Niagara man looks to expand his flooring work in region
Business Spotlight
Scott Winicki of Bayview Wood Floors LLC in Niagara, Wis., installs wood flooring on a job in Beaver, Wis. (Submitted photo)
Scott Winicki stands by his van and the equipment he uses for his flooring business, Bayview Wood Floors LLC. Winicki is trying to establish his business in the region after more than three decades working in the Milwaukee area. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
Scott Winicki of Bayview Wood Floors LLC uses a large sander on a floor at a house in Beaver, Wis. (Submitted photo)
Scott Winicki of Bayview Wood Floors LLC in Niagara, Wis., installs wood flooring on a job in Beaver, Wis. (Submitted photo)
Scott Winicki stands by his van and the equipment he uses for his flooring business, Bayview Wood Floors LLC. Winicki is trying to establish his business in the region after more than three decades working in the Milwaukee area. (Marguerite Lanthier/Daily News photo)
Scott Winicki of Bayview Wood Floors LLC uses a large sander on a floor at a house in Beaver, Wis. (Submitted photo)
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NIAGARA, Wis. -- Scott Winicki has had a long career in the flooring business in Milwaukee but now is looking to get a better foothold in the northern counties.
Winicki owns Bayview Wood Floors LLC, a licensed, bonded and insured floor installation and refinishing company. He has worked in the flooring business for more than 35 years.
"I'm trying to get the company established in this area. I have many, many new friends here and family. I have my cousins up here," he said.
His grandmother, Leah "Deda" Rock, moved to the area as a child from Canada and later lived in Milwaukee. She would bring her family north in the summer to visit cousins, which Winicki's mother continued to do with her children.
"My mom started taking us up here when we were kids, and I fell in love with the area right away because I love the outdoors," he said.
He has become closer to his cousins again since moving to Niagara last year. They have given him great support and even helped find jobs for him, he said.
Winicki said he has a passion for hardwood floors.
"I get great joy out of watching people's reactions when I'm done with their job. They just can't believe it. It gives me great satisfaction, joy and satisfaction," he said. "I get so many hugs and handshakes and the gratitude is just unbelievable and I love it. That's what that's what keeps me motivated. It really does."
He especially enjoys restoring old floors in old houses, bringing them back to what they originally looked like. He said he has never come across a job he couldn't do -- if it was difficult, figuring out how to complete it intrigued him.
"I'm up for any challenge," he said.
Winicki started in the flooring business almost right out of high school, learning on the job. He first worked in the Milwaukee area with John Anderson & Sons and then with the son at Anderson Flooring, and finally at Best Flooring before establishing his own business in 2017.
One recent trend he has noticed is the use of less expensive, snap-together flooring and floating floors. "They think it's going to last and it doesn't last. It looks nice in the store and it looks nice in your house, but a couple years later, it doesn't look so nice," he said.
Humidity can also affect the time it takes to do a floor installation.
"When you're putting finished layers, when we're sanding and putting a sealer coat down and then you put two finish coats on -- I use three coats altogether -- the humidity will play a factor into that, where it's gonna take longer to set up," he said.
Winicki thinks some floors look better with some stain, but he prefers the natural look on maple.
Of course, material costs have increased over the years and he still has to travel to Milwaukee for jobs, which he'd prefer to get away from in his business.
"That's why I'm trying to be more established up here," he said.
Winicki can be reached at 414-630-1329, bayviewfloors01@gmail.com or at Bayview Wood Floors LLC on Facebook. He does free estimates and also offers discounts to military veterans, first responders and seniors citizens.
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Marguerite Lanthier can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85242, or mlanthier@ironmountaindailynews.com.