In this episode, we sit down with Steve Osborn of Spokane, Wash.-based Black Forest Hardwood Floors—Wood Floor Business’s 2025 Ultimate Floor Guy and a WFB contributing author—to unpack his journey and the lessons learned as he built his business. From managing Domino’s Pizza to becoming a master craftsman and business owner, Steve shares how he fell into the flooring trade and built a thriving company from the ground up. Along the way, he shares early struggles, hard-earned lessons and the pivotal role mentorship and systems played in transforming chaos into a scalable, successful business.

Steve dives into building a strong team culture, investing in training and creating innovative systems—like his interactive quoting platform—that elevate both customer experience and profitability. Whether you're a flooring pro, business owner, or just love stories of grit and growth, this episode delivers practical insights and inspiration on what it really takes to raise the bar—and rebuild it from scratch.

Read Steve’s 2025 Ultimate Wood Floor Guy profile here.

Find the Black Forest Hardwood Floors website here.

Read Steve’s articles:

How We Are Transforming Estimates Into Sales Engines

Stop Chasing Reviews. Instead, Build a System That Works

Know someone who should be in the WFB 2026 Ultimate Wood Floor Guy or Gal? Nominate them:

https://bit.ly/enter26uwfgg

Know a company that should be nominated for the WFB 2026 Outstanding Retailer Awards? Entries are open here:

https://bit.ly/enter26ora

In part two of this fascinating conversation, Michael Purser of Rosebud Company takes listeners deeper into the art and judgment behind true wood floor restoration. From chemically removing old finishes without damaging historic wood to testing modern hardening oils for durability and maintenance, Michael explains how preservation work balances craftsmanship, chemistry and common sense. His stories are packed with vivid details, including dramatic saves on high-profile projects and the kind of field-tested wisdom that only comes from decades of hands-on experience.

Purser discusses restoring legendary properties like Edsel Ford’s home, revealing how history, architecture, materials and maintenance all collide in preservation work. Along the way, he shares practical lessons for today’s floor pros: educate clients, respect the original intent of a floor, and never assume sanding is the right answer. This episode is both inspiring and highly instructive for anyone who cares about wood floors, restoration or the craft behind exceptional work.

Read Michael Purser’s article from the February/March 2026 issue of WFB:

Modern Wood Floor Finishes: How We Got Here

See all of Michael Purser’s articles and blogs for WFB here:

https://www.woodfloorbusiness.com/authors/contact/15120122/michael-purser

See more of Michael Purser’s work, videos and more at his website:

https://rosebudfloors.com/

In this episode, host Stephen Diggins and wood floor historical restoration expert Michael Purser of The Rosebud Company in Atlanta take a deep dive into wood floor finishes: the rise of urethane finishes, which helped revive wood flooring after wall-to-wall carpet nearly crushed the trade; how homeowners drove the change because they were tired of the constant upkeep of wax floors; and the shift from oil-modified urethanes to early waterborne finishes and later hardwax oils; and the need to educate clients instead of allowing them to blame the finish for every problem.

The pair also examine the difference between true restoration and ordinary refinishing—how restoration means protecting original wood and removing surface buildup without sacrificing historic material, often through what he calls “Passive Refinishing” rather than sanding. Purser challenges romantic ideas about old finishes, noting that historic wax, shellac, oil, and varnish systems were often labor-intensive, fragile, and unattractive unless maintained by wealthy households with help. He also explains the nuances of museum and preservation work, where every mark, patch, and “witness” area can carry historical meaning, and the ultimate sin would be to make the wood flooring look brand new.

Read Michael Purser’s article from the February/March 2026 issue of WFB:

Modern Wood Floor Finishes: How We Got Here

See all of Michael Purser’s articles and blogs for WFB here:

https://www.woodfloorbusiness.com/authors/contact/15120122/michael-purser

See more of Michael Purser’s work, videos and more at his website:

https://rosebudfloors.com/

Part two of "All Things Wood Floor" with lifelong wood floor pro and tool-repair wizard Tom Wimberly digs into the real-world habits that separate smooth, profitable jobs from headache callbacks. Wimberly breaks down dust containment the way only someone who’s lived it for decades can—why bags matter, how to keep them breathing, and the simple end-of-day routines that prevent clogs, fire risks and motor burnout. From drum sanders vs. belts to edgers, buffers, and vacs, he shares the maintenance truths most crews skip, plus the “shop-floor” fixes that save your upper rollers, wheels, pads, bearings and bankroll.

Wimberly also shares his turning-point story of going from just getting by every month—despite having crews and being busy—to operating with a cash cushion, and how that one shift changes everything: stress, bidding confidence, the jobs you say “no” to, and the money you stop leaving on the table. His insights and real-life contracting experience offer a clearer path to a business that serves you instead of consuming you. 

Read Wimberly's articles "How I Learned To Charge What I’m Worth" from the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Wood Floor Business, and his article "Things Your Wood Floor Sanding Equipment Wishes You Would Do" from the April/May 2025 issue of WFB. 

In Part 1 of this episode, Tom Wimberly of TNT Machine Repair shares how a 40-year career in hardwood flooring evolved into a full-time machine-repair calling. Raised in the trade and naturally mechanical, Tom started fixing his own equipment after a costly early experience with a bad repair job. Over time, his reputation grew, leading to certifications with American Sanders, Lägler, and Bona and a steady flood of machines from the Chicagoland market. He describes leaving active sanding only four months ago, partly due to burnout and partly because demand for skilled repair outpaced his ability to run crews. 

Tom’s offers “five habits to save your machines”: blow them out, listen to them, warm them up, stop when you see sparks, and empty your vacuums. He explains that most breakdowns come from simple neglect—especially dust buildup, loose or overtightened belts, ignored warning sounds, and running cold, condensed machines straight from the truck. Tom also unpacks the difference between chatter and waves, noting that operator technique and job-site conditions often cause problems people blame on equipment.

He closes with stories from the repair bench—machines destroyed by dust, bad tracking, or makeshift fixes—and a broader lesson: crews who maintain tools, stay organized and pay attention to how machines sound and behave will sand better floors, avoid downtime, and extend the life of expensive gear.

Read Tom's articles "How I Learned To Charge What I’m Worth" from the December 2025/January 2026 issue of Wood Floor Business, and his article "Things Your Wood Floor Sanding Equipment Wishes You Would Do" from the April/May 2025 issue of WFB. 

In this episode of “All Things Wood Floor,” host Stephen Diggins welcomes New England legend Charlie “Big Charlie” Auditore, who was born in 1942, for an unscripted oral history of six decades in hardwood flooring—from post-WWII union jobs and on-site fistfights to million-foot parquet installs at Boston’s Prudential Center and iconic spaces like the Hatch Shell. Charlie traces his path from his father’s Allegheny Contract Flooring to founding Auditore Floors (later The Becht Corp.), sharing gritty stories of installing in Army base housing by the thousands, MIT’s exotic panga-panga parquet, Sydney blue gum for retail, iron-bound and cold-stick installs, and the evolution of sanding and finishing, including hand-scraping, shellac and moisture-cure urethane—including the health and safety consequences learned the hard way. He recalls union vs. non-union tensions, New York job-site politics (and stolen tools), riots in 1960s Boston and years running big crews across Maine and New England. 

Thanks to this season’s sponsor of  All Things Wood Floor, Odie’s Oil – the wood floor finish that is safe and beautiful while delivering a lower cost and higher profit margin.

In this episode, the "Dutch Wood Artist" Jakko Woudenberg describes how, as a typical wood floor pro, he felt compelled to create something more. That journey has led him to creating some of the most incredibly wood floors in the world, including the phenomenal massive tree-ring floor and, most recently, a 195,000‑piece wooden mosaic re-creation of Rembrandt’s "The Night Watch". In his conversation with host Stephen Diggins, he shares his philosophy on creativity, craftsmanship and mentorship.

Jakob also discusses collaboration, teaching the next generation and his vision for creating a global, pay‑it‑forward flooring artwork that connects elite wood floor pros around the world.

See the article about Jakko Wounderberg's “The Night Watch in Wood” from the October/November 2025 issue of Wood Floor Business here. 

See his phenomenal tree ring floor in this article.

Troy Stanfield of Plankd Flooring in Mount Baker, South Australia, walks listeners through his journey from furniture restoration to award-winning "timber" floors, sharing how his boutique, quality-first approach built a strong reputation and unique niche in Australia’s timber flooring trade.

Troy recounts memorable jobs—from a scissor lift that destroyed century-old jarrah parquet to falling asleep while sanding to plasterers stomping their way through a Baltic pine while dancing Irish jigs—and closes with practical lessons on scheduling, saying no, inventory management and mentoring the next generation of floor pros.

Read the articles Stephen and Troy discussed in this episode:

The Horrible Wood Flooring Job That Taught Me So Much

Trick of the Trade: Keeping Track of Your Finish Made Easier

Tales From the Front: The Jig Was … Down on This Job

Josh Johnson, owner of Johnson Flooring in Decherd, Tenn., shares how he began by knocking on a flooring van’s window and learned the trade hands‑on, including his nightmare first sanding job and the huge mistake he made on that job.

He also describes mentorships, equipment upgrades from a 110 sander to a legit big machine and how classes and tools like a multi-head sander transformed his work and business.

Josh offers practical advice for newcomers, reflects on pricing and physical demands, and outlines plans to open a showroom while continuing to balance installations and sand‑and‑finish work.

Read the Wood Floor Business article that profiles Josh Johnson here: https://bit.ly/fm25nextgen

Part two of our interview with Daniel Boone dives into machine setup, edgers, training on buffers, and practical classroom-to-job techniques he uses to train wood floor professionals. Daniel also shares stories from international schools, the Train‑the‑Trainer initiative, and why mentoring the next generation is essential for the trade’s future.

Read recent articles from Daniel Boone in Wood Floor Business:

A Key to Better Sanding: Know Your Scratch

Wood Floor Sanding 101, Part 1

Sponsored: A Wood Floor Recognized For Beauty & Craftsmanship