CPP LUXURY LEADERS: In conversation with Steven Skutelsky

We are delighted to share that PID Floors’ Managing Partner, Steven Skutelsky, was recently interviewed for the LEADERS section of CPP Luxury Magazine.

Tell us more about the history of your company?

For over three decades,  PID Floors  has been a leader in the hardwood flooring industry with showrooms in NYC, Miami, Dallas, and Boston. With an international portfolio of incredible residential, commercial, retail, hospitality, multifamily, and institutional projects, they have exclusive partnerships to create custom flooring for iconic global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Dior, and Tory Burch. Their unwavering dedication to knowledge, expertise, innovation, and ease of service from start to finish, all stems from a deep love for what they do and a true desire to make all customers’ flooring design dreams become a reality including architects, designers, developers, & homeowners.

OUR STORY

PID Floors was founded in 1989 by a family from Ukraine, who arrived in the United States with only a sanding machine and a shared dream. Undaunted by a new culture and a new language, they believed that with an unwavering dedication to hard work, love, and exquisite craftsmanship—truly anything is possible. The ethos “Luxury without Elitism” has been their guiding principle ever since, shaping a family company that has always been about more than just hardwood flooring—it is about crafting extraordinary design experiences.

This philosophy, instilled over three generations and 35 years, along with their unique and exceptional level of expertise, has earned them many honors over the years including BEST OF HOUZZ, Architizer Awards, INTERIOR DESIGN Awards and they have been featured in numerous publications including ELLE DÉCOR, Clever by Architectural Digest, Bravo TV, REMODELISTA, HG&C, and many more.

With a deeply instilled ethic of authentic personal service combined with the promise of a high-quality product, PID Floors stands as a beacon of excellence, continuously satisfying the needs of discerning clients worldwide and maintaining the position as one of the most respected wood flooring companies in the world.

Which are your USP’s? What about your competitive set?

I believe, at its core, the wood industry is and always will be, a human-to-human business. Our business is a small and complicated industry, but at the heart, it is a people industry and I strive to build and maintain deep relationships with the partners we have all around the world (including the United States, Canada, Europe). We don’t focus on just one factory or source. We try to work with factories and well-established businesses that have great people that we can trust and are responsible. We know every factory we work with and maintain personal relationships with every single one which gives us the ability to know the specific strengths and capabilities each possesses. When we sell you a wood floor, we can tell you the country where it was made and the name of the person who made it.

We will always continue to travel and learn. As a leader, embracing change is one of the most important things I do. I welcome change, I embrace this ever-changing world and ever-evolving industry. To be a leader in my industry, I need to know what is going on in my industry and on the ground all over the world—in Croatia, in Canada, in Tennessee. That is how I can stand by every product we sell.

Every client is different. Every project is different and will have its own wants and needs, whether it is a 1,000 SF project or whether it is a 100,000 SF project. We have a highly educated staff that can guide every type of client, no matter how big or luxury the project is, and truly showcase the very best of what the world has to offer.

That is why we don’t source only from one place, like Italy for example. Or only from Canada. One of the most significant things that sets PID Floors apart from our competitors, is that we offer the very best of what we have hand-curated, know, and trust from around the world—including from Italy, Croatia, Germany, The United States, and Canada. We know that every country has something unique to offer—such as R&Q from the US, Parquetry from Italy, Maple wood from Canada. We meticulously, obsessively curate, and filter out the good from the bad so we can offer that to our clients.

WHAT MAKES PID EXCEPTIONAL, OUR USP’s:

OUR 7,000 SF NEW YORK CITY SHOWROOM

The intention behind every detail of this new showroom was how to best provide the ultimate design shopping experience for our amazing clients, which include some of the top designers, architects, and developers in the world. The idea was to create a welcoming luxury setting where clients could comfortably explore our extraordinary products—curated from around the world and unrivaled in variety and accessibility—alongside our exceptional service that includes our vast knowledge, expertise, and innovation. With this new space, we wanted to push the boundaries a bit and create something that has never done before by bringing together the most unique, extraordinary, luxurious, and top-of-the-line flooring all in one space.

From walking on the 12-inch-wide European White Oak plank floors—which our PID craftsmen created by hand, over a period of three months in our local warehouse using 200-year-old layering techniques, to getting to view and touch some of the most ornate and magnificent handmade parquet in the world, made by master artisans—with breathtakingly unique leather inlay, volcanic rock inlay, or metal and stone inlay—to perusing our 1,000+ sample boards, to descending our custom millwork staircase which leads downstairs to our 3,500-square-foot samples department and working warehouse (in Manhattan!), this space is truly a one-of-a-kind hardwood flooring wonderland. It is a celebration of all the things we know and love about our industry. We want it to be a design hub of inspiration for all.

BEYOND A SHOWROOM

PID Floors has elevated our operation and expanded our influence beyond that of a typical flooring showroom. When you collaborate with PID, we will take care of every detail from door to door. Something that sets us apart as a company is that our operation and influence is beyond that of a typical flooring showroom for ease of service for our clients:

We have developed a first-class logistics network with the capability of shipping to and from locations throughout the globe.
We own and operate our own local warehouses and distribution centers, complete with fully functional storage, packing, and delivery capabilities. Every step is “in-house.”
We are committed to working with our customers, hand in hand and will be there every step of the way, avoiding the intermediary. From start to finish—from selection to delivery—you will be dealing with us and only us and can expect superior white glove service throughout.

BESPOKE & CUSTOM CAPABILITIES

PID Floors offers bespoke services. We create our custom wood flooring locally in our state-of-the-art facilities in Brooklyn, New York, and New Jersey. With our full bespoke capabilities, any combination of color, finish, texture, plank pattern or direction, can be achieved. Any and every aspect of our product can be customized—from the species and grade of wood—to the construction and dimensions of the wood planks.

Our skilled craftsmen possess the talent, vision, and experience to create custom designed medallions and inlays, made by hand. Our craftsmen are masters in both the art of traditional handcrafting parquet techniques and the latest in modern laser-cutting technology, giving you access to the best of both worlds—the old and the new.

We also have the capabilities to do custom reaction stained and smoked floors. Done by hand, our reaction staining process uses techniques developed over 300 years ago, before the advent of pigment stains or paints. The final piece in the craftsmanship of this process is the finishing process; ours is detailed and meticulous. Each board of wood has its finish carefully applied by hand and will then be air dried separately. This process can take weeks; timing will depend on the type of finish used and how many layers of finish are required to create the desired look. Our in-house finishing team is constantly developing new and exciting proprietary finishes.

PID Floors is also proud to embrace the time-old tradition of creating herringbone and chevron parquet hardwood floors whose origins date back to 16th Century Europe. Our bespoke services offer you the ability to create herringbone or chevron floors according to your exact specifications, desires, and needs. Whether purely traditional or radically modern, we will make your parquet floor however you imagine it, in any of our wonderful finishes

A COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

FSC 100 Certified for both the United States and Europe

At PID Floors we strive to achieve sustainable practices in an industry that is constantly evolving. Our current sustainable model includes maintaining FSC certification and we are rigorously committed to the ongoing health, protection, and well-being of both our clients and the environment. Our aim is to have as many PID Floors products as possible achieve GREENGUARD certification, FloorScore® certification, Cradle to Cradle CertificationTM, and to publish Health Product Declarations through the HPD- Collaborative. PID Floors is dedicated to protecting the environment, health, and safety of our employees, customers, and the global environments.

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH FACTORIES

After 35 years in business, we know every factory we work with and maintain personal relationships with every single one which gives us the ability to know the specific strengths and capabilities each possesses. When we sell you a wood floor, we can tell you the country where it was made and the name of the person who made it.

A COMMITMENT TO GIVING BACK

We believe in being an active part of our community and in using our business to make a positive impact. We are proud to be corporate partners of Sustainable Harvest International and American Forests.

A COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION

PID Floors is not only a wood flooring company, but we are also educators. We teach CEU courses weekly to some of the most respected Architecture and Design firms in the world. A PID MENTORS program is currently under development.

PID OWNERSHIP ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE NWFA

As PID Floors’ Managing Partner, I proudly serve on The NWFA Board of Directors. The NWFA: National Wood Flooring Association is a non-profit trade organization entirely dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers, and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring. They create warranties and guidelines.

WE ARE HARDWOOD FEDERATION LOBBYISTS

Every year I travel to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. to speak to members of both The United States Congress and The Senate on behalf of the Hardwood Federation. The Hardwood Federation is the largest DC-based hardwood industry trade association, representing thousands of hardwood businesses in every state in the United States and acting as the industry’s advocacy voice on Capitol Hill.

OUR ABILITY TO PIVOT IN A CHANGING WORLD

The impact of both the pandemic and tragic war in Europe remain ongoing, including supply chain issues, (including the most recent Port Strike across the entire East Coast of the US,) but PID has always been highly skilled at both flexibility and pivoting. We continuously update lists of alternative available products for our clients. We constantly strive to have as many options as possible available for our clients, during these uncertain times, even when things are being disrupted worldwide. We are bringing in and sourcing new products every single day.

What is your product range? What sets your product apart?

Our mantra at PID Floors has always been “Something For Everyone.” We give customers effortless access to the best selection of products from around the world. We consider ourselves a meticulously curated one-stop shop—we carry over 1,000 standard items in our inventory, most of which are stocked locally for quick delivery. For many years we have traveled the globe, in pursuit of finding the best materials and remain passionately committed to continuously seeking out the best as our industry evolves. Complete with full-bespoke capabilities, we believe in truly “having it all,” and making it easily accessible for our customers.

Our 7,000 SF flagship showroom in New York City highlights the range, capabilities, and virtuosity of PID Floors. From walking on the 12-inch-wide European White Oak plank floors—which our PID craftsmen created by hand, over a period of three months in our local warehouse using 200-year-old layering techniques, to getting to view and touch some of the most ornate and magnificent handmade parquet in the world, made by master artisans—with breathtakingly unique leather inlay, volcanic rock inlay, or metal and stone inlay—to perusing our 1,000+ sample boards, to purchasing simple unfinished No. 2 red oak and white oak, we offer it all and with great pride.

How do you source your raw materials?

What is your approach to ensuring exceptional quality?

As I stated above, after 35 years in business, we know every factory we work with and maintain personal relationships with every single one which gives us the ability to know the specific strengths and capabilities each possesses. We can tell you the country where each floor was made and the name of the person who made it.

We understand that every country has something unique to offer—such as R&Q from the US, Parquetry from Italy, Maple wood from Canada. We meticulously, obsessively curate, and filter out the good from the bad so we can offer that to our clients and how we can ensure exceptional quality.

Sustainability and sourcing from responsibly and ethically maintained forests is hugely important to us and that is why we maintain FSC certification. Our aim is to have as many PID Floors products as possible achieve GREENGUARD certification, FloorScore® certification, Cradle to Cradle CertificationTM, and to publish Health Product Declarations through the HPD- Collaborative.

To what extent do you follow trends?

Is there a recipe to maintain desirability of your designs?

Because the definition of trends is ever evolving, our research team is relentlessly committed to updating our current selection to make sure it always accurately reflects the latest in contemporary trends and color palettes.

Every client is different. Every project is different and will have its own wants and needs, whether it is a 1,000 SF project or whether it is a 100,000 SF project. We meticulously, obsessively curate, and filter out the good from the bad so we can offer the very best to our clients.

What about innovation when it comes to the materials used or finishes?

Our fully custom inLove Collection is entirely made with breathtaking innovation. It embraces time-honored woodworking techniques alongside the most cutting-edge in biochemistry. Art and science meet with the use of reactive color processes: wood smoking (also known as fuming) and reaction-based stains.

Done by hand, our reaction staining process uses techniques developed over 300 years ago, before the advent of pigment stains or paints. Flooring stains, made from pigment or dye, saturate the wood with color. This saturation of color often masks or conceals the inherent qualities and unique beauty of the wood. Our natural reaction-based stains and wood smoking processes are quite different because they chemically alter the physical structure of the wood, on a molecular level, to produce a desired color or effect.

In reactive color processes, natural chemicals or elements are applied or introduced to the wood, via stain or smoke, which then react with the tannins, sugars, and minerals found inside wood cells. It is this chemical reaction inside the wood’s molecular structure that changes the color of the wood and creates the desired outcome. This reaction also makes the wood harder and denser, adding to the wood’s overall durability. Visually, this reaction preserves the unique look of each piece of wood. Our custom colors take about eight steps to produce, replicating the true chemical weathering process that wood experiences in nature. We have the ability to produce a wide variety of beautiful effects and colors.

The final piece in the craftsmanship of our inLove Collection is the finishing process; ours is detailed and meticulous. Each board of wood has its finish carefully applied by hand and will then be air dried separately. This process can take weeks; timing will depend on the type of finish used and how many layers of finish are required to create the desired look. Our in-house finishing team is constantly developing new and exciting proprietary finishes.

Our wood is sourced from specific forests, both locally and in Europe, where we have discovered the perfect molecular and cellular wood signature that yields the most beautiful, finished product. PID’s specialized internal manufacturing system and global logistics network allows us to source and produce everything your project requires while allowing you to observe every step along the way. The inLove Collection is all about creativity, science, inspiration, innovation, and collaboration.

Who are your clients? Do you also sell B2C?

We are truly honored to have the most incredible clients. We have exclusive partnerships to create custom flooring for iconic global brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Dior, and Tory Burch. We are trusted and respected by our clients—architects, designers, developers, and homeowners, across the globe.

A significant attribute that separates us from a lot of the other high-end flooring showrooms around the world is that we are and will always be very down to earth; we love collaborating with world-renowned architects and designers, but we are just as passionate about wood flooring projects on a budget.

How important is customer service?

Incredible customer service is at the forefront of everything we do.

One of the mottos for our flooring business is “luxury without elitism.” It means that no matter what you look like, where you come from, or how big your apartment or home is, when you come into one of our showrooms, we want you to feel welcome—and if you want to know about wood floors, we will be thrilled to share our expertise.

This ethos started when my family came to America with absolutely nothing. We emigrated from Kharkiv, Ukraine, when I was three months old. We settled in Brooklyn, N.Y., where we have a location to this day. I have no idea how my family survived those first couple of years in a new country, learning a new culture, and language as they went.

My great-uncle was a woodworker; he made medallions and inlays that were very traditional, and he was extremely good at it. So, in 1989, my family founded a wood flooring business. They built the business from the ground up, believing that with a dedication to hard work, love, and craftsmanship, truly anything is possible.

Over the years, we’ve grown into a leading hardwood flooring company for high-end projects around New York City and have also expanded with locations in Boston, Massachusetts, Miami, Florida, and Dallas, Texas. We own and operate our own warehouses and distribution centers in both New Jersey and Brooklyn, complete with fully functional storage, packing, and delivery capabilities. We have a first-class international logistics network with the capability of shipping around the globe.

But we never forgot our company’s humble beginnings, and that foundation has continued to inspire how we run our family business and shape how we think about customer service.