John, parquet fitter

“I learned the trade with a hand saw. You quickly learn the importance of correct measurements. You don’t want to saw the same board by hand twice.”

Meet John Verhaeghe. At age 53 he is one of the oldies among the Woodstoxx-parquet fitters. His speciality? The delicate work, from Hungarian pointt to herringbone pattern.
House-trained, is what John calls himself. In other words, precise. "A parquet floor has a big impact on a house. It’s a large surface area. So you need to be on the ball. The first step, the first board, is the most important. It needs to be perfect for the whole floor to fit exactly.”

- "A chocolate mousse to say thanks: delicious, right?"

While most mortals shudder at the thought of creating complex patterns with wood, to John it’s a joy. Enabling the wood grain to run through in different floorboards. Precise alignment of a wall socket. or effective incorporation of skirting boards. That is how you recognize the skills of the parquet fitter.”

John has had 27 years experience working with wood and has been with Woodstoxx for one year. They place a lot of value on precision and detail here. And they appreciate it too. Just like the owners of the houses I work at. I regularly receive compliments and that feels good.” Occasionally I am even given chocolate mousse as a thank you. Provided by the client. It’s not necessary of course. But is enjoyable. eans I take an extra close look at every detail and board before I lay it.

- Woodstoxx
Who: John Verhaeghe
Age: 53
Role: Parquet fitter
Quote: “As a child, the summer always went on too long for me. I didn’t want a holiday. I wanted to keep busy.”