In 2012, I was 32 years old and working as a shipping agent at my father's company in Lisbon, Portugal, along with my father, brother and wife, Susy. When my mother passed away on Jan. 31 that year at the age of 56, I was faced with not only her death but the reality of having to shut down my grandfather's woodworking shop, which she had run, and letting go of the company's two master craftsmen I'd known all my life. I decided to take a leave from my father's company in order to manage the woodcraft shop and try to maintain the masters, as well as my grandfather's and mother's legacy. I believed if I stepped in briefly, the shop would run almost by itself with the customers who had been with us for six decades. I was wrong. What was supposed to be a one- or two-month rescue mission turned into a passion that is now a high-end wood flooring business.
After a year of running my grandfather's business, I decided to found a woodworking company of my own in order to fuse old techniques with new demands, and our company, Fino Oficio ("fine craft" in English) was born. At the same time, my wife and I started to build our house. Although we didn't do wood floors yet, when it came time to choose the floor, it could only be wood! We already knew the best way to go would be a glue-down installation since we were going to use radiant floor heating/cooling. Much to my surprise, all the professionals I contacted seemed genuinely afraid of gluing down my floor. Although Portugal has a rich tradition when it comes to woodwork, when it comes to wood flooring we have no association, no rules, no guidelines, and little training.
I started to study wood flooring, especially glue-down techniques on radiant systems. Two years passed, and again I contacted wood flooring companies. Every time I hung up the phone, Susy asked me why I didn't even ask for a quotation. My reply was the same: I didn't feel the trust I needed. We were stuck.
Then one of the contractors working at our house encouraged us to just install the wood floor ourselves. He basically said, "Stop whining! Just buy the damn floor, and I will help you and teach you." We went to our local retail store, bought the wood and a miter saw, and we were off. It took us three months to install 100 square meters (1,076 square feet) of solid pine flooring since we were doing it at night after work. We had no special tools or techniques ... nothing. But, by God, we did it.
When it was done, I felt something I'd never felt before: I was complete! I was looking at something done by us, something done with love, something beautiful. In the car at 2 a.m., I told Susy:
"I'm going to be a wood floor professional!"
"You're crazy," she said.
"Maybe, but I have to try!"
The next day a friend of mine asked if I knew someone to sand and refinish his floor. I told him no, but if he wanted, maybe I could do it. We agreed on a price, and after borrowing a palm sander, I went to the supermarket to buy an 80-euro (about $90) vacuum and a pair of knee pads, and I was off. The job was difficult, but I knew I was doing what I should have done all my professional life.
After nine months sanding on my hands and knees, we were able to buy our first professional big machine. We had to lease a warehouse in order to practice with several square meters of different types of wood floors.
Although we don't have wood floor training here in Portugal, we were able to do training with Bona in Madrid, and we were one of the first Bona Certified Craftsman companies in Portugal.
During 2017, the Pallmann brand was introduced to the Portuguese market, and we were one of the first companies to reach out in order to try their products and machines. We were honored take part in the Workcamp Parquet 2018 training held in Arcen, Holland, working alongside 45 top wood flooring pros from around the world. At the end Pallmann surprised our company by awarding us with the very first Iberic Pallmann ParkettProfi title (a professional certification), and we now fight day-in and day-out to honor the confidence they have given us. We have a mutual goal of wood floor perfection while using fewer and fewer solvents (in some cases, zero solvents).
We've also evolved by sharing experiences with fellow wood craftsmen scattered around Europe, the United States and Asia. We now specialize in wide-plank glue-down applications of solid or engineered flooring on cold/heat radiant floor systems. The last couple of years we have been developing new techniques to help during glue-down applications, and we are also designing two machines specifically for these types of applications (we hope to have a prototype ready by the end of 2019). We are also partners with radiant-heat manufacturer Schlüter Systems Portugal.
We also specialize in sanding and refinishing very old wood floors like the ones in downtown Lisbon, some of which are more than 300 years old. To bring back to life something that appears to be beyond repair is one of the most amazing things this trade has to offer.
We strive to make it clear that we want to be recognized for our quality and customer care, not our price. Here in Portugal, the jobs are always quoted by the square meter, with prices usually given over the phone. How can you give an honest and accurate quotation to a client? We never understood that and never will.
We can honestly say that the wood floor business is by far the best thing that has happened to us. Yes, we are tired, we are stressed and, especially, we spend a lot of time away from home and our family, but all of this is surpassed by our customers' genuine satisfaction and joy. To create is the key of life, and only five years into this business, we are honored to have created joy and happiness for hundreds of customers. Alongside the recognition from our peers, that is something that many times leaves us speechless.
After our journey in this industry, we feel that the only obstacle any wood floor professional has is himself! Do it with love and care, and in the end everything will fall into place.
