1 00:00:03,166 --> 00:00:05,600 Welcome back to the Pro Source podcast. 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,233 My name is Mollie and today we are inviting on 3 00:00:08,233 --> 00:00:11,700 one of our trade pro members from Prosource of Omaha on the podcast. 4 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Owen Dewey. 5 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,633 Owen Dewey is the owner of DFC flooring. 6 00:00:15,633 --> 00:00:19,733 DFC Flooring Specialist is a family owned and operated business. 7 00:00:20,166 --> 00:00:24,566 Owen’s father started the business in 1994 and Owen has joined the business 8 00:00:24,566 --> 00:00:29,300 to continue their legacy of offering over 30 years of expert industry experience. 9 00:00:29,666 --> 00:00:34,266 They help their clients install carpet, vinyl, LVP and laminate flooring 10 00:00:34,266 --> 00:00:38,200 professionally by certified installers and skilled craftsmen. 11 00:00:38,833 --> 00:00:42,600 Let's go ahead and welcome on Owen onto The ProSource podcast. 12 00:00:45,533 --> 00:00:46,366 So today 13 00:00:46,366 --> 00:00:49,566 we have on one of our trade pro, Owen Dewey. 14 00:00:49,566 --> 00:00:53,566 He is the owner of DFC Flooring Specialists out of Omaha, Nebraska. 15 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,100 Owen, thank you so much for coming on today. 16 00:00:56,100 --> 00:00:57,866 Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me. 17 00:00:57,866 --> 00:00:59,700 What made you want to start your own business? 18 00:00:59,700 --> 00:01:01,533 So basically, family company. 19 00:01:01,533 --> 00:01:04,100 My dad started it, actually, in 94. 20 00:01:04,100 --> 00:01:07,533 We kind of traveled from, you know, we're from Pennsylvania originally. 21 00:01:07,966 --> 00:01:09,300 I travel around. 22 00:01:09,300 --> 00:01:13,066 My family landed here in Omaha, and, my dad had some experience 23 00:01:13,066 --> 00:01:16,800 in carpet and flooring and in Pennsylvania with his family business out there. 24 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:18,366 So he brought it here. 25 00:01:18,366 --> 00:01:19,633 So I've been doing flooring installation 26 00:01:19,633 --> 00:01:23,433 since, 94 and been buying it from him since the start of this year. 27 00:01:23,633 --> 00:01:26,733 So that's awesome. Yeah, for a long time. 28 00:01:27,100 --> 00:01:29,266 Yeah, I've grown up in the industry and. Yeah. 29 00:01:29,266 --> 00:01:31,633 Absolutely. So doing well. 30 00:01:31,633 --> 00:01:32,300 That's awesome. 31 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:35,566 And how do you, mostly work with, do you work with, would you say 32 00:01:35,566 --> 00:01:38,566 like homeowners more so or like commercial. 33 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:41,000 So it's fluctuated over the years? 34 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,900 But yes, I think we deal with more contractors and builders 35 00:01:45,166 --> 00:01:46,600 more than anything. 36 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:49,566 We do work with homeowners directly. 37 00:01:49,566 --> 00:01:52,366 And, and we do remodels and things like that. 38 00:01:52,366 --> 00:01:52,833 For sure. 39 00:01:52,833 --> 00:01:57,900 But I think right now most of our work is coming from a contractor. 40 00:01:58,233 --> 00:02:00,566 A builder or even, designers. 41 00:02:00,566 --> 00:02:01,800 Gotcha. That's awesome. 42 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,700 So today's episode, we're really focusing on flooring, 43 00:02:04,700 --> 00:02:08,800 which is great because the flooring is perfect for this episode. 44 00:02:09,100 --> 00:02:11,500 How long, have you been a member of ProSource 45 00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:14,266 and how has ProSource helped support you and your clients? 46 00:02:14,266 --> 00:02:14,533 Sure. 47 00:02:14,533 --> 00:02:18,200 So DFC flooring, like I said, was here in 94 and Omaha. 48 00:02:18,366 --> 00:02:22,500 I think Prosource came to Omaha 94, maybe 95. 49 00:02:22,500 --> 00:02:24,433 I might be off right there, but, 50 00:02:24,433 --> 00:02:25,133 I just talked to my dad 51 00:02:25,133 --> 00:02:28,333 a little bit about it, and he was actually in the Omaha area, 52 00:02:28,333 --> 00:02:31,533 and Prosource had called him and saying, hey, we're coming in. 53 00:02:31,533 --> 00:02:33,366 Here's what we do. Here's who we are. 54 00:02:33,366 --> 00:02:35,066 Are you interested in becoming a member? 55 00:02:35,066 --> 00:02:38,266 And so he was my dad was one of the first members at Prosource of Omaha. 56 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,766 Oh, wow. That's awesome. 57 00:02:40,766 --> 00:02:41,400 Yeah. 58 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:44,066 So a long time, then. Yeah. 59 00:02:44,066 --> 00:02:46,433 We've had a great relationship. Yeah. 60 00:02:46,433 --> 00:02:47,300 With preservation. 61 00:02:47,300 --> 00:02:53,100 So is there any, like, specific, ways that ProSource helps DFC flooring? 62 00:02:53,100 --> 00:02:54,900 Maybe more so than others? 63 00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:57,600 I mean, the biggest thing I think is the showroom. 64 00:02:57,600 --> 00:02:59,500 Yeah, the salesmen are experts. 65 00:02:59,500 --> 00:03:03,200 And what they have the product that they have, and then the showroom 66 00:03:03,200 --> 00:03:06,200 paired with, you know, the knowledgeable salesman is 67 00:03:06,633 --> 00:03:10,500 it's really easy to work with Prosource send a customer, anybody. 68 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:13,233 They don't know what they want yet. You know, they call us. 69 00:03:13,233 --> 00:03:15,733 They got our name from a friend, a neighbor, whatever. 70 00:03:15,733 --> 00:03:18,733 We go out there and you talk about their project. 71 00:03:19,033 --> 00:03:20,166 I give them some ideas. 72 00:03:20,166 --> 00:03:22,400 I tell them there's only a million options out there. So. 73 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:23,800 So so I prosource 74 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,233 talk to the salesman here and, you know, tell them exactly what told me. 75 00:03:27,233 --> 00:03:30,900 I want something in the Grays, you know, or the Browns or whatever. 76 00:03:31,100 --> 00:03:33,000 And they'll help limit the millions of options 77 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:34,900 down to a few that you're going to really like. 78 00:03:34,900 --> 00:03:36,700 Yeah, that's the big thing is it's 79 00:03:36,700 --> 00:03:40,200 very overwhelming sometimes for people going into the showroom like that. 80 00:03:40,266 --> 00:03:40,433 Yeah. 81 00:03:40,433 --> 00:03:45,200 So having someone there to kind of dwindle their options down for you, 82 00:03:45,500 --> 00:03:49,400 really helps because I know that's been not a complaint, but, 83 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:52,766 something that people talk about is they'll bring homeowners in 84 00:03:52,766 --> 00:03:54,900 and they just like their eyes are like, 85 00:03:54,900 --> 00:03:57,900 I don't know where to look because there's so much. 86 00:03:57,900 --> 00:03:59,100 There's too much in your face. 87 00:03:59,100 --> 00:04:01,933 Yeah. Exactly. Encourage customers. 88 00:04:01,933 --> 00:04:05,000 Google things come up, bring up like the pictures 89 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:08,000 and inspirational photos that you that you like, 90 00:04:08,133 --> 00:04:11,033 and then the sales are more easily able to pull something off the shelf. 91 00:04:11,033 --> 00:04:13,600 You know, who knows where to go get those and show you what. 92 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,766 And then you can determine, you know what actually, I saw that I kind of like that. 93 00:04:17,133 --> 00:04:19,833 But yeah, they'll they'll be able to limit your options for you and 94 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:22,033 not make it so overwhelming. 95 00:04:22,033 --> 00:04:23,133 But yes. Yeah. 96 00:04:23,133 --> 00:04:24,166 If you want to look, there's, 97 00:04:24,166 --> 00:04:27,000 you know, there's a ton of things to look at there at the, in the showroom 98 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:29,533 a lot of time. And they're certainly good. Yeah. 99 00:04:29,533 --> 00:04:32,966 So laminate flooring hasn't always had the best reputation. 100 00:04:33,700 --> 00:04:36,066 What feedback have you heard about laminate flooring 101 00:04:36,066 --> 00:04:39,066 from home homeowners or anyone you work with? 102 00:04:39,133 --> 00:04:40,700 Looking to replace their floors? 103 00:04:40,700 --> 00:04:43,700 Back in the day, when it was first come out, I guess there's trying to be, 104 00:04:44,100 --> 00:04:47,500 in competition to a wood floor or a comparable to a 105 00:04:47,500 --> 00:04:52,433 for a more economical, cheaper version of a wood floor, to get the same look. 106 00:04:52,600 --> 00:04:54,533 But it's, it's struggle with certain different things. 107 00:04:54,533 --> 00:04:56,066 So the biggest thing I know 108 00:04:56,066 --> 00:04:59,066 with people with laminate from, you know, two decades ago 109 00:04:59,333 --> 00:05:02,166 nowadays are like, I don't want laminate because it, you know, it was 110 00:05:02,166 --> 00:05:05,800 I had in my bathroom, I had in my kitchen and, and the water was a huge issue. 111 00:05:05,866 --> 00:05:07,500 And so that's been something 112 00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:10,500 that we've heard from homeowners a lot with laminate. Now. 113 00:05:11,100 --> 00:05:13,233 Limits come a long ways. 114 00:05:13,233 --> 00:05:16,600 Running right behind it and trying to be more waterproof, 115 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:20,166 water resistant and limit might be a more economical choice. 116 00:05:20,166 --> 00:05:22,066 Maybe it's a little bit cheaper than on outlet, 117 00:05:22,066 --> 00:05:25,666 but it still doesn't quite have all the yeah, the benefits of let 118 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,000 and not not quite as durable, but the reputation is 119 00:05:29,033 --> 00:05:31,200 as it's always kind of been. 120 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:32,000 It's a laminate. 121 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,000 It's a look alike wood but not quite wood. 122 00:05:35,433 --> 00:05:36,966 And that's what people kind of want a 123 00:05:38,300 --> 00:05:39,666 what else can I get? 124 00:05:39,666 --> 00:05:40,233 What else? Yeah. 125 00:05:40,233 --> 00:05:42,700 There's the questions I get asked. 126 00:05:42,700 --> 00:05:43,333 Know for sure. 127 00:05:43,333 --> 00:05:44,933 I think it goes down to, you know, 128 00:05:44,933 --> 00:05:47,933 if you want the higher quality product, like you're going to 129 00:05:48,133 --> 00:05:51,300 most of the time you're going to have to spend more money, right? 130 00:05:52,066 --> 00:05:56,200 If you're looking to maybe just do like a house flip or a quick remodel. 131 00:05:56,233 --> 00:05:56,700 Exactly. 132 00:05:56,700 --> 00:05:59,700 Could be a good option for people looking to do that. 133 00:05:59,866 --> 00:06:03,800 But I'd say if you're a homeowner, investing into the better 134 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:06,866 quality flooring is always going to be the best option, right? 135 00:06:06,866 --> 00:06:09,433 Yeah, I always tell them, you know, if 136 00:06:09,433 --> 00:06:13,666 you get what you pay for, you know, and it really is true in in flooring, 137 00:06:13,666 --> 00:06:16,900 I mean, as far even as the material, you know. 138 00:06:16,900 --> 00:06:18,166 Yeah. Yes. 139 00:06:18,166 --> 00:06:21,566 Prices are going up everywhere across, you know, everywhere. But 140 00:06:22,500 --> 00:06:23,966 you really still get what you pay for. 141 00:06:23,966 --> 00:06:26,900 You know, you want to buy something that's going to last you, 142 00:06:26,900 --> 00:06:29,400 you're going to invest a little bit of money into it. 143 00:06:29,400 --> 00:06:30,500 So yeah. Yeah. 144 00:06:30,500 --> 00:06:34,933 And if you want to end up working with, like you said, having flooring issues 145 00:06:34,933 --> 00:06:38,333 down the line, like in 20 years, you're going to rip up the flooring 146 00:06:38,333 --> 00:06:40,266 and see that there is a bunch of like, mold. 147 00:06:40,266 --> 00:06:43,266 I know my my grandparents just had that issue actually with laminate. 148 00:06:43,833 --> 00:06:45,766 So it's funny, we're talking about it. 149 00:06:45,766 --> 00:06:48,466 You know, I don't even know if they even picked the flooring 150 00:06:48,466 --> 00:06:49,933 that initially went to that house, 151 00:06:49,933 --> 00:06:53,033 but my mom just had to redo all of their flooring. 152 00:06:53,566 --> 00:06:55,233 Because there was a bunch of mold underneath. 153 00:06:55,233 --> 00:06:57,833 Like in the bathroom by the shower. 154 00:06:57,833 --> 00:06:58,366 Yeah, yeah. 155 00:06:58,366 --> 00:07:01,500 Going back to your point, there's always a time and a place for flooring. 156 00:07:01,533 --> 00:07:03,833 Like for laminate flooring, I would say. 157 00:07:03,833 --> 00:07:05,066 And it's not for everybody. 158 00:07:05,066 --> 00:07:06,900 It's not for every situation. 159 00:07:06,900 --> 00:07:10,533 How have you seen the laminate installation process evolve over time? 160 00:07:10,666 --> 00:07:15,000 The installation process, it used to be you know, we used to have these straps 161 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:17,700 and these clamps and we'd have to glue all the edges 162 00:07:17,700 --> 00:07:19,533 and clamp everything together and hold all together. 163 00:07:19,533 --> 00:07:23,433 It's still a floating floor back in the day, but it was all glued together. 164 00:07:23,433 --> 00:07:27,366 And you know, it's a couple day process versus now it's a lot like. 165 00:07:27,366 --> 00:07:28,266 And how it works. 166 00:07:28,266 --> 00:07:32,000 It clicks together with the tongue and groove and it locks itself together. 167 00:07:32,566 --> 00:07:35,900 So yeah, it has come a long ways in that aspect, 168 00:07:35,900 --> 00:07:39,533 and it makes it a lot easier to install than it ever used to be. 169 00:07:40,166 --> 00:07:42,866 Yeah, probably a bit more DIY. 170 00:07:43,866 --> 00:07:44,600 Certainly. 171 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,600 I would say we kind of already touched on this a little bit. 172 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,600 But in what situations do you think it's not ideal to use laminate 173 00:07:51,600 --> 00:07:56,400 compared to other types of flooring besides just your typical house flips? 174 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:58,966 Someone trying to just flip a house, sell it? 175 00:07:58,966 --> 00:08:01,033 We know that happens. 176 00:08:01,033 --> 00:08:03,000 Are there any other situations you could see maybe 177 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:06,900 someone would want to go with laminate compared to other types of flooring? 178 00:08:06,900 --> 00:08:08,200 Yeah, no laminate has. 179 00:08:08,200 --> 00:08:10,333 It's not a terrible floor by any means. 180 00:08:10,333 --> 00:08:13,333 There's, there's there's something that's very comparable 181 00:08:13,466 --> 00:08:17,333 and maybe just a pinch more that I feel like 182 00:08:17,333 --> 00:08:20,366 would be a a lot more worth your, your dollar. 183 00:08:21,133 --> 00:08:21,333 Yeah. 184 00:08:21,333 --> 00:08:25,200 But in situations where like, it's just one room, maybe not like, 185 00:08:25,366 --> 00:08:28,433 like a formal dining, we don't really have those anymore. 186 00:08:28,433 --> 00:08:29,600 Every once you open concept. 187 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:31,766 But if you have a formal dining room 188 00:08:31,766 --> 00:08:32,200 and you just need 189 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:35,200 to update the flooring in there, you don't want to spend a ton of money. 190 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:37,000 Laminate would be perfect in there. 191 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:41,366 You know it would go with you know, there's there's a ton of colors and sizes 192 00:08:41,366 --> 00:08:42,600 and everything nowadays. 193 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:44,400 So it would be perfect in a room 194 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,433 that I would think wouldn't be your main source of foot traffic. 195 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:48,400 Gotcha. 196 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:49,033 And maybe not 197 00:08:49,033 --> 00:08:52,033 where there's like a bunch of water, like the bathroom you're talking about. 198 00:08:52,533 --> 00:08:54,400 Yeah, I know that. That makes a ton of sense. 199 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:57,533 So with a focus on style in mind, how have you seen 200 00:08:57,533 --> 00:09:00,666 laminate become more fashionable in the home over the years? 201 00:09:00,833 --> 00:09:03,166 Some of the, complaints I've heard is like it. 202 00:09:03,166 --> 00:09:04,600 It's, for mica. 203 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,366 Look, it looks very dull and boring. 204 00:09:07,366 --> 00:09:11,233 So they've come a long ways with their printing or the finished 205 00:09:11,233 --> 00:09:14,533 look looks more like a wood floor now than it ever has before. 206 00:09:14,533 --> 00:09:18,066 Not so fake. Not so like a printed color. 207 00:09:18,066 --> 00:09:20,266 It's more of a natural looking wood color. 208 00:09:20,266 --> 00:09:22,633 So. Yeah. Yeah, I've seen that. 209 00:09:22,633 --> 00:09:26,533 And then the sizes, you know, you know, how wide is the plank? 210 00:09:27,100 --> 00:09:30,600 They're thin and thick and gives you a little bit more variety. 211 00:09:31,333 --> 00:09:35,000 So I feel like back years ago, if I remember, 212 00:09:35,033 --> 00:09:38,033 if you would look like it was just like wallpaper on the flooring, 213 00:09:38,366 --> 00:09:39,433 that's kind of what it would look like. 214 00:09:39,433 --> 00:09:42,600 And now they're really, I feel like with new technology, 215 00:09:42,700 --> 00:09:43,300 you can see 216 00:09:43,300 --> 00:09:46,100 there is more of like a texture. It looks like there's texture, 217 00:09:46,100 --> 00:09:48,666 it looks like a wood floor, even though it's not. 218 00:09:48,666 --> 00:09:50,500 Yeah, definitely come a long way. 219 00:09:50,500 --> 00:09:54,066 What are some of your favorite current trends in flooring in general? 220 00:09:54,066 --> 00:09:58,800 So not even focusing just on laminate but other kinds of flooring as well. 221 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:00,300 What are your favorite trends right now? 222 00:10:00,300 --> 00:10:01,366 I really enjoy that. 223 00:10:01,366 --> 00:10:06,333 They're exploring like, chevron looks or herringbone looks and things like that, 224 00:10:06,333 --> 00:10:11,166 because that was something that maybe like a wood floor would have on, laminate 225 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:14,200 or other hard surfaces, even tile, you can, 226 00:10:14,233 --> 00:10:17,200 you can position those into different designs 227 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:20,833 and things like that where these click together floors are just straight across. 228 00:10:21,033 --> 00:10:24,666 They're just left to right and install which looks, you know, 229 00:10:24,666 --> 00:10:25,833 it's timeless, it's gorgeous. 230 00:10:25,833 --> 00:10:28,100 You know, it fits 99% of spaces, 231 00:10:28,100 --> 00:10:31,333 but you don't get that little extra design feature sometimes. 232 00:10:31,933 --> 00:10:36,566 And so that's one of my one of the things I like about them trying. 233 00:10:36,566 --> 00:10:39,433 They do have herringbone like click together floors. 234 00:10:39,433 --> 00:10:42,166 You know there's an A and B and you got to get them in there. Right. 235 00:10:42,166 --> 00:10:43,900 They do have Chevron looking floors now. 236 00:10:43,900 --> 00:10:46,066 So I mean I really enjoy that. 237 00:10:46,066 --> 00:10:49,733 I like the like the light they're putting everywhere that, you know, wood floors. 238 00:10:50,166 --> 00:10:51,300 You should just be main level, 239 00:10:51,300 --> 00:10:54,866 maybe just entry and dining and kitchen kind of thing. 240 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:56,533 Now we're putting it everywhere. 241 00:10:56,533 --> 00:10:59,533 The whole main floor bedroom is included. 242 00:10:59,633 --> 00:11:02,900 Even the stairs, you know, it's stairs are, you know, look amazing 243 00:11:02,900 --> 00:11:04,200 with a hard surface on it. 244 00:11:04,200 --> 00:11:06,666 And maybe even a stair runner or something up a carpet runner. 245 00:11:06,666 --> 00:11:11,400 But walls, you know, we can install some of these floors on the walls. 246 00:11:11,733 --> 00:11:11,933 Yeah. 247 00:11:11,933 --> 00:11:14,600 So you wouldn't, you know, it just gives it a something a little different. 248 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,900 And, it's an extra challenge, I guess, for an installers perspective. 249 00:11:17,900 --> 00:11:18,900 It's it's kind of fun 250 00:11:18,900 --> 00:11:21,733 figuring out, well, how am I going to get this to go vertical, 251 00:11:21,733 --> 00:11:23,466 even like tile right now. 252 00:11:23,466 --> 00:11:27,066 You can put up put that anywhere backsplash, wall flooring 253 00:11:27,700 --> 00:11:28,800 anywhere you would like. 254 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:31,900 So what advice would you offer homeowners 255 00:11:31,900 --> 00:11:35,700 or anyone that is looking for a floor that holds trends like herringbone? 256 00:11:35,700 --> 00:11:38,400 Like you mentioned, and those rectangular designs, 257 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,400 they're gorgeous, but they're not for every situation. 258 00:11:41,766 --> 00:11:42,666 That would be my biggest thing. 259 00:11:42,666 --> 00:11:44,366 So they're not the layout. 260 00:11:44,366 --> 00:11:47,333 But yeah, so we don't want like in the photo 261 00:11:47,333 --> 00:11:49,733 they're looking at their inspiration photo. Google. 262 00:11:49,733 --> 00:11:52,400 Those are perfect examples of exactly 263 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,533 what that for is designed for or supposed to look like. 264 00:11:55,533 --> 00:12:01,233 But not everybody's space is willing to accept, you know, a herringbone floor. 265 00:12:01,533 --> 00:12:05,300 Because sometimes we might have these little tiny cuts, these little tiny pieces 266 00:12:05,833 --> 00:12:08,766 along the wall or, you know, there's there's 267 00:12:08,766 --> 00:12:11,333 there's two hallways or two ways around the island 268 00:12:11,333 --> 00:12:14,166 and one's going to look centered, and the other one's going to look like, 269 00:12:14,166 --> 00:12:15,266 well, it's kind of. 270 00:12:15,266 --> 00:12:15,766 Yeah. 271 00:12:15,766 --> 00:12:18,633 So I guess the idea is really cool, but 272 00:12:18,633 --> 00:12:21,933 it might not fit every single, you know, space. 273 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:23,700 Yeah, the idea is neat. 274 00:12:23,700 --> 00:12:26,300 Listen to some professionals and get some ideas that way. 275 00:12:26,300 --> 00:12:28,800 But, you know, maybe you could do a 276 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:31,333 like an inlay or something 277 00:12:31,333 --> 00:12:34,333 of the herringbone or add it in a different room. 278 00:12:35,033 --> 00:12:36,466 If you wanted that look. 279 00:12:36,466 --> 00:12:39,300 And this comes up a lot too, when we're talking about like bathroom 280 00:12:39,300 --> 00:12:43,833 remodels and homeowners wanting to put in like specific showers 281 00:12:43,833 --> 00:12:46,833 and bathtubs, but they have like a wall sticking out 282 00:12:47,100 --> 00:12:49,500 that's like, do you want to knock that wall down to put this in? 283 00:12:49,500 --> 00:12:51,700 Because that's a whole other project, right? Yeah. 284 00:12:51,700 --> 00:12:54,700 And that's what it comes down to flooring sometimes too, like you mentioned, 285 00:12:54,700 --> 00:12:58,233 if there's obstacles in the way of that flooring, 286 00:12:58,666 --> 00:12:59,066 it's like, 287 00:12:59,066 --> 00:13:01,466 do you want to knock this wall down to put that in, 288 00:13:01,466 --> 00:13:03,433 or do you want to just exact something else? 289 00:13:03,433 --> 00:13:06,466 Well, and some of the biggest complaints about all floating floors 290 00:13:06,466 --> 00:13:07,766 is the transition pieces. 291 00:13:07,766 --> 00:13:09,800 People really don't like them. 292 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:10,366 They're ugly. 293 00:13:10,366 --> 00:13:11,233 There's there's some that 294 00:13:11,233 --> 00:13:14,333 some manufacturers make really good ones that are very minimal. 295 00:13:14,333 --> 00:13:16,400 But that's the other thing to keep in mind. 296 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,366 We have to break some of these sometimes, and it just might not be the clean 297 00:13:20,366 --> 00:13:21,866 look you're looking for. 298 00:13:21,866 --> 00:13:23,100 It's a pretty product. 299 00:13:23,100 --> 00:13:27,133 It's got the cool design, you want it, but you're going to have these awkward, 300 00:13:27,133 --> 00:13:28,900 weird little transitions here and there. 301 00:13:28,900 --> 00:13:31,900 And it might not come out as you're expecting. 302 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:33,600 Yeah, absolutely. 303 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:37,133 In your opinion, when it comes to durability, what flooring 304 00:13:37,133 --> 00:13:40,133 would you recommend overall durability. 305 00:13:40,566 --> 00:13:42,766 When we're talking floating floors I suppose so. 306 00:13:42,766 --> 00:13:44,666 So everything you do against like a wood floor, 307 00:13:46,466 --> 00:13:47,900 if we're talking like you have pets. 308 00:13:47,900 --> 00:13:51,266 You have dogs? Yeah. Big dogs, a wood floor. 309 00:13:51,266 --> 00:13:53,966 You're going to see the intense. I said, scratching the surface. 310 00:13:53,966 --> 00:13:57,066 But they're indenting the wood, kind of growing your fingers through the sand. 311 00:13:57,833 --> 00:14:01,666 And so the light reflects off of that, and you can see that indent forever. 312 00:14:01,666 --> 00:14:03,066 There's nothing you can really do. 313 00:14:03,066 --> 00:14:04,666 You replace the boards. But 314 00:14:04,666 --> 00:14:08,233 yeah, the dogs are around for ten years, so it's not going to be fixed anyway. 315 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:10,800 Yeah, I know, but for 316 00:14:10,800 --> 00:14:12,200 you know, is a little more resilient. 317 00:14:12,200 --> 00:14:14,466 It'll hold up against some of those indents. 318 00:14:14,466 --> 00:14:18,066 The you won't see the scratches, they won't scratch it nearly as easy. 319 00:14:18,066 --> 00:14:21,066 And they certainly won't indent it like a wood floor. 320 00:14:21,366 --> 00:14:24,000 Now it doesn't make it 100% scratch proof. 321 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:27,833 And my, you know, experience, you can't push your fridge 322 00:14:27,833 --> 00:14:31,700 across that sideways and expect it not to scratch the floor. 323 00:14:31,933 --> 00:14:35,700 Now, some laminates I do know have a different surface, 324 00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:39,500 maybe not quite the textured or, you know, they're maybe a little bit smoother. 325 00:14:40,900 --> 00:14:41,566 And it, 326 00:14:41,566 --> 00:14:43,466 it would be, it might fight against the scratch 327 00:14:43,466 --> 00:14:46,466 a little bit more than an lt would 328 00:14:46,633 --> 00:14:49,933 but I do know like it laminate might chip in the corners a little bit easier. 329 00:14:49,933 --> 00:14:51,533 It's a little bit more rigid. 330 00:14:51,533 --> 00:14:54,233 Doesn't have so much give into it like an Lt forward. 331 00:14:54,233 --> 00:14:56,766 So yeah it's first the ability. 332 00:14:56,766 --> 00:15:01,100 There's there's a give and take and I think lt takes 333 00:15:01,100 --> 00:15:04,100 that takes the cake though as far as 334 00:15:04,866 --> 00:15:07,500 all the way around, it's pretty durable. 335 00:15:07,500 --> 00:15:11,733 It can go in wet locations and, you know, it floats against the foot 336 00:15:11,733 --> 00:15:15,466 traffic, the rocks coming in on your feet in the winter, the pets. 337 00:15:16,133 --> 00:15:19,566 So I just, I would say like hardwood especially, 338 00:15:19,566 --> 00:15:23,333 we have hardwood in our home and we, have a dog, a senior dog. 339 00:15:23,333 --> 00:15:25,600 So we try to keep them away from the hardwood 340 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,566 when we're not home in case there is an accident, 341 00:15:27,566 --> 00:15:30,033 because it is hard to clean up, like you said. 342 00:15:30,033 --> 00:15:33,033 Certainly if we had elves, maybe that would be a little bit easier. 343 00:15:33,166 --> 00:15:36,166 Do you think that it depends on the brand too? 344 00:15:36,300 --> 00:15:37,433 Was like, 345 00:15:37,433 --> 00:15:41,700 are other brands better than others that come back to some of those issues? 346 00:15:42,266 --> 00:15:42,633 Certainly. 347 00:15:42,633 --> 00:15:46,433 So I think like, talking laminate to white laminate 348 00:15:46,433 --> 00:15:49,433 might be a little bit more cost effective and then Lt 349 00:15:49,466 --> 00:15:52,466 but then in both of those there's going to be a good better best. 350 00:15:52,900 --> 00:15:55,066 Yeah. And the price range will reflect that as well. 351 00:15:55,066 --> 00:15:56,366 Certainly there are products 352 00:15:56,366 --> 00:15:58,333 we we really enjoy working with and they're all product. 353 00:15:58,333 --> 00:16:00,500 It's like yeah okay. 354 00:16:00,500 --> 00:16:02,866 It'll be yeah it'll work. 355 00:16:02,866 --> 00:16:03,566 We'll get it out. 356 00:16:03,566 --> 00:16:04,866 But yeah. 357 00:16:04,866 --> 00:16:07,900 So with your experiences in mind, how has ProSource 358 00:16:07,900 --> 00:16:10,900 helped elevate flooring for your clients? 359 00:16:10,900 --> 00:16:12,433 Yeah. So like we talked about earlier, 360 00:16:13,466 --> 00:16:13,833 just being 361 00:16:13,833 --> 00:16:17,333 able to have that showroom available, you know the options. 362 00:16:17,733 --> 00:16:18,700 Yeah. All the options. 363 00:16:18,700 --> 00:16:21,700 So anybody that calls DFC, 364 00:16:21,733 --> 00:16:26,233 anybody that I talk to that needs ideas and needs some flooring, 365 00:16:26,233 --> 00:16:29,233 it's very easy to talk to them about, you know, 366 00:16:30,066 --> 00:16:31,933 what they need, what they can do. 367 00:16:31,933 --> 00:16:34,933 I see the space you know, give them options on you know, 368 00:16:35,100 --> 00:16:39,066 sometimes we, you know, like a floor might need to be flattened or something. 369 00:16:39,066 --> 00:16:41,766 And you know, maybe a floating floor might not be the best option. 370 00:16:41,766 --> 00:16:42,800 Or maybe it is. 371 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,066 Regardless, maybe we just put carpet in there. 372 00:16:45,066 --> 00:16:46,500 Doesn't matter. 373 00:16:46,500 --> 00:16:47,700 Send them to ProSource. 374 00:16:47,700 --> 00:16:49,733 I'll have a conversation with a customer. 375 00:16:49,733 --> 00:16:50,500 They can have ideas. 376 00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:53,866 At least walk into ProSource tell that, salesman 377 00:16:54,266 --> 00:16:57,633 what they're thinking, what we discussed, and, you know, they got the whole 378 00:16:57,633 --> 00:17:00,700 showroom to take a look at and to come up with an idea of what they, 379 00:17:01,566 --> 00:17:03,166 what they want to put in their space. 380 00:17:03,166 --> 00:17:07,366 So, yeah, again, the knowledgeable salesman and the showroom is huge, 381 00:17:07,766 --> 00:17:08,933 makes things very easy. 382 00:17:08,933 --> 00:17:12,100 And so within like the last 20 or 30 years, 383 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:15,100 sustainability has definitely come to the forefront. 384 00:17:15,200 --> 00:17:16,533 And a lot of brands 385 00:17:16,533 --> 00:17:20,100 and a lot of the decision making when it comes to doing a home remodel, 386 00:17:20,666 --> 00:17:24,266 do you see that in your clients that is at the forefront of their decision making? 387 00:17:24,533 --> 00:17:26,266 A lot of the time, 388 00:17:26,266 --> 00:17:28,533 a lot of the times we do, in my experience, 389 00:17:28,533 --> 00:17:30,866 because like I said, we deal with a lot of contractors and builders, 390 00:17:30,866 --> 00:17:33,966 so let's bring it home that, you know, these homeowners 391 00:17:33,966 --> 00:17:38,266 don't want their flooring to, you know, be nothing in a year or two. 392 00:17:38,433 --> 00:17:40,133 They want it to last a decade. 393 00:17:40,133 --> 00:17:41,600 It's supposed to last. 394 00:17:41,600 --> 00:17:43,300 So they want to protect their investment. 395 00:17:43,300 --> 00:17:45,233 There are those, you know, the home flippers. 396 00:17:45,233 --> 00:17:48,633 It's kind of a big fan of it now, too, that they just want to just 397 00:17:49,266 --> 00:17:50,400 spin it quick and, 398 00:17:50,400 --> 00:17:53,400 you know, so they might not be looking at that nearly as closely, 399 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:57,166 but I'd say 90% of the customers that I talk to, 400 00:17:57,633 --> 00:17:58,600 you know, because everybody's spending money, 401 00:17:58,600 --> 00:18:01,133 no matter what it is, whether it'll be a little or a lot, 402 00:18:01,133 --> 00:18:04,466 they don't want it to they don't want be spending more money on that floor again 403 00:18:04,466 --> 00:18:05,700 anytime soon. 404 00:18:05,700 --> 00:18:06,166 Yeah. 405 00:18:06,166 --> 00:18:09,466 And what about, like, like eco friendly products? 406 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:11,933 Is that something a lot of people think about? 407 00:18:11,933 --> 00:18:14,933 Or are you maybe just a small group of your clients are considered? 408 00:18:14,933 --> 00:18:16,266 Maybe a small group? Yeah. 409 00:18:16,266 --> 00:18:18,766 Nobody ever comes out and says that we do. 410 00:18:18,766 --> 00:18:19,233 Yeah. 411 00:18:19,233 --> 00:18:22,233 Like we recycle our pad and they're like, oh that's nice. 412 00:18:22,700 --> 00:18:23,633 Yeah, that's all they know. 413 00:18:23,633 --> 00:18:25,333 So yeah, nobody specifically asked. 414 00:18:25,333 --> 00:18:27,966 I might have 1 or 2 people a year maybe. 415 00:18:27,966 --> 00:18:30,600 Yeah. So what do you do with all this, Tara? 416 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:32,866 What do you do with this or what do you know. 417 00:18:32,866 --> 00:18:34,633 That's, you know, maybe, you know, 418 00:18:35,666 --> 00:18:36,800 a little bit more eco friendly. 419 00:18:36,800 --> 00:18:41,166 So there are companies out there that are a lot really focused on that. 420 00:18:41,633 --> 00:18:42,833 And those customers already 421 00:18:42,833 --> 00:18:45,900 have found those suppliers maybe, and things like that. 422 00:18:45,900 --> 00:18:46,766 Yeah. 423 00:18:46,766 --> 00:18:48,300 Before they find us, 424 00:18:48,300 --> 00:18:51,300 I would say even like a lot of brands are already focusing on that. 425 00:18:51,300 --> 00:18:51,766 Right. 426 00:18:51,766 --> 00:18:55,766 So I agree, I feel like in today's world, a lot of homeowners, 427 00:18:55,766 --> 00:18:58,766 your clients are probably already thinking like, okay, 428 00:18:59,133 --> 00:19:02,166 engineered floors, they're already thinking about the eco 429 00:19:02,166 --> 00:19:04,266 friendly side of things or whatever brand it is. 430 00:19:04,266 --> 00:19:06,900 So that's probably a lot of it to a lot of people 431 00:19:06,900 --> 00:19:08,233 probably aren't going to come out and say it. 432 00:19:08,233 --> 00:19:11,433 They're just assuming that the brands have the best intention. 433 00:19:11,700 --> 00:19:13,633 Exactly. Yeah, yeah. 434 00:19:13,633 --> 00:19:17,200 So heading into 2025, which is crazy to think about, 435 00:19:17,633 --> 00:19:21,333 are there any technological advancements that we should be keeping an eye out 436 00:19:21,333 --> 00:19:25,533 for in the world of flooring that you are thinking about? 437 00:19:26,100 --> 00:19:28,000 I like the that they're challenging, 438 00:19:29,133 --> 00:19:32,133 the industry, the elevators and the maintenance of floating floors. 439 00:19:32,333 --> 00:19:34,433 They're they're getting giant sizes. 440 00:19:34,433 --> 00:19:37,466 And in smaller sizes they're, they're adding like 441 00:19:37,466 --> 00:19:40,700 a ceramic coating on the top or making a stone top. 442 00:19:41,133 --> 00:19:42,500 And I think that's, 443 00:19:42,500 --> 00:19:46,833 that's always very encouraging to continue to be challenging the industry. 444 00:19:46,833 --> 00:19:48,533 Challenging. 445 00:19:48,533 --> 00:19:50,700 You know, what are the limitations 446 00:19:50,700 --> 00:19:53,700 of some of this flooring and what other designs can we come up with? 447 00:19:54,166 --> 00:19:56,500 And so I don't I don't see that slowing down at all. 448 00:19:56,500 --> 00:19:59,866 You see them continuing to the, you know, work on that 449 00:19:59,866 --> 00:20:01,333 and see what else they can come up with. 450 00:20:01,333 --> 00:20:04,333 And one of the cool designs or other cool features that can they add 451 00:20:04,333 --> 00:20:07,533 to this, this floating floor especially. 452 00:20:07,533 --> 00:20:10,133 That is all the craze right now. 453 00:20:10,133 --> 00:20:10,866 Absolutely. Yeah. 454 00:20:10,866 --> 00:20:13,000 Especially in the world of like social media. 455 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:16,100 If you if you do have something wrong with your product, people are going 456 00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:19,566 to be really quick to go online and bash it so fast. 457 00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:20,700 Yeah. And yes. 458 00:20:20,700 --> 00:20:23,566 And yeah, that's the last thing these brands want, right? 459 00:20:23,566 --> 00:20:28,333 They want to be able to be a competition because yeah word of mouth is everything. 460 00:20:28,333 --> 00:20:30,033 So yeah I completely agree with you there. 461 00:20:30,033 --> 00:20:33,933 I think it's going to keep flooring is just going to keep changing 462 00:20:33,933 --> 00:20:38,500 and advancing as there's other competition coming against certain brands. 463 00:20:38,500 --> 00:20:39,533 So yeah. 464 00:20:39,533 --> 00:20:43,233 Yeah, healthy competition is great especially in our industry here. 465 00:20:43,733 --> 00:20:45,133 Yes, absolutely. 466 00:20:45,133 --> 00:20:47,566 Well thank you so much for coming on today, Owen. 467 00:20:47,566 --> 00:20:50,100 Absolutely. We really appreciate you sharing your expertise. 468 00:20:50,100 --> 00:20:52,766 And yeah, just participating in today's episode. 469 00:20:52,766 --> 00:20:54,700 Thank you so much and my pleasure. 470 00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:56,666 Thanks for having me. Okay. Thank you. 471 00:20:59,500 --> 00:21:02,233 Thank you for joining us today on The ProSource Podcast. 472 00:21:02,233 --> 00:21:05,433 Please like and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcast. 473 00:21:05,933 --> 00:21:08,133 Also, follow us on social media. 474 00:21:08,133 --> 00:21:11,800 Check out our website at prosourcewholesale.com and visit 475 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:15,800 your local ProSource Wholesale showroom for all of your home remodeling needs.