WORKING -- Les Williams

HE IS

Fitting together the jigsaw pieces of wood and tile floors

MORE THAN ELBOW GREASE

Laying a wood floor isn’t like putting in a brick path or concrete

patio. Yes, all require the crucial act of leveling the ground. But wood,

as well as tile, takes more that just sweaty work and muscling of the

materials.

It takes a craftsman’s touch.

“It’s more exacting,” said Les Williams, who has more than 40 years of

experience. “You’ve got to be at it for years. You’ve got to know where

to put the pieces.”

Williams is the installation supervisor at John Bloeser Carpet One,

which has a Costa Mesa office on Bristol Street.

A LITTLE BIT OF POP

As a floor installer, Williams puts in everything from laminate to

hardwood, ceramic tile to natural stones.

Once John Bloeser customers pick out their desired flooring and pay

for the material, Williams enters the picture.

His process to give people the floor they ordered usually takes three

steps -- measure the room, allow the materials to acclimate and then

install it.

For laminate and hardwood, it becomes critical to leave the materials

in the room for 24 to 48 hours before they are fitted into place.

It allows the flooring to adjust to the right temperature, so problems

don’t occur down the line. If flooring moves from a hot to cold

environment, for example, bad things would happen.

“If you put it down, it will expand and start popping and buckling,”

Williams said.

WORKING WITH WOOD

Williams has completed some major flooring jobs in his time, and some

odd ones too. Last year, he and his crew re-carpeted 50 Amtrak train

cars. He had to travel to Oakland.

He has done a lot of work for hospitals, Cal State Long Beach, even a

casino and handful of restaurants on Catalina Island.

He also carpeted the barracks of the MacArthur Air Force Base in San

Pedro.

His latest job is laying down carpet in the Terminal Island prison.

The 62-year-old floor veteran lives in Anaheim. He started work for

John Bloeser in 1957 as an apprentice.

His love affair with wood has continued to this day. Williams even

builds cabinets and other furniture in his off time.

“I just like working with wood,” Williams said. “I like the feel and

smell of it.”

SI-- Story by Paul Clinton, photo by [tk]