All Things Wood Floor

Part two of "All Things Wood Floor" with lifelong wood floor pro and tool-repair wizard Tom Wimberly digs into the real-world habits that separate smooth, profitable jobs from headache callbacks. Wimberly breaks down dust containment the way only someone who’s lived it for decades can—why bags matter, how to keep them breathing, and the simple end-of-day routines that prevent clogs, fire risks and motor burnout. From drum sanders vs. belts to edgers, buffers, and vacs, he shares the maintenance truths most crews skip, plus the “shop-floor” fixes that save your upper rollers, wheels, pads, bearings and bankroll. Wimberly also shares his turning-point story of going from just getting by every month—despite having crews and being busy—to operating with a cash cushion, and how that one shift changes everything: stress, bidding confidence, the jobs you say “no” to, and the money you stop leaving on the table. His insights and real-life contracting experience offer a clearer path to a business that serves you instead of consuming you.  Read Wimberly's articles "How I Learned To Charge What I’m Worth" from the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Wood Floor Business, and his article "Things Your Wood Floor Sanding Equipment Wishes You Would Do" from the April/May 2025 issue of WFB.  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 Part 1 of this episode, Tom Wimberly of TNT Machine Repair shares how a 40-year career in hardwood flooring evolved into a full-time machine-repair calling. Raised in the trade and naturally mechanical, Tom started fixing his own equipment after a costly early experience with a bad repair job. Over time, his reputation grew, leading to certifications with American Sanders, Lägler, and Bona and a steady flood of machines from the Chicagoland market. He describes leaving active sanding only four months ago, partly due to burnout and partly because demand for skilled repair outpaced his ability to run crews.  Tom’s offers “five habits to save your machines”: blow them out, listen to them, warm them up, stop when you see sparks, and empty your vacuums. He explains that most breakdowns come from simple neglect—especially dust buildup, loose or overtightened belts, ignored warning sounds, and running cold, condensed machines straight from the truck. Tom also unpacks the difference between chatter and waves, noting that operator technique and job-site conditions often cause problems people blame on equipment. He closes with stories from the repair bench—machines destroyed by dust, bad tracking, or makeshift fixes—and a broader lesson: crews who maintain tools, stay organized and pay attention to how machines sound and behave will sand better floors, avoid downtime, and extend the life of expensive gear. Read Tom's articles "How I Learned To Charge What I’m Worth" from the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Wood Floor Business, and his article "Things Your Wood Floor Sanding Equipment Wishes You Would Do" from the April/May 2025 issue of WFB.  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 Stephen Diggins welcomes New England legend Charlie “Big Charlie” Auditore, who was born in 1942, for an unscripted oral history of six decades in hardwood flooring—from post-WWII union jobs and on-site fistfights to million-foot parquet installs at Boston’s Prudential Center and iconic spaces like the Hatch Shell. Charlie traces his path from his father’s Allegheny Contract Flooring to founding Auditore Floors (later The Becht Corp.), sharing gritty stories of installing in Army base housing by the thousands, MIT’s exotic panga-panga parquet, Sydney blue gum for retail, iron-bound and cold-stick installs, and the evolution of sanding and finishing, including hand-scraping, shellac and moisture-cure urethane—including the health and safety consequences learned the hard way. He recalls union vs. non-union tensions, New York job-site politics (and stolen tools), riots in 1960s Boston and years running big crews across Maine and New England.  Thanks to this season’s sponsor of  All Things Wood Floor, Odie’s Oil – the wood floor finish that is safe and beautiful while delivering a lower cost and higher profit margin. 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, the "Dutch Wood Artist" Jakko Woudenberg describes how, as a typical wood floor pro, he felt compelled to create something more. That journey has led him to creating some of the most incredibly wood floors in the world, including the phenomenal massive tree-ring floor and, most recently, a 195,000‑piece wooden mosaic re-creation of Rembrandt’s "The Night Watch". In his conversation with host Stephen Diggins, he shares his philosophy on creativity, craftsmanship and mentorship. Jakob also discusses collaboration, teaching the next generation and his vision for creating a global, pay‑it‑forward flooring artwork that connects elite wood floor pros around the world. See the article about Jakko Wounderberg's “The Night Watch in Wood” from the October/November 2025 issue of Wood Floor Business here.  See his phenomenal tree ring floor in this article. 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.

Troy Stanfield of Plankd Flooring in Mount Baker, South Australia, walks listeners through his journey from furniture restoration to award-winning "timber" floors, sharing how his boutique, quality-first approach built a strong reputation and unique niche in Australia’s timber flooring trade. Troy recounts memorable jobs—from a scissor lift that destroyed century-old jarrah parquet to falling asleep while sanding to plasterers stomping their way through a Baltic pine while dancing Irish jigs—and closes with practical lessons on scheduling, saying no, inventory management and mentoring the next generation of floor pros. Read the articles Stephen and Troy discussed in this episode: The Horrible Wood Flooring Job That Taught Me So Much Trick of the Trade: Keeping Track of Your Finish Made Easier Tales From the Front: The Jig Was … Down on This Job 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.

Josh Johnson, owner of Johnson Flooring in Decherd, Tenn., shares how he began by knocking on a flooring van’s window and learned the trade hands‑on, including his nightmare first sanding job and the huge mistake he made on that job. He also describes mentorships, equipment upgrades from a 110 sander to a legit big machine and how classes and tools like a multi-head sander transformed his work and business. Josh offers practical advice for newcomers, reflects on pricing and physical demands, and outlines plans to open a showroom while continuing to balance installations and sand‑and‑finish work. Read the Wood Floor Business article that profiles Josh Johnson here: https://bit.ly/fm25nextgen   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.

Part two of our interview with Daniel Boone dives into machine setup, edgers, training on buffers, and practical classroom-to-job techniques he uses to train wood floor professionals. Daniel also shares stories from international schools, the Train‑the‑Trainer initiative, and why mentoring the next generation is essential for the trade’s future. Read recent articles from Daniel Boone in Wood Floor Business: A Key to Better Sanding: Know Your Scratch Wood Floor Sanding 101, Part 1 Sponsored: A Wood Floor Recognized For Beauty & Craftsmanship 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 Stephen Diggins welcomes legendary wood floor pro and trainer Daniel Boone. A direct descendant of the iconic frontiersman, Daniel shares his own pioneering journey—from running an edger at age 12 in the family wood floor business to training wood flooring pros across continents. With a life steeped in the wood flooring trade since childhood, Daniel reflects on how a simple piece of two-and-a-quarter flooring became his passport to the world. He discusses his hands-on teaching philosophy, the evolution of flooring education and how he's tried to make a positive impact on the thousands of people he's trained in the industry. This is Part 1 of a two-part episode. Read recent articles from Daniel Boone in Wood Floor Business: A Key to Better Sanding: Know Your Scratch Wood Floor Sanding 101, Part 1 Sponsored: A Wood Floor Recognized For Beauty & Craftsmanship     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 sponsored episode of All Things Wood Floor, host Steve Diggins sits down with Milton Goodwin, VP of product management-hardwood at AHF Products—the powerhouse behind the iconic Bruce brand—to explore how innovation, heritage and craftsmanship are shaping the hardwood flooring industry. From Bruce's roots in 1884 to AHF's modern approach to unfinished solid and engineered flooring and domestic manufacturing, the conversation covers key topics like the evolution of performance-driven flooring products, trends in design and finish, and how AHF is responding to global supply chain challenges with strategic investments in U.S.-based production. Goodwin also shares insights on sustainability initiatives and how the company supports wood floor pros through technology and training. Whether you're a seasoned flooring professional or just passionate about what's underfoot, this episode offers valuable insight into why AHF Products continues to set the standard for performance and style in wood flooring. 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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. Read Jack's article "What We’ve Learned by Milling the Flooring We Install" in the April/May 2025 issue of Wood Floor Business here: https://bit.ly/am25fund Read about a special floor Jack installed in "A Meaningful Wood Flooring Project in Memoriam": https://bit.ly/dj25chevy   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 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 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.

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 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   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 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.  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.

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.   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.

Aaron Sheaves of Sheaves Floors in Weyers Cave, Va., 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 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 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. 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 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. 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.