Wood flooring is often a prerequisite for any grand mountain home, but it’s sometimes easy to underestimate how hard it can be to find the “perfect” product or achieve the “perfect” color. The task becomes even more difficult when trying to duplicate an image from a magazine or trying to match an existing wood to a new wood.

Sebastian Niemkiewicz, owner of Summit Hardwood Flooring, searches worldwide for the best product to suit a customer’s needs, and he’s also developed a secret formula and technique that allows him to match—exactly—any color surface with which he’s presented.

It’s kind of uncanny, but his gifts and talents have attracted the attention of both builders and other flooring companies.

“His ability to blend floors together is a skill unto itself,” says Jeff Cohen, owner and president of Vail-based Cohen Construction. As a builder of 21 years in Vail, Beaver Creek and Cordillera, Cohen says Niemkiewicz is easy to work with, responsive and able to handle any challenge thrown his way. “He does it all in-house,” Cohen says. “Some guys have a different crew to lay the flooring and another crew to do finishes, which works to some degree. I like having one set of tradesmen to lay, stain and finish it.”

Balz Arrigoni, owner of Arrigoni Woods in Minturn, sought out Niemkiewicz when he was in the process of growing his business. What started out as a partnership to provide installation expertise soon evolved into finishes, and now Arrigoni Woods and Summit Hardwood Flooring have a lasting partnership that benefits both—Summit Hardwood Flooring now boasts a staff of 25 full-time employees and continues to grow.

The growth has been calculated so that Niemkiewicz can be involved in all aspects of every project, from start to finish. His flooring artistry graces the Limelight Lodge in Aspen; and Beaver Creek Landing and One Willow Bridge in Vail. Even Texas billionaire Ross Perot called upon Niemkiewicz to do the flooring in both of his Vail getaway homes. Perot was having a difficult time finding someone who could match both the color and texture of the flooring in his Texas home. Niemkiewicz stepped up to the plate. “It came out perfect,” he notes. “That’s why we did his second house.”

Though the company handles work across Colorado, the heart of Summit Hardwood Flooring remains in Summit County. “The difference is my involvement in the company,” says Niemkiewicz. “I’ve been working in flooring since I was 21 years old.”

As the longest-running wood flooring company in Summit County, Summit Hardwood Flooring prides itself on its ability to obtain any type of flooring from anywhere in the world. The company is not tied to a certain distributor and can therefore seek out products from North America, Europe, Asia and destinations beyond. “Whether you found it in the U.S. or somewhere else in the world, we can get it,” Niemkiewicz says. “Most companies are limited to the U.S. market.”

The variety of product and Old World craftsmanship help separate Summit Hardwood Flooring from many of its competitors, says Jim Lovell, president of operations for Trillium Homes Inc. in Castle Rock. “We’ve done business together since 1999,” he says. “I like the fact he’s so versatile,” he adds. “His floors are milled specifically for each job and he isn’t tied to any particular kind of flooring. Sebastian is willing to do what the client wants him to do.”

Beyond his ability to stain and obtain flooring, Niemkiewicz also has a unique ability to hand-scrape wood to duplicate the artistry used more than 100 years ago. “He really does all different types of flooring, from re-sanding and re-scraping to engineered flooring to wide plank and imported,” says Cohen. “He can really handle the whole gamut.”

With worldwide access to flooring products, Niemkiewicz has proven adept at finding whatever a customer wants within a prescribed budget. “Oftentimes, people have ideas about flooring or they have something in mind and they need someone to find it. With our ability to match the stain, it’s easy to pull from different suppliers to create what they want,” he says.

Arrigoni agrees and takes his hat off to Niemkiewicz. “We wouldn’t be where we are without his company,” he says.

For more information on Summit Hardwood Flooring visit them online at www.summithardwood.us or call 970.453.2418.