Today we’d like to introduce you to Xavier Vizcarra.
Hi Xavier, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I remember going to work with my father and his workers on an early Saturday morning to One Seaport Plaza, NYC at 11 years old. We were to recondition and touch up the wood panels inside 40 plus elevators, which had to be stopped one at a time and to be done onsite. At some moment while working that morning, I remember him teaching me how to properly restore the wood finish and that you have to feel the material in your hands as you apply it because it will guide you. That teaching still carries with me to this day. It was around that moment I had realized that I had found a love for working with my hands and restoring wood finishes and various other materials.
Today, I am the owner of Fine Wood Finishing LLC. I was born and raised in Park Slope Brooklyn, NY. I have two wonderful parents and three older siblings. My Father who arrived from Peru in the 60’s, was a wood finisher, started and owned one of the most successful wood finishing companies in NYC at the time. My Mother who arrived from Puerto Rico in the 70’s, was a hard-working stay at home Mom who always supported all of us. At 14 years old, My Parents decided to move to Puerto Rico since my Dad was considering retirement, it was a chance for a change of pace, leaving the subzero cold and trading it for beaches and warmer weather was very enticing. Growing up in PR was very different from NY; asides from learning how to speak Spanish, I found two hobbies I loved, soccer and guitar. I finished high school at 2004 and studied in the Interamerican University with a BA in Business Administration. Over the years, since my father’s work slowed down, I’ve had many jobs from parking cars to sales. On my last job as one of the worst delivery drivers you can imagine, I went to deliver cleaning supplies to a doctor’s office. He had a classical guitar there that was really beaten up. I asked him if he’d like to restore it, to which he said agreed. Working on that guitar reminded me how much I missed working on wood finishing and rekindled the love for the work we still do today. After working on that guitar, I wanted to help my Dad and work in wood finishing again.
After many years of working with my Father, He encouraged me to venture on my own, it made me very nervous but I was never afraid of trying to move forward. I was very blessed and landed an opportunity to work in one of Puerto Rico’s finest hotels, The Vanderbilt. For years, I maintained the properties overall appearance and restored all the furniture inside the restaurant 1919. Over time, I have worked in various places such as the San Juan Museum of Art, Caribe Hilton Hotel and Pikayo restaurant Owned by Chef Wilo Benet. In PR, life was good and had blessed me with opportunities to push Fine Wood Finishing forward. Unfortunately, PR was hit with one of the worst natural disasters to ever happen… On September 2017, The Island was hit with Category 5 Hurricane Maria. It destroyed us… our home was destroyed, our shop was flooded, family and friends were all urgently affected. It was then I had to make a choice, since my older siblings had all already been living in South Florida for years, I decided to pack up and move. It was not an easy move; as everything else in my life, it’s been a challenge.
Since 2017, we have rebuilt and restarted. Each day with a new challenge and a new opportunity. We have been behind the scenes restoring, maintaining, repairing and finishing some of the most known professional athletes homes, museums, hotels, business centers, houses of worship and overall great people of Florida.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I can think of a few challenges we’ve faced. We’ve had to adapt to do onsite finishing and refinishing. Since we do structural finishing and refinishing, Customers are always concerned with a big mess left as by most contractors. This is absolutely not an issue for us since we are very strict on how we carry ourselves and never leave or make a mess.
We have to consider when using finishing products what is eco-friendly and safe for the environment. This is our home and we do our part to preserve it, given the nature of our work.
Moving to Florida from Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Maria was a big struggle, losing it all to work hard and earn double back has not come without its challenges.
As you know, we’re big fans of Fine Wood Finishing LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I’m what you’d call a Wood Finisher and the Owner of Fine Wood Finishing LLC. We specialize in Finishing, Refinishing, perfect touch-up, restoration, color matching, faux finishes, antique restoration, property furniture maintenance, onsite conservation on wood and other materials. What sets us apart is the many many years of experience working in high-end businesses and homes. We have a specialized knowledge of finishes that is its own profession. Just as you’d have professional Painters or Carpenters, We are Professional Finishers,
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Legacy. I’d like Fine Wood Finishing to always be remembered as a family business and to leave a legacy for future passionate finishers to venture on their own someday. To have the opportunity to present this beautiful art of restoration to every person in need of this type of work in Florida, Perhaps, maybe even the whole United States.
Fine Wood Finishing is a family-owned and managed company with over 40 years of experience that takes pride in high-quality work. Any project that we undertake, we always strive to surpass our clients’ expectations. We handle every job with the utmost attention to detail, regardless how big or small. Our goal has never been just financial, but to offer a unique alternative so that our clients may have a generally less costly and simpler solution. In that, we hope to gain their trust and will honor it by their satisfaction with the finished product.
Pricing:
- We’d need to see the job in person, estimates are free!
Contact Info:
- Email: Info@fwfinishing.com
- Website: www.fwfinishing.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/finewoodfinishing
- Facebook: Fine Wood Finishing
- Other: Soon Tik-Tok
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