It’s All About the Basic … Wood Flooring School

Let’s go back to when it all started. Most of you know I worked for Clarke for 24½ years and was let go. Most of you know we started Cardinal Hardwood after Clarke, but what you may not know is that before Mr. Daniel Boone took me under his wing, I had never sanded a floor bigger than the panel at an NWFA school.

It can be done, and it all got going at the NWFA/NOFMA basic class in Memphis, Tenn. Last week, the NWFA/NOFMA class was back at it hard in the Chesterfield, Mo., headquarters for both offices.

I do not know how many times it has been going on or how many folks have come through the class, but it just gets better and better. Stop and think about it: We all start somewhere, and at some time we all need the basic starting line to see where the path will take us. For me, it’s been a great path, the type of path that is cut and easy to walk. [Editor's Note: To read Assistant Editor Andrew Averill's take on Wayne's teaching last week, read his blog post.]

As I look back and see the path, the footprints tell a story. Years pass, time flies, weeks become months and, well, seconds become hours. Thirty years of woo- related life, joy, travels and a ton of fun.

Teaching about wood flooring has taken me to some great places. Here's me, Joe Boone Sr. and Daniel Boone in Sydney in 1999.Looking back is not easy after 30 years because I forget some of the many locations, hotels, states and even a few overseas trips to teach. What’s easy to look back on are the friends and the greatest folks a guy could ask for … 30 years of friends—truth be told, family.

So, if you are new in the trade or a 30-year veteran like me, I would challenge you to go back to the basic class and connect with the roots of our trade. Brett Miller does an outstanding job of getting the baseline set for the future. Take the time to share the skills you have or come learn the skills you may need for the path ahead. What hit me the most at this class was the desire of the group coming in for the class—they were young men and woman with a goal. The instructors are so willing to share all they have and give so freely. We had a “new guy” if you will: Tim Nathan with General Finishes. He has years of work in Wisconsin as a contractor, now he was a lead for a panel. Todd McDonald is still as full of drive as day one. I could go on with names, but the same bell rings clear: Give all you have and enjoy it while you are doing it.

Still at it: Teaching chasing the grain on my panel at NWFA last week.It’s the 8x8 panel that sets the baseline for skills; we just have to be willing to blow it up to the great room or total house on a real job site. It’s the same basic skills that got us all going and it’s the same basic skill that will help us through a rough job. Never forget the place we started and who we started with. You can bet I will always remember my first class; it was a start to a path, the type of path that has given more than it has taken. Come teach, share, learn, grow or just get in touch with your roots. Basic skills that may seem forgotten could be a new skill for a new person in our trade.

Hope to see you at the next one, and remember, it’s all about the basics.

(To see a list of upcoming NWFA schools, see the online schedule.)