Why do they call you a "floor guy"? Why not the "floor expert"? Why isn't the plumber the toilet guy or the electrician a wire guy? There is something in the way we use language sometimes that doesn't sound good to me. To me, a "guy" doesn't imply knowledge and skill. To me, a "guy" implies someone average. A general contractor introduced me to one of his clients as "the floor guy". I corrected him and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not a floor guy, I'm a floor expert". We all smiled and continued with our meeting. Later that week the owner was on the phone with one of her friends. I heard her saying that the " … floor guy, sorry my floor expert is working on the floor." I smiled to myself.
Why do they call you a "floor guy"? Why not the "floor expert"? Why isn't the plumber the toilet guy or the electrician a wire guy? There is something in the way we use language sometimes that doesn't sound good to me. To me, a "guy" doesn't imply knowledge and skill. To me, a "guy" implies someone average. A general contractor introduced me to one of his clients as "the floor guy". I corrected him and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not a floor guy, I'm a floor expert". We all smiled and continued with our meeting. Later that week the owner was on the phone with one of her friends. I heard her saying that the " … floor guy, sorry my floor expert is working on the floor." I smiled to myself.
This leads me to your first tool in becoming better than you already are. Two words: Wood anatomy. Bark, cambium, sapwood, heartwood, pith … the basic parts of a tree, and I mean basic. We woodworkers do not need to know more than that for our daily work. Did you know that defining a wood as softwood or hardwood has nothing to do with its hardness? Did you know that both bark and wood cells form in the cambium layer? Did you know that heartwood is basically dead cells? Understanding how wood grows is interesting to me. I have piles of books about wood. Much like tools, I can't have enough of them. We all need to know the products we install; there is no argument there. We also need to know where our products come from, meaning what wood is, how it grows and its characteristics.
Knowing your wood anatomy will help you on a daily basis at work, it will help you make more money and it will help you develop a higher skill level as a wood expert. Let's take the simplest scenario: You are selling a black walnut floor. Your clients search online for photos of black walnut. What they really love about the floor is how dark and golden brown the wood looks. You know your woods and your wood anatomy, so you explain to them what sapwood is. The competition bid the job ordering "regular" black walnut. You want to order steamed walnut or just heartwood, and that will raise your price. You might even suggest having to stain the walnut floor. The point is that you bring samples and you show them the difference between the photos they saw online and the wood they'll get. It turns out your potential clients really hate the sapwood. They don't want that much sap in their walnut floor. You are the only guy who explained it to them, so they hire you. You just got a job because you knew what sapwood was.
The estimate meeting is the beginning of your knowledge paying off. Then, your knowledge comes into play when you install the floor. Identifying the wood parts as you rack the floor helps achieve a consistent look. I see installers rack out a floor without identifying sappy boards. Others can't tell that they have a red oak board in a white oak bundle (it does happen). Then, they apply the sealer or black stain, and now it is too late. During installation you also cut, chisel, plane and scrape wood parts. If you know your wood and how it affects your tools, your life would be much easier. When it comes to sanding and finishing, wood anatomy knowledge is priceless. Understanding early wood, latewood and how dishout is created will help your sanding techniques. Which products to use when finishing certain woods will save you the callbacks on floors with a peeling or soft finish.
The examples are endless, and I could go on forever about wood anatomy. In previous blogs I discussed advanced levels of woodworking techniques. If you ever try to make medallions or do inlays, wood anatomy is a must. The important thing is that you get started. I'm writing this not only for the installer but everyone who handles wood for a living. You can go online and buy a book about understanding wood or wood basics. All those books start with a short explanation of what's inside a tree and how it forms. Don't be discouraged by the big words, and have some faith in yourself. You figured out how to do what you do every day without much help. You can read a few pages and educate yourself. You don't need to become a wood scientist to understand wood. You will still be cool listening to Pink Floyd and have a book in your arsenal of tools.
All I want is to be able to call you a floor expert, not a floor guy. In my next post we'll have a short video tutorial on wood anatomy.
