Hardwood Flooring Apprentices — $22/hr to Start, Will Train — No Exper

Pomona Hardwood Floors has been laying and finishing floors in the Portland/Vancouver area for 30 years, and we're hiring two apprentices. No flooring experience necessary. Starting pay is $22/hour, with a review and raise at six months. Experienced hands top out at $40/hour, and we promote from within.
Our recent work includes the Portland Art Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral, Soho House, and Hoka's corporate headquarters in Portland, along with hundreds of residential projects, from single rooms to whole houses. You'd be learning this trade on jobs that matter, from people who've been doing it for decades.
Our shop is just off I-5 near downtown Vancouver — easy in and out from either side of the river.
We run two teams, each with its own project manager:
Installation & Repair
Sand & Finish

You'll be brought on with one team as your home base, but you'll spend days working with the other as jobs demand it. That's on purpose — the guys who learn both sides of this trade are the ones who move up fastest, and it keeps the work from getting repetitive.

Schedule: 40 hours a week, Monday through Friday. Occasional weekend work.

Where we work: The greater Portland metro area, plus jobs out to Hood River and the coast.

INSTALLATION & REPAIR TEAM

Moving and stacking material, letting floors acclimate
Demo, subfloor prep, and site cleanup
Learning layout, racking, and running a flooring nailer
Cutting and fitting around doorways, transitions, and stairs
Board replacements, patch-ins, and matching existing floors
Working with solid, engineered, and LVP flooring

SAND & FINISH TEAM

Learning the big machine, edger, and buffer
Working through grit sequences and knowing when a floor is ready
Filling, patching, and prepping for stain
Applying stains and finishes
Containment, dust control, and protecting the customer's home
Finish work is detail-heavy and unforgiving — a missed swirl mark shows up in the final floor. If you're the type who notices small things, that side of the shop will suit you.

WHAT WE NEED:

Reliable transportation and a way to get to the shop on time
Ability to lift 50+ lbs and spend the day on your knees or pushing a machine
Showing up every day, ready to work
Comfortable around dust, noise, and finish fumes (respirators and safety gear provided)
Willingness to take direction — you'll have a project manager on site to learn from every day
Fine with the occasional longer drive to a Hood River or coast job
Construction or general labor background is a plus — not required
Bilingual English/Spanish a plus

WHAT WE OFFER:
$22/hour starting, no experience needed
Raise at six months, and a real path up to $40/hour as your skills come up
Overtime available
Paid biweekly
Paid holidays
Sick pay
Vacation Pay
Tools and safety gear provided — you don't need to show up with a truckload of your own
Training on both sides of the trade — install and finish
A project manager on every job, so you're never guessing at what to do
30 years in business and steady year-round work — we stay busy

TO APPLY

Call or text Sean at 360-606-5555 — I answer texts. Tell me which team interests you most (install & repair, sand & finish, or either) and a little about yourself. You can also reply to this ad.
If you've never touched a floor before but you're willing to learn, apply anyway.