Meet The Crew

Guy was introduced to hardwood floor refinishing back in 1978 when he worked for a short while with one of the regions veteran floor refinishers now presently retired. He stepped away from the trade and pursued a career as a missionary serving primarily in Eastern Canada finally to settle in the country of Haiti.

Spending a full six years in Haiti he came to love the culture and the people. Ask him about it and get him to say a few words to you in Creole. You will see that he is as passionate about Haiti as he is about hardwood floors. When it was discovered that he and his wife were expecting a child he promptly returned to Vancouver in the early 90’s to raise his daughter leaving part of his heart in Haiti, vowing someday to return.

Reuniting with Fernand Duclos of “Duclos Floors” once again he set himself to the task of mastering the craft of hardwood floor refinishing. He joined the National Wood Flooring Association. Following that he took a specialized course in Seattle offered by the NWFA on refinishing techniques. He considers it a privilege to have been personally trained by two of the most respected names on the continent in hardwood refinishing, Bill Price and Daniel Boone.

Beginning as “Floor- X Hardwood Floors” the opportunity to buy the fledgling company “Woodsmith Hardwood Floors” presented itself. This he did and built it up over a period of 10 years. After running a full crew and establishing a fine reputation he sold the business and retired in 2004. Having trained the present owner of Woodsmith Hardwood Floors he is proud to see that “Woodsmith Hardwood Floors” is at present one of the most successful floor refinishing companies in the Lower Mainland area.

Once again he stepped away from the business and returned with his family to the Caribbean to continue his missionary work. After completing his near three year term he returned to the Vancouver area and established “Silver Leaf Refinishing Inc.” His goal remains to continue to specialize in hardwood floor refinishing.

Guy continues to perfect his skills ever staying abreast of the many changes and innovations within the industry. Guy has a great respect for his fellow flooring professionals and considers himself fortunate to be counted among the handful of dedicated artisans to the craft here in the Vancouver area.

Glen has near ten years experience in the hardwood floor refinishing industry. Hardworking and dedicated he has learned the craft well. Glen is experienced with all aspects of hardwood flooring, installations, repairs and refinishing. Guy trained Glen in the late 90’s and they worked together as a team for eight years.

Glen remained with “Woodsmith Hardwood Floors” after Guy left for the Caribbean. Glen then became the senior craftsman training a number of workers as “Woodsmith Hardwood Floors” continued to expand. With the return of Guy to Vancouver, he left “Woodsmith” and joined “Silver Leaf Refinishing” to add his talents and skills once again to those of Guy’s.

Glen is the ‘life’ of the crew keeping us laughing and light hearted to the end of the day. In addition to his carefully acquired flooring skills, Glen has exceptional ‘people skills’ and is valued as an equal within the team.

What a pleasure it is to have Josh working with the team. Josh is the newest member having added himself to the team after leaving a promising career in mechanical drafting. Having worked on the new additions to the Vancouver General Hospital, the Richmond Olympic Oval, Abbotsford’s Regional Hospital and numerous other projects he decidedly made a career move. Leaving mechanical plumbing and HVAC drafting for a far more satisfying work, he could not be happier.

He repeatedly states how satisfying hardwood floor refinishing is. The new challenges, unique skills and techniques he is mastering, gives him an increased sense of pride and fulfillment. He has come to see why Guy and Glen love this work so. For Josh, few things are as fulfilling as taking a one hundred year old floor and bringing it back to life.

On a more personal note, Josh has just gotten engaged. It is amazing how many analogies to marriage one can find in wood floor refinishing.

You may also want to see Our Unique Guarantee as it defines well Guy, Glen and Josh.

So there you have it, our crew: Hardworking, honest and not taking ourselves too seriously. We do not believe that there is another team as cohesive and dedicated to the craft. We are steadfast friends.

Check out the video clip of the crew setting up and sanding a floor and see their serious side in the video: Methods and Machines.

We hope we will have a chance to meet you in person.