Well, I have had the easy week-just working on the 1,200-foot job (the white oak No. 1 common, 4 inches wide), and it went great. The only hitch was that the job was going to be straight poly, but at the last hour the homeowner asked if we could stain it. No big deal: I asked what she was after and it was a simple color. We stained it, and she was very happy with the look.
Joey is going to install the trim next week as well as start the remodel on the extra bathroom. We are putting in a new shower and tile floor. It isn't a huge deal, just a simple demo and install, but like all things new to me, we have a concern about the shower. We almost always put in a mud bed, but this shower unit has a pan made to look like marble. I like how fast it goes in, but to install it we had to rip out the drywall so the base can go from stud to stud. So with that, Joey is going to do the wall work as well. Got to be glad he has more skills than just floors!
My week will start at the NWFA headquarters in Chesterfield, Mo.; I have been asked to help with the Expert Sand & Finish class; I am like a kid waiting for Christmas. I learn so much from Steve Seabaugh, Frank Kroupa and Daniel Boone that they should ask me to pay for the class. They use dye for stains, sawdust for filler and some of the best tricks of the trade that I have ever seen. This is why folks need to come to the class, they bring out the tricks that most of us never see or use. My skills are with the sanders and I must say that the last two years as a flooring contractor have made me open up to the big picture. I have always talked about the units with a manufacturer's mindset, trying to express the best features. Now I see the need for explaining how the machines work in real life. I know that it is not a floor sander, it is a paper turner.
During the week I will bring more of this idea from the class and share with you the comments from the folks at the class.
