
The wood flooring industry offers promising opportunities for aspiring professionals, but progressing in the field requires a commitment to education and skill development. Early training and mentorship are valuable tools for success, helping newcomers avoid common pitfalls. With the ongoing demand for skilled tradespeople, highlighted by a significant number of job openings in the construction sector, numerous organizations have stepped up to provide valuable resources to equip aspiring wood floor pros with the skills needed to thrive. WFB spoke with industry veterans, emerging professionals, and wood flooring organizations about advice and resources that aspiring professionals can use to build rewarding careers.
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The wood flooring industry offers promising opportunities for aspiring professionals, but progressing in the field requires a commitment to education and skill development. Early training and mentorship are valuable tools for success, helping newcomers avoid common pitfalls. With the ongoing demand for skilled tradespeople, highlighted by a significant number of job openings in the construction sector, numerous organizations have stepped up to provide valuable resources to equip aspiring wood floor pros with the skills needed to thrive. WFB spoke with industry veterans, emerging professionals, and wood flooring organizations about advice and resources that aspiring professionals can use to build rewarding careers.
'Young and Hungry': Alejandre Israel's Wood Flooring Journey
Alejandre Israel
Alejandre Israel has explored several trades, but hardwood flooring is where his heart lies. "I tried other jobs over the years, like drywall, landscaping and fencing, and none of them gave me the satisfaction and pride that (wood flooring) does," he says. Israel started on floors when he was 16 working for his uncle, and now, at 22 he recently opened his own business, Cedar Oak Flooring in Middlefield, Ohio. He describes himself as "young and hungry" because in six years he's grown his skills and confidence in the trade enough to work for himself doing wood floor installation and restorations. "I started my own business and now I'm kind of just working on getting my name out there," Israel says. "I want to keep upping my career."
Israel's love for wood flooring started when he worked for his uncle doing several trade jobs in Colorado. He felt a sense of satisfaction from wood flooring that he hadn't experienced with other trades. He loved turning a scratched-up, old floor into something beautiful and witnessing the ecstatic reaction from customers. "It's not easy; not a lot of people can do it," Israel says. "Being really good at something that's respectable—I think it's pretty cool." So, when Israel turned 18 he went to apprentice for wood flooring pro David Harris. "It was just me and him, and he taught me everything I know," Israel says. Harris also introduced Israel to The Dust Life Facebook group, which Israel says has been a crucial tool in his career development, providing him with industry connections and on-the-job tips.
After working for Harris for two years, Israel moved to Las Vegas. But Nevada proved a hard place to break into the wood flooring market, so after living there for a couple months, he inquired about jobs on The Dust Life and said he was willing to move anywhere in the country. "Flooring is what I do; it's what I'm good at," he says. "I was willing to do whatever it takes to get back into the business."
Premiero Floors in Middlefield, Ohio, responded to Israel's job inquiry and invited him to help on a job for a week. Since Israel was "hungry for work," he packed his car with all his belongings and made his way east, hoping Premiero Floors would offer him a full-time job after the week was up. Israel says he took the risk because he loved the trade and wanted to return to it. Fortunately, he did enjoy working there, and Premiero Flooring offered him a job. They helped him find an apartment, and he soon became a lead flooring installer.
After spending a year in Ohio and discovering a lucrative wood flooring market in the Cleveland area, Israel took a stab at starting his own business. While still employed at Premiero Floors, Israel plans to transition to running his business full time in 2025 as he secures more jobs. "This new year, I want to step away from working for someone else and start working for myself and for the money," he says. "I want to use that money to invest in myself."
Taking classes and meeting pros in the field have been crucial elements for Israel's career progress. He recently attended the DM Hardwood Designs School in Ocala, Fla., which he says immensely helped him plan this next stage of his career as a business owner. Israel says, "Seeing all those professionals really pushed me to dive deeper and see how good I could really get."
Josh Johnson
Josh Johnson's Self-Taught Path to Wood Flooring Success
From teaching himself how to sand and finish floors to opening his own business, Josh Johnson, 41, of Decherd, Tenn.-based Johnson Flooring attributes his career success to jumping into everything feet first. "I think you need to kind of get in the trade and get your feet wet in order to succeed," Johnson says. Even Johnson's introduction to the trade began with a leap of faith. After graduating high school and looking for a job, Johnson spotted a wood flooring van outside of a store while driving around one day. With no experience in flooring installation, Johnson pulled over, waited by the van until its driver came out and asked for a job. Much to his luck they gave him a job, and he went to work for the company the next day. "I showed up day one, they put me in a van with a crew and they started showing me everything I needed to know," Johnson says. All of Johnson's experience in the trade has been built on the job site. "In my opinion, that's the best way to learn," he says. Given hardwood installation's hands-on nature, Johnson says learning by doing is the best way to pick up the skill.
As important as it is to learn the trade hands-on, Johnson says having a mentor show you the ropes is also crucial for one's success. For Johnson, that was Terry Chamblee. Chamblee was there to teach Johnson everything he needed to know to be a successful wood floor pro.
The next time Johnson took a blind jump in his career was when he opened Johnson Flooring in 2008. After working for that first company for two years, Johnson switched careers and began working for his county while doing wood floor installation on the side. But the side business grew rapidly via word of mouth. Johnson says his public service job wasn't making him a lot of money, so he saw an opportunity to make more if he dove himself into hardwood flooring full time.
During this time, the new business owner found a helpful guide in nearby pro Terry Olin at Jeffco Flooring. While pros in Johnson's area didn't want to help out the new competition, Olin was there to advise Johnson during his start-up days. "I may not have made it without his expertise," Johnson says.
Once starting his own business Johnson was getting frequent requests to sand and finish floors. But Johnson had no experience in it, as he had only done installation. Following his mantra of "learning by doing," Johnson reached out to a friend who owned rental properties and agreed to sand and finish her floors for free in exchange for space to teach himself the process. "I made a lot of mistakes and had to do a lot of repairs, but eventually I got fairly decent at it," he says.
Now over 20 years into his career, Johnson has grown his business to where he's been able to hire on employees and subcontract people to install LVP and tile. A major thing Johnson has learned during his time in the industry is knowing his worth. When he got his first job out of high school, Johnson says he wasn't making much money because he felt he had to earn his way to a larger wage, especially since he was starting with no experience. But Johnson doesn't recommend this mindset for people entering the field today because it's a physically demanding job that not everyone can do. Johnson recommends young folks advocate for a living wage from employers, and, if they start their own business, charge what they're worth. Johnson says growing his skill took years of dedication, and those are reflected in his prices. "I have to charge for knowledge that I've invested in learning," he says.
Daniel Saucedo
Tips For Entering the Wood Flooring Industry
When Humble, Texas-based Daniel Wood Floors owner Daniel Saucedo got his start in the wood flooring industry, he admits he didn't have a full understanding of the trade. The company Saucedo worked for didn't provide him with adequate training for information about the products they were using. Because of that, Saucedo says he would sometimes mess up floors. So when he later changed employers, Saucedo sought out that information himself. He really liked the trade and wanted to better his skills. Looking back on his career, Saucedo hopes young people entering the trade seek out information early so that they don't make mistakes like he did.
WFB talked with Saucedo and other lifelong wood flooring pros about tips they have for people new to the industry or interested in entering it. Here's what they told us:
Jorge Perez
Seek Out Education and Training
Much like Saucedo, Jorge Perez, owner of Tacoma, Wash.-based Epic Hardwood Floors LLC, recommends young pros seek out training and information about the trade early in their careers. Whether it's attending a training course from a college, certifications offered by manufacturers or seeking out an employer that is willing to train on the job, Perez said finding education is a crucial investment in pros' careers.
Find a Mentor
Aside from formal training, Che Polfliet recommends finding a mentor who can walk you through and analyze the work on the job. "For me personally, having passionate teachers was a driving force," he says. Perez says having a mentor early on who can answer your questions is a huge way to build your skill in the trade. "There are many guys who will gladly walk you through the work and are willing to teach you," he says.
Wear Personal Protective Equipment
Installing and sanding hardwood floors is a physically demanding job that requires pros to work on their knees and haul around heavy equipment. Saucedo says, "My knees and my back have gotten tired from working through the years." Given the demands of the job, Saucedo recommends getting quality PPE and consistently using it. This includes wearing respirators, hearing protection, gloves, eye protection, steel-toe boots and knee pads.
Find Something to Love About the Trade
While the wood flooring industry can be a lucrative career field and provide financial stability to the people in it, Perez suggests people find something they love about the trade other than money. The tough nature of the job can drain people if they're only in it for the money, Perez says. But if you're passionate about the work and like doing it, the job can be enjoyable. Perez likes the pride in "being able to make something with your hands," and that makes the job worth the hard work.
Training in the Wood Flooring Industry
As the United States construction workforce ages, the demand for younger workers to replace a workforce nearing retirement is increasing. The construction industry had roughly 249,000 job openings in October 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With such a need for skilled tradespeople, a DeWalt study of students enrolled in trade school programs found 84% of its respondents believed they would be hired immediately following graduation.
While vocational training may bring confidence in finding employment, finding and accessing training programs is a key barrier for young people entering the trades, the DeWalt study found. The International Standards and Training Alliance Executive Director David Gross told WFB, "It's very difficult out there for people to find the resources to get training. Everybody is so busy working, nobody's getting trained." But once in the field, people with skilled trade jobs have higher than average incomes. The mean salary of a flooring installer is $54,190 and the mean salary for a floor sander and finisher is $49,910, according to the BLS.
The wood flooring industry is unique for its multiple entry points to employment. Formal education or training courses aren't required to get a job in the industry, but Gross says training can help "produce the best installers." From on-the-job training and apprenticeship to technical college courses and professional certifications, the wood flooring industry provides numerous ways to enter the trade.
Professional Training Courses
The wood flooring industry boasts many organizations that provide introduction and advanced training about the wood flooring trade.
The National Wood Flooring Association offers hands-on and online classes for those interested in expanding their wood flooring skills and knowledge of the industry. Interested individuals can find beginner to advanced classes on installation and sanding and finishing. NWFA University offers over 300 online courses about wood flooring sales, installation and manufacturing.
INSTALL offers installation training and certification across the U.S. and Canada for members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Training ranges from basics of sanding and finishing and introduction to wood flooring products to guides about dust containment. "We have very strong standards in our training, and we have a robust certification process, so that we know that our members are done with our training, we have faith that they're going to turn in a productive and well-done job," Gross told WFB.
The International Certified Flooring Installers, a division of the World Floor Covering Association, also offers days and weeks-long training courses for those looking to start their installation careers. Many major manufacturers in the wood flooring industry, including Bona, Lägler, Loba-Wakol, American Sanders and more, offer training throughout the year, as do some wood flooring distributors.
Technical College Courses
Technical colleges can offer another avenue toward wood flooring training. Technical college programs allow students to finish school in one to four semesters, and scholarships can be used to help pay for the courses' costs. For example, Atlanta Technical College in Atlanta and Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz., both offer a flooring installation certification.
Floor Covering Education Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to get more workers in the flooring industry, works with technical colleges to create flooring curriculums. In the last three years, the organization has established flooring installation programs in 22 colleges across 12 states and Canada, with plans to expand to 200 colleges within five years. Technical college flooring courses affiliated with FCEF can be found at flooryourfuture.com.
On-the-Job Training
Apart from professional training, some employers will pay to teach the basics of wood flooring on the job. San Francisco, Calif.-based East Bay Wood Floors owner Joel Arias says he likes to hire people with no experience and train them on the job because it builds loyalty between the employee and the company. Arias has found employees are often more grateful and appreciative of the work they do when the company takes diligent time to train them. "When we see people who are interested in the trade and want to put in the work to learn, it's beneficial for us to keep those people and train them," Arias says.
New hires with no experience will shadow a seasoned employee for about six months, Arias says. During this time, the new employee will learn all the basics of installing, sanding and finishing a floor on the job site. In those few months, the new employee will slowly gain more responsibilities and be taught more in-depth information about the trade as they gain confidence.
Arias has had multiple employees he originally trained on the job who have now worked for him for many years and can handle any project that comes their way. "I understand it can be scary for some companies to train new guys without experience, but I enjoy teaching people the skills," he says.
Scholarships For Wood Flooring Education
The primary barrier for young adults entering the trades is access to and cost of training, according to DeWalt's "Gen Z in the Skilled Trades" study. DeWalt's study found 43% of high school students surveyed said the up front cost of trade school made them concerned about choosing a career in the trades. While training courses and vocational school aren't requisites for entering the wood flooring industry, lifelong wood floor pro Jorge Perez told WFB flooring education is key to any successful pro. "It's scary making that investment," Perez says. "But after a few years, it immediately pays off." WFB compiled a list of annual scholarships that can be used to fund training classes or trade school:
DeWalt Trades Scholarship
Amount: $5,000
The DeWalt scholarship is available for those attending a two-year college or technical school who are pursuing a trade degree or certificate.
Floor Covering Education Foundation Scholarships
Amount: Up to $2,500
FCEF offers up to $2,500 for people new to the floor covering industry who wish to pursue a career in it.
Houzz Scholarship Program
Amount: $2,500
The Skilled Trades Residential Construction Scholarship is for students pursuing trade certification or associate degrees through technical college programs who plan to pursue residential construction and remodeling work.
Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association
Amount: $1,000
MFMA offers five scholarships annually for secondary, advanced or trade school education.
National Wood Flooring Association
Amount: $1,000 and $500
The NWFA offers a $1,000 one-time scholarship for college students studying forestry sciences and a $500 scholarship to help members pay for NWFA hands-on training events.
Women in the Floor Covering Industry
Amount: $5,000 and $1,000
WIFI offers scholarships for women: The post-secondary education scholarship (up to $5,000 per year for four years) is for college or technical school, and the continuing education scholarship ($1,000 per year for up to four years) is for those working in the industry to further their skills.