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 tal ..read more

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, includin ..read more

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 involv ..read more

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 t ..read more

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 ..read 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 ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ..read 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 ..read more

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 ..read more