When Matt Williams, owner of reVision Design and Renovation, in Hoschton, Georgia, saw a post on Facebook from a local fireman about needing work done to the floors at their station, he knew it was meant for him.
After being in the construction and housing business for nearly 18 years, Williams decided to get more into the flooring business in 2005, and branched out on his own when he started reVision Design and Renovation in 2016 with his business partner Solomon Silva. “I have a huge passion for floors – I love them,” says Williams.
Since starting his business, Williams has made it a priority to use his skills to give back to the community. He even offers discounts to those who provide services to our communities and country. “Anything we can do for our first-responders, military, teachers, etc., we do it. I don’t feel these individuals are recognized enough and this is an easy way for us to give back to them,” adds Williams.
Williams is one of more than 80,000 members of a local Facebook group in Atlanta where people can seek recommendations for needs in the community. One day, he came across a post from a firefighter who was asking for quotes to refinish the floors in his department’s station.
“People started commenting, saying they would donate money here and there, so we decided to step in and do the floors pro-bono as a thank you for all of the hard work our firefighters do,” says Williams.
PROCESS DETAILS
After meeting with the fire chief and discussing the job, Williams and his team decided to sand down the existing floor and give new life to the beautiful white oak that was installed in 1933.
“The floors were really in bad shape,” says Williams. “They hadn’t been touched in years, and the last time they were touched, someone used brown paint to paint over the top of them.”
William’s team used a modified Shou Sugi Ban technique to give the floors a unique look. “What better place to have the burnt floor look than in a fire station,” he said. “We then grain popped the floor before we applied three coats of gloss polyurethane.”
FINAL THOUGHTS
“This was a cool job to be part of,” adds Williams. “I love my flooring business, but I love being able to give back to my community more. It doesn’t matter how much money we make; at the end of the day, it’s about the number of people we can help. This business has opened up so many new avenues to help others, and for that, I’m truly grateful.”