractors to get paid on time, the seemingly simple details that make a skilled wood flooring pro, and the accident that almost took his life—and how he managed to recover his health and his business.

Loba-Wakol's Tyler Myatt and Cash Pyle both grew up in the wood flooring industry before they began their careers working for wood floor industry leader Loba-Wakol. Now they use their knowledge to not only help contractors learn how to use the latest cutting-edge products in the industry but also improve everything from their sanding techniques to their pricing for jobs. Hear what they see out in the field and advice they have for wood flooring contractors to improve their businesses.

Although still in his early thirties, Chicago wood floor pro Matthew Szyszka of Floor Master Company has made a name for himself and won awards for his intricate custom wood floors. In this episode, he discusses the details on some of his award-winning jobs, how he promotes custom work to his clients, thoughts about getting more young people into the trades and more.  

John Stern's experience in the industry goes back to before Brazilian species were imported into the U.S. and when the Oval Office still had a wood-look vinyl floor. As the founder of industry stalwart Kentucky Wood Floors, he worked for multiple presidents, traveled to foreign wood flooring mills, sold his flooring to be used in prestigious locales around the world and partnered with famous people to market his products. Today he's still involved in the industry with his company Louisville Wood Floors; hear his insights about the industry's past and where it's at today.

Tom Ourada combines wood flooring craftsmanship with sheer artistry to do wood floors like no one else does wood floors. His months-long projects can result in intricate hand-cut wildlife scenes or out-of-the-box modern designs, but they all stem from a passion for looking at a tree and imagining the possibilities. Hear Tom explain his inspiration and his process. 

Wood floor Matt Garcia is a third-generation pro who started from scratch after moving from his native California to Texas. Matt talks with host Stephen Diggins about how, even though he's far from a major population center, he's built a high-end business and also opened a thriving showroom. They also discuss how Matt has focused on creating the right company culture that attracts employees and on networking in the wood flooring industry to build his skills both as a craftsman and a business person. 

Courtney Lee carved out a unique business in Georgia when he branched out from carpet cleaning to doing wood floor cleaning and recoats many pros wouldn't tackle. Lee talks with host Stephen Diggins about how his business developed, what life is like as a Black man in an industry where Black people are typically under-represented, how YouTube has had a huge impact on his business, the philosophies that make his company a leading example of customer service, and much more. 

Married couple Beth and Steve Stalker have been in the sports flooring business together since high school. In this episode, they discuss topics including how they keep their loyal employees, unique sports floor subfloor systems, health hazards particular to the sports flooring business (and why they can shut down a school), why they prefer to install 1 ½-inch flooring, and how they keep GCs honest, among many other interesting aspects of the sports flooring world.

Bob Goldstein grew up in the wood flooring industry in Florida, from hand-nailing a floor with his dad to working at all levels of the industry, including his own contracting business. Along the way he saw his sons enter the industry and, more recently, had to come with grips with the physical toll his career has taken on his body. Hear some fascinating wood flooring history, as well as Bob's thought-provoking perspective on the safe way to do this trade today.

When David Williams and Steve Garner took over struggling fledgling distributor Horizon Forest Products, they had a formidable challenge, but they persevered and expanded the company to cover a large swath of the U.S. Hear the business philosophies that guided them, how they remained profitable even through the Great Recession and the COVID pandemic, and what makes them most proud in their thriving company today.

Clinton Duff—the Wood Floor Business 2022 Ultimate Wood Floor Guy—is someone who brings positive energy to every job site and every customer. Hear his conversation with host Stephen Diggins about how he got into the business (and why he wanted to leave on his first day), everyday life as a wood flooring pro, favorite jobs and not-favorite jobs (including the cat lady), and much more.

Like many, Elizabeth Imlach didn't mean to end up in the wood flooring industry—but after getting laid off during the Great Recession, she did, and now she runs her own one-woman wood flooring business in Northern California. Hear about how she got into the industry, her favorite parts of her business, the weirdest floor she's ever done, and more.  

When Genia Smith started in the wood flooring business, she wasn't just the only woman working in wood flooring, she was the only woman in her area in construction. Along the way, she left her father's business, moved to a different state, started her own company and a family, and found a way to balance them both before selling her business and retiring early. 

At Fame Hardwood in Los Angeles, Page Nazarian set out to work with the nation's top architects and designers, and he did that—but he treats every client like a celebrity. Hear how Fame finds the right product for every project, from the homes of Hollywood A-listers to huge commercial installations.

From simple beginnings in Terre Haute, Ind., Legendary Hardwood Floor's Chuck Crispin launched a wood flooring career that's taken him across the country into some of the nation's most beautiful homes, and along the way he's earned a reputation as a pro with impeccable taste. Hear from Chuck about what he learned working with wood flooring legends like Allan Pyne and Birger Juell, what he considers to be the the rules of good wood flooring design, what it's like to handle luxury projects and potential pitfalls of those projects, too.

Family business Woodchuck Flooring has evolved over the years, going through changes in generations and business models, most recently as it transformed its business to adapt because of the pandemic. Hear from Woodchuck's Tim Nassis about how they've found success and continue to adapt for today's business environment.

When Paul Nelson transitioned his business from residential to sports flooring, he found it was a completely different way of doing business, from handling bids to getting paid to needing different equipment to do jobs on a large scale. Hear his insights about all of these aspects and more from his headquarters in Montana.

Sprigg Lynn of Universal Floors in Washington, D.C., has worked in the wood flooring business since as long as he can remember, and along the way he's become a specialist in historic restorations, working everywhere from the White House to the U.S. Supreme Court, with some good humor and wacky situations along the way.

Canadian pro Ken Petersen has done it all in the wood flooring industry, from contracting to manufacturing, and he's got the stories to show for it. Hear about the crazy mistake he made when he started, how getting kicked out of school launched his successful career, why most wood floor pros fail when they try to grow their business, how a quick edging mistake ended in disaster, why contractors need to charge more … and more.

Wood floor pro and sports court artist Luis Perez found his niche in the wood flooring industry: a passion for creating cutting edge basketball court designs. Perez, who at 30 has already racked up numerous accolades and two Wood Floor Business Design Awards, talks with Stephen about the “basketball renaissance” happening around the country, how his background influences his designs and how the positive impact his partnership with Project Backboard has inspires the boundary-pushing work he does. 

Roy Akirov lives in Los Angeles and focuses his wood floor retail business on the luxury market—the area's ultra-wealthy. Hear about how he stands out in that market, how he finds products, how he communicates with clients, why he doesn't pay attention to trends … and who his famous neighbor was growing up in England.

Wood floor finish experts Mike Hoy and Steve Crawford of Canlak Coatings, which includes the finish brands Absco, CLK, PoloPlaz and Sampson, offer advice about what to know when you're doing a sports floor, tips that can make recoats less scary, surprising info about wood floor maintenance and more.

Husband-and-wife duo and wood flooring retailers Greg and Leona Cook from Touchwood Flooring Ltd. in Edmonton, Alberta, recent winners of the Wood Floor Business Outstanding Retailer Awards, share how they make marriage work when they also work together all day every day, how they maintain long-term great relationships with subcontractor installers, how they sell against vinyl plank and more.

David Ford, VP of sales and marketing at adhesive manufacturer Stauf Adhesives, covers what's going on with the shortages of adhesives (and everything else), why the wood flooring industry can be a race to the bottom, why more people should consider a career in wood flooring, what it's like working with German engineering, and more.

After 50 years in the wood flooring industry—decades as a wood flooring contractor and more recently as an inspector and consultant—Roy Reichow has just about seen it all. In this episode he talks about how contractors can protect themselves from builder pressure, why there's so much business for wood flooring inspectors, and much more.

Anthony Magaro and Jessica Peterson are the 2021 Wood Floor Business Ultimate Wood Floor Guy & Gal, and in this episode they talk with host Stephen Diggins about what's rewarding and challenging about life as a wood flooring pro, the biggest enemy of the wood flooring pro, and why there's endless opportunity for wood floor pros today.

When it comes to out-of-the-box designs for stairs or wood floors, Greg Ceglarski's Scribed Flooring in Brisbane, Australia has become a go-to company and recipient of many awards. Hear from Greg as he discusses what makes the Australian “timber” flooring market different … and all the things that will try to kill you in Queensland, Australia.

There's never been a time quite like this in the wood flooring industry, as construction companies experience surging demand and raw material shortages. Michael Jenkins, construction and consumer business director at leading adhesive manufacturer Bostik, offers insights and projections, as well as the latest on what's happening in the world of wood flooring adhesives.

Host Stephen Diggins talks with one of the legends of the wood flooring industry, longtime pro Howard Brickman of Brickman Consulting in Norwell, Mass. After starting his wood flooring career as the manager of inspection and school services for the National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association, Brickman founded his own consulting and contracting business. Since then he's done extensive consulting on huge wood flooring projects in New York City, taught at many wood flooring schools, appeared on "This Old House," performed countless wood flooring inspections and continued his installation business at the age of 73.

Host Stephen Diggins talks one of top experts in the United States on wood flooring restoration, Michael Purser of The Rosebud Company in Atlanta. Purser has worked on some of the highest profile restoration projects in the U.S., from James Madison's Montpelier to Henry Ford's Fair Lane Estate. In this episode we get to hear about his work, including his small-but-mighty high-profile restoration job at the historic Fox Theatre in Atlanta.

Why aren't there more young pros entering the wood flooring industry? Wood Floor Business talks with 29-year-old Jake Schlichte, owner of Auburn, N.H.-based North Country Hardwoods, about everything from the challenges for wood flooring young pros to installation details.

Wood Floor Business is about to launch its Podcast, All Things Wood Floor, hosted by longtime wood flooring pro and popular author/blogger Stephen Diggins. Listen to a sneak preview from Stephen now.