Michelle Kingsbury owns Creative Hardwood Floors, a wood floor refinishing business based in Vassalboro, Maine. The company also services the greater Pennsylvania and New Jersey areas. Kingsbury has been in the industry for more than 35 years and recently began Creative Custom Apparel, where she creates wood logo patches for hats, as well as t-shirts and sweatshirts for wood flooring professionals.
Kingsbury recently was featured on the NWFA Wood Talk podcast, so Hardwood Floors magazine caught up with her to ask a few more questions.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I have two daughters who mean the world to me, but they did not follow in my or their father’s footsteps into the flooring industry. Years ago, as my business launched, no one could remember my name or the company name, and a lot of people were posting online, asking, “Who is that girl with the ponytail that refinishes floors?” So, I have a cartoon character of me with my ponytail printed on the side of my trailer to help everyone remember.
Who has influenced your career the most and why? My ex-husband was the biggest influence in my career. If it weren’t for him teaching me all aspects of flooring and running a business, I wouldn’t have been in the flooring industry.
How did you get started in the industry? After graduating high school, I met a boy who was working for a flooring company. He talked me into opening a flooring business with him instead of attending school to be a nurse. In 2001, we divorced, and I needed to do something where I could make the type of money I needed to raise two young girls and have a flexible schedule. I remember my first job after starting my own business. I was driving down the road and saw carpet in the trash, so I dropped off my business card at their door.
What is your favorite wood floor project that you’ve participated in? I truly love staining a floor. It gets my heart pumping and nervous at the same time, trying to make sure that I do not have sanding marks and that my stain is even. Equipment and processes have evolved a lot. When I finally started using the buffer to apply stain, it was amazing but nerve-racking. I was also super excited to try water-popping for the first time.
What energizes you to stay in the wood flooring industry? What energizes me to stay in the industry is that I am very good at it. I also love that I do something different every day. Yes, I am sanding a floor, but every floor is different. I like meeting new people and I try to give them exactly what I would want in my home. My famous line is, “If I am happy, my customer most definitely will be happy.” The satisfaction of taking an old floor and making it look brand new is what I am after.
Do you have a morning routine that sets you up for success? I do not have much of a morning routine. However, the night or day before, I go over in my head what I need to do, whether I need supplies or the scope of the day. What I should do every morning is
stretch – ha!
What keeps you busy outside of work? I live on a 40-acre ranch with my boyfriend, where we have 100 head of cattle and 10 horses. We host and compete in team penning/ranch sorting (moving and penning cattle in a limited amount of time while riding a horse) shows all over the Northeast and at our home. We have four businesses between us, so I am always on the road or in the office with my embroidery/apparel business when I am not sanding floors.
You can listen to a technical-focused discussion between Michelle Kingsbury and NWFA’s Brett Miller, as well as other hardwood flooring experts by visiting
hardwoodfloorsmag.com/nwfa-wood-talk-podcast.