From Carpet Cleaning to Custom Floors: Young Pro Cuyler Rigney's Path to Owning a Wood Floor Business

In this episode, host Stephen Diggins talks with Cuyler Rigney of Focal Point Floors in Delaware, Ohio, about his winding road into the trade. Rigney started out doing carpet cleaning with his father before teaching himself hardwood refinishing through YouTube videos, online forums like Dust Life, and mentors such as Courtney Lee and Alex Franklin — even trading a guitar for his first sanding machine. He recounts building practice panels in his parents' basement, wrecking his first out-of-town job in Toledo, and gradually working up through machines, while also crediting Loba training classes and industry connections (including T.J. Haas) for accelerating his growth.

The conversation also digs into the everyday realities of running a one-man (soon to expand) flooring business: mistakes and recoveries. Rigney talks candidly about choosing a business name that isn't tied to his own identity, relying on organic SEO and word-of-mouth in his non-saturated Ohio market rather than paid ads, and the bittersweet decision to "fire" his wife Brianna, his best crew member, as she's stepped back to focus on their growing family. The episode closes with a rapid-fire round covering his favorite sanding equipment, his guitar collection, and reflections on what he'd tell his younger self about getting into the trade.

Read Cuyler Rigney's article from the August/September 2026 issue of Wood Floor Business, "How Trading A Guitar For A Sander Launched My Career".

Enter the 2026 WFB Ultimate Wood Floor Guy & Gal Contest.

Find all the industry news, a massive archive of wood flooring articles, the latest blogs and more at woodfloorbusiness.com. Follow Wood Floor Business on social media: Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok YouTube Pinterest X Join the Wood Floor Business Community + USED Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook Group.

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Taking Hardwood Forward: Talking Wood Flooring Innovation & Design Trends with AHF Products' Milton Goodwin & Tim Ryan, Part 2

In this episode, Stephen Diggins continues his conversation with AHF Products’ Milton Goodwin and Tim Ryan about the future of hardwood flooring and what contractors can do to build stronger, more suc...

20 Elo 47min

Taking Hardwood Forward: Talking Wood Flooring Innovation & Design Trends with AHF Products' Milton Goodwin & Tim Ryan, Part 1

In Part 1 of this ATWF takeover episode, Stephen Diggins talks with AHF Products’ Milton Goodwin and Tim Ryan about the company’s latest innovations in solid and engineered hardwood flooring. They exp...

13 Elo 38min

Decades of Wood Flooring Wisdom From the Trenches with Pro Lorie Davidson

In this episode of “All Things Wood Floor”, host Stephen Diggins sits down with veteran wood flooring contractor Lorie Davidson of Davidson Wood Flooring in Dahlonega, Ga., to discuss the experience, ...

21 Heinä 59min

Jobsite Hustle to 50 Grit: How Josh Hansman is Building a Business with Craft, Culture and Purpose

In this episode Josh Hansman of Cincinnati-based 50 Grit Flooring shares his unconventional journey building a thriving, referral-driven business in the competitive Cincinnati market. Hansman offers a...

10 Huhti 58min

From Pizza to Precision: How Steve Osborn Built an Award-Winning Wood Floor Business

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 an...

27 Maalis 51min

Balancing Craftsmanship, Chemistry and Common Sense: Expert Michael Purser, Part 2

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 finish...

17 Maalis 59min

Talking Modern Coatings, Finish History, Working on Historic Restorations and More: Expert Michael Purser, Part 1

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 fini...

10 Maalis 59min