Hardwood Floors
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We need to get
the hardwood floors refinished
Aug 2012
My husband and I just bought a new house and we need to get
the hardwood floors refinished, have some rooms re-painted,
and do some plumbing work. The house is in North Berkeley.
Looking for recommendations for each of these 3 areas.
Thank you!! Caitlin
I just had every floor in my 1926 Craftsman home refinished.
They are beautiful and Mark, the owner, made sure to make
the floors in keeping with the old feel of the floors and
house. He advised against sheen as well as a lot of other
really esthetically creative advice. I am amazed Mark and
his crew are absolutely reasonably priced, totally
trustworthy and clean. I can't give a bigger thumbs up.
And he also lays hardwood floors and keeps the period
looking the same! Bullet Proof Floors owned by Mark
Alcott.(510) 314-5839. HANNAH
Hardwood floor repair and refinishing
April 2011
I have hundred year-old fir floors in my home that need some
real TLC. I'm partial to independent flooring folks as I've
had mixed reviews with larger companies in the past. Can
anyone recommend someone local who you've had positive
experience with? Thanks! Maria
We've had excellent results with Christy Tomalonis. It's
been a few years, but here is the phone number I had for
her: 510-301-5900. Jody L
Lori Ortiz is a pleasure to work with and does a terrific
job. She works solo, and clearly loves making old wood
beautiful again. Just recently, Lori restored the floor in
two rooms in my home, both Douglas fir, and I couldn't be
more pleased with them. I can't speak to the repair
concern, but the restoration was great. She also hauled away
my 20+ year old dusty rug. Reasonable rates; very good
communicator. Her number in Martinez is 925-788-3599. Jen
Hardwood to match 100 year old floors
Oct 2010
We have to replace the hardwood in one room in our house due
to a flood, but the existing floors are about 100 years old.
We have been having trouble finding hardwood to match.
They are white oak and about 2'' wide and I need either 1/4''
or 1/2'' thick boards.
I imagine lots of homes in Berkeley have this type of
hardwood. Has anyone found a store that has something like
this? I have checked Lumber Liquidators and the Floor Store
with no luck.
Please help!
-Tired of living without floors :(
You should know that after the oak is finished, it will look
different from how it looks before finishing. When we put
on an addition in our 100-y.o. bungalow, we had new oak
flooring installed right alongside the old (where walls were
removed), and after the floor was finished (clear, no
stain), you really couldn't tell the old from new. Sorry, I
don't know where my contractor bought it, but maybe get a
few samples and put a finish coat on to see how it ends up
looking. It may not be as far off as you expect.
R.K.
I know who can do this for you, but this place is at a
relatively high price point. The company is called Tree
Lovers Floors and they are based in San Francisco. I'm an
interior designer, and I have worked with them quite a bit.
What you are looking for is going to be costly, but they
have about 30 years in the business and are the best floor
people in the Bay Area, so if there is an alternate solution
out there, they are going to be the best ones to advise you.
Christopher Hildreth is the owner. At times he can be a bit
abrupt but he's the best in the business. Good luck!
Tree Lovers Floors
664 Natoma St
San Francisco, CA 94103-2720
(415) 863-6833
Best,
Mariko
Recommendations for hardwood floor refinishing
Oct 2010
Looking for any updated (all postings feel very outdated)
recommendations for someone local (or business) that you
have had good experience in refinishing hardwood floors.
We have a small (1100 sq ft) craftsman that desparately
needs a floor facelift
thank you
debbie
I recommend you use ORLANDO HERRERA of Hardwood floors for
less 415-240-7801...We just got our entire house including
the closets.... hardwood floors refinished. We were told
by another floor expert that our floors were in such bad
shape that they couldn't be saved...The floors were in bad
shape...there was a lot of water stains and rotten wood
that needed to be replaced. One bedroom even had tile
glued direclty to the hardwood. Orlando came in peeled
away all the tile glued to the original floors. Replaced
the bad areas of wood through out the house build a brand
new thrushold in the dinning room and even put back the
original wood trim in around the fire place....Him and his
crew came in every day on time and he finished the job on
time and on budget.....His bid came in the cheapest as
well....I have photos of before and after if you would
like to see them e-mail me I'll send over the file...I'm
very pleased with his work...
Sharon
We are still very pleased with the work Above Grade did
on our hundred-year-old hardwood floors a couple of years ago. They still
look great, and the repairs they did are top notch. We are
doing a few rooms at a time, and will call them again
this year when we get ready to do the remaining floors
in our house.
Hardwood Floor Refinisher
March 2010
Can anyone recommend a really good but not too expensive
hardwood floor refinisher?
Homeowner in Thousand Oaks
Pieter Van der Muellen at 510.268.3768 does wonderful work
with hardwood floors.
ingrid
You might try Jesse Goldstein (415) 499-1449 in San Rafael.
He's got a lot of experience (HI vacation spots, Napa
Valley estate; Oakland hills/E. Bay, Marin/S.F. clients) and
might be looking for work this coming month. He replaced
part of a living room hardwood (oak) floor and repaired a
knotty pine ceiling that had nails go through it. I thought
he did a good job. This was about three or four years ago,
so I don't know what he's charging now. He's personable and
friendly and you can always call and arrange for an estimate.
-- Happy with the wood surfaces in S.R.
We had our older oak floors refinished by Above Grade Floors
(510-882-2561) in May 2009 and were very happy with them.
The floors had a lot of wear and areas of water damage from
the previous owners. Lam and his crew replaced a number of
floor boards and stained and refinished everything for a
seamless look. They did a great job, were quick and cleaned
up after themselves, and the price was quite reasonable
compared to other companies we received bids from.
Cristina
Question about hardwood floor contractors
Feb 2010
We are in the process of getting estimates for a hardwood
floor in our family room in El Cerrito, approximately 450
sq ft. Does anyone have any experience with Amber
Flooring? How about with Robert Gomez and Jeff Nelson of
Trammel-Nelson Wood Floors? Any recommendations?
I can't recommend Lucie Balduc/In-Home Restoration (800-898-4708) highly
enough for anything having to do with wood floors. Or anything made out of
wood, for that matter. For my new floor she got me the best deal on both
wood
and installation and she finished it with her own proprietary finish that
lasts
twice as long as the commercial ones most refinishers use. Lucie also
restored
and refinished my delicate french antiques (including a parqueted table
with
hundreds of tiny little insets) so that they're breathtaking. She's an
absolute
magician with wood as well as a pleasure to work with. You can tell from
the
outset that you're in the hands of a master. And, best of all, she's very
reasonably priced.
Harriet
Hardwood Floor Repair/Refinish
If your hardwood floors are in need of repair, refinishing
or you need new floors installed, I can recommend Waldemar
Operacz (''Valdi''). Valdi has helped me with two projects--
new install and refinish/repair--in the past. He's
reasonable, does good work and shows up when he says he
will. He also sticks to his bid. Feel free to call Valdi
at 925-212-8707 for a bid for your hardwood floor
project.
Jennifer, a happy customer
I would like to highly recommend Number One Hardwood Floor based in
Alameda. I had them install new kitchen hardwood floor and refinish all
of my
oak floors in my craftsman home. They did an excellent job and the price was
very competitive. Tai was a dream to work with, he did what he said he was
going to do, and kept to the schedule. Their number is (415) 203-3440
David C.
What to do about fir subfloor? new flooring?
Sept 2009
I've recently purchased my first home and like most homes
in the East Bay, it is a bit of an antique/project! We
pulled up the carpet and were expecting to see hardwood
floors -like most antique homes in the bay area- but found
instead a fir subfloor. It is, to be kind, a hot mess. I
had thought I wanted to refinish it, but being that it is
the subfloor there is no further insulation between it and
the basement, so both sound and cold come through with
ease. So now I'm leaning towards installing new
hardwoods. But to do it myself or have it installed is the
question. Anyone have input regarding installing Ikea
floors themselves? Ease of project and the result? Anyone
used Empire floors to do a full install? Any local
installers recommended? Of course, I'd like to do this as
cheaply as possible as well! Help please.
floor ditherer
Hi, we just put a wood floor in our kitchen, replacing linoleum. Empire and
Abbey don't do hardwood. They only do Pergo-type engineered wood floors.
We got estimates from Lumber Liquidators, Amber, Tulip, and Alpine Wood
Floors. Alpine came in the lowest, and we are very happy with the floor. It was
installed and finished over a week, when we were away (finish is stinky until dry,
and they put 3 coats on) Call Tony Pham 510-919-0801. After the fact we
talked to Granite Expo and they told us they could have beaten the price; may be
worth looking into.
heidi
I have remodeled several homes, and here is my advice:
Ikea laminate is junk, and so is most of what they sell at
Home Depot. Whatever you do don?t use Home Depot
installers! Empire is also a rip-off. They sell junk and
charge a fortune. I suppose it might be OK if you?re just
staging a home for instant resale ? but I just don?t like
to use those companies that advertise so much on TV.
SOMEBODY is paying for all that advertising, and I don?t
want it to be me. Go to the Floor Store, and look at the
laminates they have on clearance. You can get a MUCH
better product for the same money - -especially if you
don't need an entire house full. Some of the laminates
are thicker than others -- there is a difference in
quality. Get them to give you a piece, and then compare
the thickness, and the durability of the finish, etc.
Laminates aren't hard to install, but it went much faster
when I had my son helping me, and he did all the cutting.
Lumber Liquidators has some great pre-finished hard wood
floors. The pre-finished stuff is tougher because the
finish can be baked on in a factory. When you install
raw, and finish in your own house, you're limited because
of the toxicity of the finishes, and they aren?t as
durable. But, the cost of installation of hardwood needs
to be considered. If I were planning to stay in the house
forever (and didn?t have dogs), I would go hardwood. The
hardwood guys I?ve used are Sunshine Floors 510-223-4300
or David & Sons 925-676-8801. They are both honest, and
reasonable. The product I like the most is Mannington
Adura Vinyl flooring that looks like hardwood (because I
have dogs, and worry about scratching, and cleaning). You
can install that yourself too. Well this is probably more
information than you wanted. . . Good luck, Marilyn
Marilyn D.
We recently had our hall floor redone by Lori Otiz. She
owns her own flooring and refinishing business and is
fabulous to work with. She specializes in saving that old
fir in very creative ways (it's worth a mint!)and she will
come out at no charge to give you estimates and advice.
She can be reached at (925) 788-3599. And, if you do need
to lay a new floor, she'll teach you about types of
flooring, floor levels and upkeep!
Julie
Sept 2009
Does anyone have a good person to do floor refinishing? I need someone who
can match old wood and do it in a timely and cost effective manner.
Thanks
sharon
Julio Otzoy is a master floor refinisher. My floors were
dessicated by the sun, deeply stained and cracked in some places.
They were completely restored. Where wood was replaced it is
impossible to tell the old wood from the new. Delightfully, when
the job was finished every speck of dust was gone. He is honest,
extremely hardworking and an all around joy to work with. You
can reach him at Julio Otzoy-Leiva / ON-LINE FLOORING & CARPET P
510-260-5317 or otzoy@yahoo.com I think he also does tile and
carpet.
Jolie
June 2008
The recommendations for hardwood floor refinishers are a bit
dated. Does anyone have some recent suggestions? We have random
pattern Oak floors. About 1200 sq. feet to refinish and our house
is temporarily vacant. Thanks!
CV
Robert Dodd of Norcal Flooring did an excellent job for us and
we highly recommend his work. He refinished all the hardwood
floors in our home using a ''dustless'' system and also
installed a new bamboo floor. Check out their website at
www.norcalflooring.com for more details and/or give them a call
at (510)653-3013.
Rusty
I highly recommend Joey Yovino-Young, who I found on BPN. He
was reasonably priced and worked us into his schedule to get
everything done when we needed it. He did a great job matching
new wood to our existing floors and would not finish until he
felt it was perfect. We left him in our house for the week
while we were out of town, and he understood exactly what we
were going for and had it exactly right for us when we
returned. I can't say enough about Joey and his
professionalism (and skills). joey@llamachew.com
Alex
Nov 2007
We have twice hired a wonderful floor craftsman for a new floor
installation and renewal of an old oak floor. He is great at what
he does, is tidy, honest, and reasonably priced. I have friends
who have also hired him, and loved him as well.
He is: Joey Yovino-Young joey@llamachew.com
Lindsey
I had posted a positive review of Mark Grochowicki based on his
work refinishing our
hardwood floors. But when I posted we had not yet had our bamboo
floors installed by
him. Well, it turns out his friend does the work for
installation. And while the price
was good and the work seems fine, his friend moved our furniture
in the process and
damaged it quite badly. While I was upset that our (expensive)
furniture had been
damaged, I was equally disappointed that his friend never
mentioned the damage and
apparently wouldn't have said a thing if I hadn't mentioned it
first. Based on that, I
would have to downgrade my previous glowing review.
Not so happy with floor guy now
Nov 2007
I am having existing hardwood floors refinished as well as new
hardwood floors installed in my kitchen. I've heard mixed
things about Tulip and Amber. I've heard great things on BPN
about Tony at Specialty Floors but am a little reluctant to go
with someone who doesn't have a showroom with plenty of samples
to look at. (Maybe this is silly?) I'd appreciate any feedback
about these places--or somewhere else you highly recommend.
Needing help
I can't speak directly to your question, but I have to recommend
Joey Yovino-Young who refinished the original fir floors in our
almost 100 year old house. He's a one-man show and has been doing
this work for years and is a true craftsman. He takes great care,
knows his stuff and charges what I thought was a reasonable price
(included in his bid was painstaking work of removing old paint
from the hallway, stairs and RISERS--he was the only person who
would even consider doing the risers, because it is so much
work). He did a spectacular job, and anyone who comes over to our
house marvels at our floors. You can reach him at
joey@llamachew.com. I know he does installations too, but we just
used him for refinishing. I had a number of bids, from Tony and
Tulip too, but I was most impressed with Joey. I also really
liked that he does his own work and doesn't have a crew who comes
in to do his work. Feel free to contact me for more information
jvo
This goes back many moons to 2000 when we bought our house. We used Amber to
refinish one floor and lay another. They did a beautiful job on the refinishing.
Really
wonderful. But the floor they put down was not done to my standard. There were
gaps, some parts were not exactly level, the stain that they put on top bubbled in
some
areas. And when it gone down to the 95% finish mark, they walked and it became
impossible to get them to come back and finish the details.
Was Very disappointed at the time.
If you have an installer that you like (such as the one you mentioned in the post),
you
can get your flooring product from the ''Handlogger's Flooring'' in Point Richmond.
They provide flooring and lumber for commercial and residential. They have a website
where you can find out their location, etc. http://www.handloggers.com/ . They
have a huge amount of materials to look at in their showroom. Most of the products
that I liked were in the $10.00 per square foot range but they have stuff as low as
$5.00 and there is a price break with greater amounts over 500 sq. ft. I think.
anon
We used Amber in the past and they did a good job but left alot
of dus. We recently did a remodel and had new floors installed
by Sawmill flooring of 580. They did a great job with good
prices. We have new hardwoo and bamboo and brazialn cherry
prefinished. It all looks great. They are very neat and
finished on time.
virginia
As recomended by BPN over the past, I got 3 quotes from Tulip,
Amber and Above Grade. Turned out, Above Grade Floors had
lowest bid so we hired them. Overall experience was very
pleasant, on time, within our very tight budget and schedule.
After few days that we're out for coating process, we came home
with beautiful floor and clean home. We would recomend them to
anyone who need floor refinished. Their number is 510 882 2561.
Kim
I didn't see the original question, but i'd like to report a good
experience with NBA Hardwood Floors (510) 812-2706 (based in
Oakland). They just refinished our hardwood floors and we think
that they did a great job for a reasonable price. I dealt with
Anna.
Dan
We just had a very small job done with Tulip and they did not
match the wood very well when filling holes/grooves. When I
called back to let them know we were not satisfied (as they
advertise that they guarantee satisfaction) with the mismatch
in color, Avi ?the manager ?owner said he didn't understand what I was talking
about when its pretty simple to understand that the wood filler
does not match the wood very well. They do advertise that they
have 14 different crews so maybe we just got a bad one and
maybe he was just having a bad day.
Anon
Nov 2007
Does anyone have recommendations of someone to install, stain, and finish a
hardwood floor (about 1000 square feet) in the Lafayette/Walnut Creek area? We're
looking for someone who does high quality work at reasonable prices.
We have twice hired a wonderful floor craftsman for a new floor
installation and renewal of an old oak floor. He is great at what
he does, is tidy, honest, and reasonably priced. I have friends
who have also hired him, and loved him as well.
He is: Joey Yovino-Young joey@llamachew.com
Lindsey
Dan Leonard of Craftsman Floor Company (licensed) is THE best. They are located in
Kensington but I'll bet they will go through the tunnel.
Dan and his guys are awesome. They are prompt,friendly, professional,honest and best
of all do great work.
They have installed hardwood flooring and it is beautiful. They also re-finished some
of my hardwood floors and the other (old) ones look so shabby now. Better book him
before I do!
Call Dan at 510-235-5156
Happy Feet
I'm pleased to recommend Mark Grochowicki, who is in the
process of refinishing the hardwood floors of our new home in
Orinda. We received his name from our realtor, who used Mark
to install and refinish the floors in his own home. Mark's bid
for the work was the cheapest of the four I received, and his
work has been terrific. Just as important, he is trustworthy,
honest, and an all around nice guy. Due to a mistake on my
part, I chose the wrong color finish for our floors. He
offered to change it and charge us just the cost of the
materials! And he's going to take care of it four days after I
alerted him to the issue! You can't ask for more helpful or
prompt service. His cell phone number is (925)323-3342. Tell
him that Gloria in Orinda referred him.
Gloria
Call the Handloggers wood flooring in Point Richmond. Although they do not install,
they keep a list of installers that they can recommend and if they ever hear any
negative feedback about any installer it is immediately dropped from their list.
They are a commercial and residential wood flooring supplier. I just stopped in
there the other day to scope things out and I was very very impressed at the depth
and breadth of knowledge about wood flooring plus their product selection was
great, and you can get ballpark prices right away (unlike another place that I looked
at). The owner spent about 1/2 hour with me explaining the pros and cons of
various lines of woods, budget issues, etc. to help me figure out what is the best
thing for us. I would highly recommend calling and stopping by (even though I
know you're just looking for installers).
Handloggers Flooring, LLC.
305 Cutting Blvd.
Pt. Richmond, CA 94804
Phone: (510) 231-6190 or (800) 461-1969
http://www.handloggers.com/contact_us/index.html
Hours of Operation:
Monday Thru Friday - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
anon
Nov 2007
Does anyone have experience using Norcal flooring for a hardwood
floor refinishing job (with some repair work too)? They do
dustless sanding and use a low VOC water-based sealer and finish
(made by BonaKemi) which seems good to me. I'd appreciate any
input on your experience with their services.
K
We're using them right now. They installed new hardwood in a
couple rooms downstairs and engineered wood for our entire
upstairs. The job isn't finished yet, but so far I've been very
pleased with their work, their responsiveness, their
professionalism, and their flexibility in accommodating our
schedule and other work going on in the house. Their bid was one
of the higher ones we received, but not by much. I did like the
thoroughness of their proposal, though. Everything was clearly
itemized.
Kara
Oct 2007
We are thinking about hardwood in the hallway to
match the entry. Any leads on craftsmen appreciated. Alice
Talk to Paul at Bay Area Floor Services
1-408-360-8082
He does a super job at reasonable prices. He will let you buy
materials and charge you for labor, or he will buy the materials
and break down all the charges for you so you know exactly what
you are paying for. I am not sure whether he does tile now (he
tiled a bathroom for us and did a super job) but he does a great
job on hardwood and laminate. He did laminate throughout our old
house 9 years ago, which looks as good today as the day he
installed it, and just finished yesterday installing natural
maple in our new place (he installed the wood floor and then
sanded and sealed it in place). His employees sealed off the
closets and hall to minimize dust from the sanding. He has
refinished hardwood floors for my sister and her neighbor as
well, and everyone has been very happy with his work.
Susan
I'm posting to recommend a good flooring installer. We had Ross
Cordero of RC Flooring install new Marmoleum in our kitchen and
bath. Marmoleum is a great, green product by the way! But Ross
did an excellent job and was super nice. He works with Berkeley
Design Center, but I think also does jobs not connected to them.
Wemre really pleased with our flooring and Imd highly recommend
Ross. RC Flooring 510.222.1210.
jv
I would like to say that Dale Swirsding did a great job
cleaning and rewaxing our hardwood floors. They look beautiful
and are not slippery. Dale was really helpful, and I would
recommend him without hesitation. I was grateful to find his
name on the Berkeley Parents Network.
Liz in Berkeley
July 2007
I just showed my in-laws our upstairs remodel and was beaming
proudly over the little bit of wood flooring we added where an
outside balcony had been. I remembered I wanted to share the
flooring guys with BPN! I found Juan Reyes (510 932 4876) here
and was thrilled with his work. Fast, affordable, creative, and
quality craftsmanship. They kept the existing flooring clean and
created a seamless joint between the new and old. They were
pleasant and seemed to really enjoy their work. We certainly love
the outcome.
Kim
June 2007
My wife and I used Kim from Number One Hardwood Floors back in
2000. We used him again this year and his work is fantastic.
He and his crew's work is excellent. Kim shows up on time,
finishes on time and is flexible when change is needed.
Best of all, his prices are very reasonable, especially given
the outstanding quality and workmanship. He knows what he's
doing, and the end product is a high quality new wood floor,
steps, and his wood floor refinishing is also wonderful.
He works in the East Bay, San Francisco, and Marin.
His phone number is (510) 220 2683
-Kevin A
June 2007
I can recommend Tony of Specialty Hardwood Floors. I got his
name from the Parents' Network, and he was as described by
others: very efficient, worked quickly, very reasonable price
and did some extra work at no charge.....fixing some loose
stairs. He & his crew moved my heavy furtniture out of the
room (and back) and repaired two very discolored parts of the
floor so well I couldn't see where he had done the work. He
was very prompt and helpful and the floor looks beautiful. His
phone is 510-387-3155.
joank
April 2007
A glowing review for Joey Yovino-Young. He just finished a very
involved refinish/replacement floor job at our home. You could
not ask for a nicer, neater, more professional fellow. He is
interested in local work in Berk/OAK and nearby. Joey is honest
and his rates are very reasonable. joey@llamachew.com
Lindsey
March 2007
We just had our new floors done by Reborn Floors in Berkeley-- they did the job within
a week, and Minh, the manager, was extremely thoughtful about calling us and telling
us about timing. The team of guys who did the work were super friendly and talented.
Their prices are competitive and they have a nice showroom on San Pablo.
julie
August 2006
Juan Reyes is finishing up a job replacing our kitchen floor and
he is wonderful. His price is extremely good and his workmanship
is excellent. He's reliable and a nice person.
John
May 2006
I highly recommend Ivon, at Great Oak, to do your floors. He did an
excellent job installing new hardwood floors for us, as well as
refinishing one of our damaged floors. Ivon is professional and his
work is great quality. We were well satisfied with the results, plus
he was easy to work with as well. His number is (510) 465-0876.
Sincerely,
Susan S
May 2006
The Great Oak Hardwood, proprieter, Yvan Igbinedion. 510-465-0876.
They have refinished the floors in my home, and I have referred
many of my friends who have had only positive experiences for both
installation and refinishing using both common and exotic woods.
THe consistent reports are tidy, efficient, great quality, very
reasonably priced, excellent customer service. What more can you
ask for?
rita
May 2006
I found Tony of Specialty Hardwood Floors in the Berkeley Parent's
Network. He just finished my hardwood floors, and did a great job. He was
very professional, was always on time (and sometimes early!), worked
quickly, and takes great pride in his work. I was very pleased with the
job, and wanted to provide the feedback to this forum. His number is
510-387-3155.
Alison
March 2006
I have hardwood floors thoughout my house, and they are in great condition generally,
but in a few spots, particularly under and around the dining room table and chairs,
they look terrible. The varnish is gone, they are scratched, and the space between
planks is no longer sealed. Having a toddler and a baby hasn't helped the situation,
as there is always food on the floor.
I am wondering if it is possible to do spot revarnishing or do we have to do a full
refinishing job? I would like to wait to do that until the kids are bigger, but I am
worried about causing long term damage to the floors. Anyone have experience with
this? Also, does anyone have any good ideas on how to protect floors under a table
besides an area rug? Thanks in advance.
Amy
Afer uncovered the carpet in our house, we realize how bad the floor was. We really
didn't think it was repairable, fortunately my co-worker referred me to Autumn Leaf
Floor Service. Ming and the crew did such a wonderful job. It was better than what
we've expected. Thanks
Autumn Leaf Floor Service( 510-213-0312). Autumnleaffloors[at]gmail.com
Lisa
Feb 2006
Our hardwood floor in the living room and dining room area (about 500 sq. ft) was in bad shape due to years of wear and tear from the previous owner.
After getting several estimates from those recommended in the BPN, we decided to go with Tony Nguyen of Specialty Hardwoods (510) 387 3155, also www.specialtyhardwoodflooring.com. His estimate was by far the lowest bid and he did excellent work. He is a super friendly guy, he shows up on time, finishes on time and easy to get a hold of. Based on my experience with him, I also hired him to do the baseboards in the living and dining rooms. By the way, the floors now look great.
Chris
November 2005
My mother recently had a wonderful experience with Tony of Specialty
Floors (510-387-3155, 415-215-0379). My mother's home is very difficult
to access (landlocked, no parking, many stairs) and the job was a challenge. Tony's pleasant, "No problem" attitude was indeed true for him.
They were always on time and, even with added attention to detail
requested, the original, very reasonable, price held. A job well done.
No problem.
Erin
Sept 2005
We recently purchased a home in Berkeley that had very damaged hardwood floors. We hired Autumn Leaf Hardwood Floors to refinish and stain them. Franscisco was a dream come true. He was on time, actually early, hard working, extremely dedicated and highly professional. We had a few setbacks in our house renovation project and Francisco was very accommodating to our scheduling changes. This guy worked from 8am to 9:30pm on certain days to make sure our floors were in perfect condition for our move-in date. I cannot say enough wonderful things about him. Meticulous, attention to detail, hard working and resonable rates. I just wish I had more things for him to do. He was such a pleasure to have around and his work is of the highest quality. Even when my movers put some stratches in the floors on moving day, Francisco was right back to smooth them out and fix them. What a guy! He comes very highly recommended by us. Autumn Leaf Floor Service( 510-213-0312). Autumnleaffloors[at]gmail.com
Eva
August 2005
I found a few referrals for hardwood floor refinishers in BPN's past recommendations (some time ago).
Can anybody give me a more current recommendation?
OR, can anybody comment on their experiece with either of the following refinishers?:
Allison w/ 'Hardwood Floor Show'
Lam/ with 'Above Grade Wood Flooring'
Tony w/ 'Specialty Hardwood Flooring'
We are just about ready to start the project and I want to make sure that we make a great decision in terms of who to go with!
Thank you all for you input.
Heather
We just refinished our hardwood floors and used a local company, Amazing Hardwood Floor in Alameda. 523-5346. (http://amazinghardwoodfloor.com/) The crew was timely, hauled away the old carpet, kept dust to a minimum and did a great job -- even the hardwood repair around the fireplace looks as good as the original.
Betsy
We had our floors refinished by Tulip Floors in El Cerrito last summer. They did a beautiful job and were super organized and professional. Everything was on time. I don't have their phone number but they have a website.
Laura
We used Lam/Above Grade in June for the living room and dining room and came back from a few days away to beautifully done floors. They also repaired a section and we could not see the difference between the old and new area they matched it so well. We had several bids from companies listed in the BPN and Lam was the only one who noticed areas that could use a little extra work and made some room transition suggestions. We are using him next week for our bedrooms. The price was not the cheapest, nor the most expensive, but the work was very good.
hm
June 2005
We recently has new floor installed in our living room. And refinished the four bed rooms. They did a very good job so that both the refinished floors looks just like the the new installed one. We love it so much, we are so please that we end up installing hardwood in our stair and replaced all the hand rail, and remodeled our wood fire place. Mr Nam from Hardwood Floor Master is very profesional. He would give us lots of good advice for floor care. We are very very happy with our floor. we have recommend this company to all our friend and relative. the company number is 510-429-9388. I hope you would want to try them too..you will satisfy.
Tina
June 2005
We just remodeled our house and used Amber Flooring (who had been recommended by friends) in Oakland for 2 rooms that needed hardwood floors and had a very unpleasant experience. When we scheduled an initial appointment with them to see samples and have them come do measurements the employee who showed up came with no samples and really was unhelpful and was not clear on why he was there. We had to go down to their office and get our own samples (which was not convenient). When they put in the flooring they damaged our walls in the kitchen and the bathrooms and left off pieces of baseboard.
When we called them to get this fixed they were unhelpful and borderline rude. They never told us the best way to clean the floors after installation and when I inquired they said "read our website." For the amount we spent with them the service was less than satisfactory. I just wanted to warn other consumers if they are to use them for hardwood floors.
Wendy
In response to the less than glowing review of Amber Flooring I was disappointed to see the negative posting for this company. My business helps clients to select contractors for things like painting and refinishing floors. Recently we suggested Amber Flooring to a client who is living out of the area. They came in and did a terrific job refinishing the floors in an older home. The price was competitive and they were polite and timely with their work. Naturally, everyone has their own perceptions of good service and some companies like people have bad days. We have had other clients and perspective client who were also happy with their work.
Home Stagger in the East Bay
Feb 2005
I just hired Juan Reyes and his Uncle, Carlos, to install new wood floors in downstairs of my house in the Oakland Hills. I checked their references which were glowing. They have tons of experience having worked for a larger company but recently started their own business. They were terrific; friendly, fast, and gave me a great price. The floors look perfect. Juan Reyes can be contacted at (510) 932-4876.
Natasha
Feb 2005
After using a Xmas tree preservative, our hardwood floor was badly damaged from the drippings.A pro. told us we"d have to refinish. Fortunately discovered a true"Miracle Worker"specializing in blending flaws and small finish repairs.She prideful and passionate about her work and generous with her time.She even educated me with some tricks of the trade. She's starting her own business,after working with a partner for 14 yrs.& is extremely reasonable. She's a delightful person along with her patience and skills. My floor looks brand new and totally repaired. I VERY HEARTILY
recommend her. Her name: CAROLYN DOUGLAS at (510)847-1994.
Nov 2004
We recently refinished our hardwood floors and got three bids.
We hesitantly turned down the Ho Family and went with Lam (Above
Grade Wood Flooring) 510 882-2561 and haven't been happier. The
workers were amazing (Lam only comes to make the bid) and worked
150%. We're incredibly frugal people and gave each worker a
tip. I can't recommend them highly enough. Work done September
2004
Kathy
Sept 2004
I've removed carpeting that's been down for 10 years and am
pleased that the hardwood floors underneath look like they
can be saved. Does anyone have any current recommendations
or warnings about refinishers in the Berkeley area?
We have great floors that were done by The Floor Show.
Call Mike or Allison at 845-4633.
Happy with my floors
July 2004
We just bought a home in Orinda, and need to refinish the
hardwood floors. There are so many choices in the phone
book. I don't even know where to start. Who do you recommend (and NOT recommend?)? Thanks!
Ynez
I highly recommend The Floor Show in Berkeley to refinish
hardwood floors. They've done a fantastic job on our floors
every time we or friends have used them. Call Allison at
845-4633.
A happy customer
I would STRONGLY recommend 3rd Generation Flooring - we
have had them refinish/repair floors when we pulled up our
carpeting and with our last remodel had them install new
floors that needed to match our existing floors. They do
fantastic work and were very clean!! (which was very
important to me with a child and 2 dogs).
Kathy
Ynez - I saw your posting about needing hardwood floor
refinishing and would highly recommend Ace Hardwood Floors in
Berkeley. Their # is 510-558-9697.
shush
We used Christie Tomalonis at 436-6597, 539-0303 (pager)
about 6mo ago. She is very good, detailed and reasonably
priced. I got her through UCB list as well.
Simona
April 2004
We're getting ready to move into a new house with hardwood
floors in need of refinishing. About 1600-1800 square feet.
We live in the Walnut Creek area (East Bay) and need
someone who is inexpensive and can come out at the end of
April. I'd appreciate any advice others could pass along.
Thanks, Shannon
Tony at Specialty Hardwood Floor (510)387-3155 (415) 215-
0379 refinished and repaired our floors before we moved
in. Later he put in a wood floor for us in our
downstairs. He was the most reasonable estimate we got
and did a great job. He was also very reliable--on time,
finished the work when he said he would and it cost what
he said it would.
arona
We had our floors refinished by Bill Howard Floor Co. about 18 months
ago. They are a family company and did a great job. They also repaired
holes in the floor and added new boards to an area where we had ripped
up linoleum. Their price was very reasonable. I believe you can reach
them at (925) 449-3355.
In our case, we arranged for their work to be done while we were on
vacation (to avoid the fumes of the polyurethane), which worked out very
well.
Erin
March 2004
To Steve, who needed flooring installer recommendations:
James Sarmiento does an excellent job of installing both wood
and laminate floors. We got our t.v. room done in a weekend
(Pergo) last year, and we are so happy with it. We decided on
Pergo rather than wood because of our three dogs and our baby
boy.
BTW - James does everything. he's done a bit of electrical wiring
for us and also built a wall for us to separate one huge room into
two bedrooms. He is efficient, works diligently, is conscious of
your budget, and is honest, above all. We are hoping/planning on
having him ''remodel'' our garage into an office space.
James Sarmiento: 877.334.6763, pager; (650) 589-2391, home
Good Luck.
Dec 2003
We recently hired Above Grade (owner Lam Ng)
to repair and refinish a very damaged old wood floor
in our kitchen, refinish the hall floor,
and install a new hardwood floor in an addition. They did a
beautiful job for a very reasonable price. They even offered to come back
and do another sanding & coat for free after our cat got out and walked across the floor
before it was dry after the last coat. We get a lot of compliments about
the old kitchen floor - it looks incredible. We will definitely use them again.
Above Grade Wood Flooring
510 882-2561
abovegrade AT aol.com
Ginger
Sept 2003
I am seeking recommendations for someone to install new
hardwood floors and refinish existing hardwood floors.
Cost is a big consideration. Thank you.
Amy
I have been researching Hardwood floors for the past 5
years. The list of I have generated, discounting Tulip
because I don't think I can afford them, is:
NBA hardwood floors - anna/alex bui 971.0534
Minh (reborn hardwood floors) - 510.531.4261
Home Depot -
Amber floors - miguel 486 1750
ashby - bayarea floors
Berkeley Design Center 510.652.6064
and the Ho family, found on the Parents Network.
2
friends have used Minh, one installed laminate, the other
refinished her floors. They both found the quality of his
work and his price to be good. The first was a little less
than pleased with Minh overall because he felt that Minh
installed a different (cheaper) base board than they had
origianlly agreed upon. THe other was perfectly
satisfied. I am slightly biased towards Amber, partially
because they have a very professional staff, and a
showroom where you can see many of the options. However,
when Minh made a bid, he promised to match any other
(reasonable) estimate. A side note:According to Minh, one
reason for finding a significantly cheaper price is that
the installer/refinisher may not be carrying the required
insurance, certainly a consideration when having any do
work in YOUR house.
Another option is to buy the wood and have your contractor
install it. I found the prices to range from about $4-9
per square foot for the materials- most hovering around
the $5-6 range, and about $1-2/linear foot for the base
board. The cost of labor, however, can break the deal.
Good luck
Suffering from Hardwood Envy
August 2003
Everybody has recommended the Carpet and Linoleum
Center in
Alamo to have Wilsonart installed. I found AMC Hardwood
Floors dialling for dollars. Their quote was a third less
than the Alamo shop, a savings of $2,400! Have any of you
worked with them? Anybody else you know to do this job?
Thanks
Linda
We used Professional Flooring and Design in Concord (925
671 2556) to install our WilsonArt kitchen floor about 3
years ago. While I have had some reservations about the
WilsonArt tiles themselves, I think they did a very good
job (in fact, a few unrelated contractors have even
commented on what a good job they did, and they almost
never do that!). It is imperative to have a very good
installation, as the lines can start to show between the
tiles. I would even suggest looking at a floor that is a
few years old, if you haven't done so already, to make
sure you like how they wear.
Claire
You asked if anyone has worked with AMC Hardwood Floors in
your post -- we have recently (March 2003), but for
refinishing our hardwood floors, not for installing
laminate. That being said, I picked them because their bid
was the lowest of the low bids I got (our purpose was to
refinish floors in a house we were about to sell). This is
my sense: The guy who did the bid was more
cordial/professional than the guys who showed up to do the
work. The guys who did the work asked me how much he had bid
the job for (which I was a bit put off by) and when I told
them, they joked about how there it was so low that they
might as well pay me to do the floors. (Hmmph) Then, they
did their work quickly and adequately. The fumes were so
noxious I would reel when I stopped by the house to check
(we were completely moved out of the house) but the two guys
doing the work did not wear masks or worry about opening
windows. I know your job will have different safety issues,
but it disturbed me that the workers took so little care for
ventilation for themselves (was it an education issue?).
Also, there was a pretty big language barrier in
communicating directly with the guys who did the work. You
might ask the guy who gives the bid if the workmen assigned
to your job will have the language skills to converse about
inevitable questions that arise during your job. All in all,
we were satisfied with the work. But within the context of
what I've mentioned above.
anon
We had a great guy install laminate flooring in our loft in SF. His
name is Nilo Bartolome and not only did he do a great job, he went
with me to pick out materials, was affordable and extremely
reliable. It was a great experience and the floors look great. He
also tiled our bathroom floor and it looks wonderful.
Give him a call. 510.4272873
heidi
Aug 2003
Dale Swirsding is great. He's a one man shop, very good,
very professional. I've had him refinish, patch and also
clean, buff and polish dingy floors. I can't find his
number right now, but it is Swirsding Floors and I know it
is in the white pages
kristi
Jan 2003
Lee's Hardwood Floor has the best price and does a
wonderful work with new or refinish. They put in a new
hardwood floor in our kitchen and refinished the existing
floor with some water damages beautifully last year. They
are fast and very reliable and were least expensive of
three companies I received quotes from. Jenny Lee is very
reliable and will come to your home right away to give you
a quote. I looked for their # but couldn't find it. They
should be listed in the yellow pages in the 510 area.
Chong
I had the floors refinished 4 years ago when I moved into a
house with some nice floors hidden under years of use. The
work was done by Floors to Glow! 510-215-6470, Yoram
Peleg, Yoramms pager 419-7049) Very reasonable priced.
Dawn
My husband does floor refinishing. Works for The Floor
Show. Of course I love the work they do.
a fan
Jan 2003
Are you thinking of installing a new hardwood floor or
refinishing an existing floor? Recently I had a new
hardwood floor installed by Reborn Hardwood Floors. The
company is recommended in the Parents Network archives for
doing good work refinishing hardwood floors. I'm sorry to
say they did mediocre work installing a new floor. For
example, even though there was lots of flooring material
left at the end of the job, they used a couple of
floorboards that should have been rejected due to color
variance and/or quality. It was like they didn't notice.
And they never came back to finish the job, as they
promised they would. After that experience, I wouldn't
hire them again even though they were pleasant to work
with.
fan of quality work
July 2002
Call Christian Paul Hardwood Floors at 1-800-679-5800.
You will receive expert advice, quality work, and most
wonderful of all - reliability. For example, a 10:00am
appointment really begins at 10:00am.
Lisa
Feb 2000
We just used the Ho family (see past recommendations) to refinish our
entire downstairs. They did a great job, were very fast, very neat and
VERY cheap! Amy
June 2000
We used Dale Swirsding of Swirsding's Floor Service (548-7766) to sand and
refinish our hardwood floors before we moved into our new house this year.
He did a fantastic job. He does all the work himself and cares deeply about
the result. He was extremely flexible in meeting our timetable and
coordinating with other people that were working on the house around the
same time. The result of his work is beautiful. Michael
I wholly recommend Christian Paul Hardwood Floors. They're in Piedmont
and do a great job, prompt and very courteous. 510-655-5990. Christian
I just saw the posting today about Christy. I've seen her work and it's very
good. She was a neighbor and did the floors of the house she rented on our
block. They looked beautiful. She also did a small area of our house. It
involved tearing up the ugly, old linoleum and refinishing the floor. Her
prices were extremely reasonable and she is a perfectionist. I highly
recommend her.
Lynn
10/99
I had my floors refinished before I moved into my house five years
ago. I used the
Ho family (261-8201), and they had such good prices! They charged
$1/sq foot
compared to Tulip (another company) who charged $2.25/sq foot. They
did a good
job and were in and out of my house in three days. One drawback was
their spoken
English, which wasn't so great. I did misunderstand them though about
using stains
(I didn't realize that's why my original floors were dark), and I was
surprised
when the finished floors turned out so light (I didn't know I had to
request staining).
In the end, I am happier with the unstained and brighter floors. I
was referred to
the Ho's by another campus person, and she and four of her
officemates had hired them
for their homes
From: Sherry (3/99)
One more note on HARDWOOD FLOORS, I also highly recommend
Reborn Hardwood Floors: Minh Nguyen, 531-4261.
We have oak kitchen floors which were done originally by Western Floors
which was supposed to be great and did very poorly and then by another
company which also did poorly. Minh guaranteed me these would wear well
and they have.
10/99
Wood Floor Installer: Hardwood Floor Maters, 415-810-1615. We
recently had
them refinish our floors and friends had them install new floors and
we're
all happy.
They're prices were a few hundred dollars less than everyone else's
which is
a added bonus.
From: richard (3/99)
For hardwood floor work I heartily recommend Dale Swirsding of
Swirsding's Floor Service. He does everything from installation & repair,
to re-finishing, is honest, very thorough, and is easy to deal with.
His phone # is 548-7766; e-mail Dale1floor at aol.com
From: Couto (3/99)
You mentioned Winfield Construction for your floors - I can't speak to his
work, but he is a personal friend and I can vouch for his integrity and
honesty. Good luck.
Sept 2005
Help! I have never had this much trouble caring for my hardwoods. We recently bought a house and the floors must be waxed because nothing will work on them-just leaves a streaky residue and they look worse. Any suggestions??
Waxed floors have to be waxed. You could get help from Dale Swirsding of Swirsding's Floor Service (548-7766). He does great work, but more recently I just do it myself. (Every time he comes, he grumbles that we need to refinish our floors, and we do, but it's not in the budget!) I just get on my hands and knees every few months and wax the areas not covered by area rugs - use hard wax (buy in hardware store), wait 15 mins, and rub with dry towel. Good arm exercise!
strong arms!
April 2005
My husband and I were lucky enough to get a tax return this year and decided that we'd finally get a hardwood floor so we'll never need to look at that hideous linoleum again, Our ENTIRE house is in your standard white oak, which is why we decided to go with a wider plank br. cherry. However, I am starting to wonder if after a few months we're going to think it's too dark.
Has anyone else gotten this kind of wood floor, or similar? Just right? Ultimately too dark? Any other suggestions for "darker than white oak" that ALSO isn't awfully expensive. And please, no posts about sustainability, what about bamboo (I find it ugly), and being more eco - I live a fairly eco-friendly existence across the board. Unfortunately, in this case eco means way more $$$, and after much soul searching we decided that we can try to make up for this one trangression in other ways. Of course, if you have a less expensive eco-friendly tip, I am very open. They key is a wood floor darker than white oak.
Much thanks, catherine
You could stain your oak floors to a darker color and then if you got tired of it you could go back to a lighter color. I would caution you against tearing out oak floors. We have oak floors in our house and we love them. When we moved in they were stained a dark color and we had them refinished to their original lighter color. People always comment on how nice they look. They make our whole house lighter and more cheerful. Christa Tomalingas did a great job; she is an artist and can do detail work if it is needed such a putting a great transition around our fireplace. If you do take out the oak take it to Omega Salvage and they will probably buy it from you. Older oak floors are in demand because the wood is much better quality than anything you can buy now.
Judy
Nov 2011
We just move to a house with wooden floors and we would like
to know how to clean them without damaging the quality of
the wood. We have a 9-month-old baby who sometimes licks the
floor so we would like something non-toxic. Thank you very
much for your recommendations. AO
The best and safest commercial product is probably 'Bona'.
Will not leave a film on the floor, nor does it contain any
dangerous toxics. Alternately, you can make your own
solution with a bucket of water, a squirt of soap and a
litle white vinegar. Perfectly safe, and it works as good as
any commercial cleaner. For better results, towel off the
floor after mopping. CB
The wood floor specialist I knew said to use a mixture of
plain distilled vinegar mixed with water in equal parts. It
doesn't smell bad and seems to keep our floors clean. Then
spot-clean anything especially stuck-on or sticky with a
mild soap if necessary. This has worked for me for the past
15 years. (Costco sells vinegar very cheap in big jugs.)
As manager of a cleaning service and a Berkeley
Mom whose babies also enjoyed licking floors, I can share
our professional wood floor cleaning technique, which works
beautifully and is totally non-toxic: First sweep or vacuum
your floors, then mop with a combination of 8 parts water to
one part white vinegar. We prefer to construct our own mops
using a bristle deck broom wrapped in a cotton towel or rag.
Just add the water solution to the towel and wring it out so
your mop is only damp. Re-position the towel as you go,
rinse as needed, and throw the towel in the wash when you're
done. The texture of the cotton and bristles allows you to
scrub well without ever scratching the floor.
Deb G
Oct 2009
I've been using the Swiffer Wet Jet all-surface floor cleaner for our new red oak kitchen
floor. I love how easy it is (no rinsing!) but it leaves the floor dull and not so clean.
Can you recommend your wood floor cleaner? No-rinse is best, but I'm willing to hear
everyone's opinion if you use something terrific! Thanks.
I like the Murphy's Oil Soap Squirt & Mop the best. It comes in
the white bottle, not the clear one. (The clear bottle variety
needs rinsing, I believe.) Our floors look great after we use it.
A runner up would be Method Wood Floor cleaner, which is also a
no-rinse product. I don't feel it left the floors as new looking,
but it did a pretty good job. I buy it when I can't find the
Murphy's stuff.
July 2004
Looking for advice on the best way to self clean hardwood
floors. I am completely clueless in this regard. Someone
mentioned a Swifer Mop. Any suggestions would be much
appreciated.
Thanks!
marjorie
Hi --
We just refinished our hardwood floors and I asked the
refinisher how to clean them. He said use this cleaner
called Bona Hardwood Floor cleaner with a microfiber
mop. You just spray it on and mop as you go. Of
course, with 3 kids, first I have to sweep, then Swiffer to
get the dust up, followed by the microfiber mop. That
seems to do it -- until the kids eat again! Good luck. My
mom uses plain old vinegar and water and says that's
fine too.
Trish
I mop my eucalyptus floors with water and vinegar. I use
white vinegar, and simply add a cup or so to a bucket of
hot water. I don't like using chemicals on my floors, plus
I find that vinegar adds shine and deodorizes the house.
tatiana
2001
We're getting ready to sell our house and would like to clean (not refinish) the hardwood
floors throughout. Has anyone had this done by professional cleaners that they can
recommend? How much did it cost?
We have a small two bedroom, one bath house--approximately 1200 square feet. The
floors look like they have some ground-in dirt in heavily used areas and we're not sure it's
worth the expense to have them completely refinished. I'd try scrubbing them myself but
I'm about 6 months pregnant and have lots of other work to do, like packing.
I checked the recommendations list, but didn't see any referrals for floor cleaning, just
installation and refinishing, so I'd appreciate any advice others could pass along.
Alison
When we moved into our house, we wanted to take advantage of the floors
being clear of furniture, rugs, etc., to give them a good refinishing or
cleaning. The floors were in good shape and didn't really need refinishing.
I spoke with Tulip about refinishing, they recommended as a less-expensive
alternative, a deep cleaning and seal by a woman named Joy (510-524-9059).
She told me that she and her partner used some kind of process where the
final waxing was was infused with a polyurethane seal. I have no idea
whether there was really anything so special about this process, but the
floors looked great, and have held up quite well over the past two years.
Cost was about $350-$395 for two large-ish rooms (living room and dining
room). I wasn't there, but I understand there were chemicals and big
machines involved. I was nearly nine months pregnant, and moved into the
house the next day and noticed no odor, tackiness, etc. I found Joy to be
extremely responsive and responsible, and Tulip claims they get great
reviews about her from other customers.
From: riley (3/99)
To the person requesting recommendations about hadrwood floors. Albany
Childrens Center had their floors sanded and refinished in December by Tulip
Floors. They did a great job. If you would like to go by and take a look at
their work the Center is located 1140 Ninth in Albany, in the UC Village.
From: Ellen (3/99)
We were very happy with Tulip Floors. They redid the floors in our home
before we moved in two years ago.
From: Dylyn (3/99)
I would like to recommend Reborn Hardwood Flooring at 531-4261. I just
used them last month. My floors were in pretty bad shape and they did a
beautiful, very professional job with three coats of polyurathane
(spelling?). I had my living room and dining room done and the total cost
was $550 (far less than the $1000 quoted by several companies). They were
also able to do the work on very short notice.
From: Monica (3/99)
The folks from Tulip Floors refinished the floors in our home and did a
great job. Everything was smooth, professional and on time. In addition to
refinishing, they did some extra work - building subfloors where there had
been floor furnaces and installing hardwood in these same ares. A visitor
to the house wouldn't be able to tell those spots had been patched because
of the professional way they weaved in the slats - including matching
inlay.
From: lklevine (3/99)
Back in 1996, we used The Floor Doctor in El Cerrito to refinish our badly
worn hardwood floors and were quite happy with the service and result.
From: Tamara (3/99)
We just had the floor in our bedroom refinished.
We had also received an estimate from Tulip, however,
they were much more expensive, and it was difficult
trying to get them scheduled in a convenient time period.
I got the name of a woman, Christy Tomalonis, from
the recommendation list on the parents page. We were
very happy with the quality of the work, and she
charged us much less than what Tulip had quoted.
From: Nancy (3/99)
Tulip Floors refinished and patched hardwood floors for a remodeled kitchen
that we did, and we were not at all happy with them. Hard to tell what was
the direction of the general contractor, or if they would have acted
differently on their own. Their sanding was very uneven, as were the
finishing layers they applied, so they had to go back and keep resanding to
try to make things even. The result is that if we ever have to refinish
again we will have to have an entirely new floor put in as the existing
floor is sanded too thin. Now we are noticing buckeling of the floorboards
due to the thinness of the wood.
From: L (3/98)
There's a very nice and hardworking woman named Christy Tomalonis who did our
floors three years ago. She's a perfectionist and her rates are very
reasonable. She has many years of experience. At the time she could be
reached at 339-0347.
From: Nils (3/98)
I would recommend Mike Mitschang, 658-6765. He
worked with a team whose business name I couldn't find in
the phone book- (women-owned / run). They did a very good
job in our house, and also we liked what we saw in the
homes of the references he gave. He did the 'right stuff' for
containment of underlying lead-based paint, too (the main
reason for our work).
From: April (5/98)
We have had refinished our maple and oak hardwood floors and have
had some installation done to match existing flooring. We've had good
experiences with two floor people. One is Tulip Floor at 528-8547 and Avi
was the person we dealt with there. The other is a woman named Christie
Tomalonis at 436-6597, 539-0303 (pager). We used Tulip the first time
through and were happy but for some reason used Christie the second time.
I can't remember why unless maybe Tulip couldn't do it when we needed it
done. I'd recommend either as reasonably priced and professional.
From: Joyce (5/98)
I have had Deluxe Floor Company, 12443 San Pablo Avenue, Richmond
(510-234-5926 or 510-529-1865) do my hardwood floors a couple of times
during the last 15 or 20 years. They are reliable and reasonable. They do
fantastic work. They have also done floors for a San Francisco Designer
Showhouse a number of years ago.
March 2007
Dustless is the new way to get wood floors re-done with less fine dust left around the
house. Has anyone had experience with this type of refinishing, and a referral? The
archives offer little on dustless. (Partial dustless doesn't seem dustless enough.) Any
good ideas on how and where to store our furnishings during this work?
Hopeful re floors
NorCal flooring does high quality dustless wood floor refinishing
(they also install new wood flooring) Contact Cynthia Dodd,
(510)390-0072
Melanie
March 2010
Help! My split-level house was built in the 1930's and has
original Hardwood Oak floors throughout. I have recently
begun to notice that a few of the floorboards in the
entryway sink - ever so slightly - when I walk on them.
There is a large basement underneath this area of the
house and I'm worried that whatever is holding up the
floor is compromised. Who should I call to look into this?
Thanks
I have old hardwood floors in my home as well, though no
basement. I'd be worried about termites so would have
someone look from that point of view (maybe Leading Edge,
which is a fabulous termite company in the East Bay). As
far as looking at the hardwood only, I finally found a
wonderful flooring company to come up with creative
solutions for my floors and then do the work. The woman's
name is Lori Ortiz, (925) 788-3599, or Loriwoodfloors.com.
You'll appreciate her and her work!
Julie
Give my green builder/carpenter/handyman Idan Bearman a
call, he's amazing. I've recommended him on BPN before and I
first contacted him after seeing a rec for him on BPN. He's
done numerous bigger jobs for us over the past few years
but one of the first ones was just what you have. In our
case it turned out to be a floor joist that had dry rot
caused by a bathroom leak that was not fixed right by the
previous owners. Idan replaced the joist and subfloor board
in just a few hrs, made sure there was no damage to the
hardwood floor and inspected his work a few months later
when I called him for some other work.
Everytime I hire Idan I'm delighted by how is easy it is to
deal with him and how well the work turns out. such a huge
difference than when the cable guys, gardener and even my
cleaning service come around. I can't tell you how much
easier it makes my life having someone I fully trust
whenever I need anything done on my property. For the bigger
jobs in the past I've had other people give me bids along
with Idan and although he wasn't always the most affordable,
his bidding process and attention to all the details of the
jobs made me choose him over and over so now I don't even
bother calling anyone else.
You will do well to check him out, I'm sure you won't want
to hire anyone else.
His telephone number- 510 830 7927
Molly
You could call an architect, an engineer or a pest control
company. It is possible you have termites. This happened
to me in my Dining Room, and I discovered a small colony of
termites. Luckily they hadn't done a whole lot of damage
yet. I was surprised to find that they had been eating the
hardwood oak, not just the joists and subfloor.
Andus
May 2004
Anyone have any suggestions as to where to buy white oak hardwood
flooring. We've been to lumber liquidators, and might go with them, but a
friend had some issues with her order from there so I'd like to research other
options. Truitt and White only carries red oak.
LK
After a year you probably won't be able to tell the
difference between white and red oak because the red soon
disappears.
Cabinetmaker
We just installed finished oak flooring over the past two
weekends. Hard work, but lots of fun. We bought it
online at http://www.internetfloors.com. They have a
great selection, shipping was very reasonable and very
fast. And best of all, there was no sales tax! They have
a very large selection of flooring, so if you have a brand
in mind, do your research and compare prices!
Anon
Hardwood on Slab?
2001
Hi,
We just bought a house with slab foundation. It has
carpeting through-out....including the dining area.
With two small kids, I find this very gross and want
to put hardwood floors down, but I've never lived on
slab before. Does anyone have experience with slab
foundations and how hardwood floors on slab are? Is
it particularly cold in winter? I know that hardwood
on non-slab foundations have give....is hardwood on
slab too "hard" of a walk? any other idiosyncrasies
of slab? does anyone have recommendations on hardwood
floor sellers/installers?
General rule is, for you to be able to do hardwood on slab it needs to be a floating
floor. You need to separate the wood from the concrete. If you don't then you will
run into problems with the moisture and temperature swings of the slab. This
presents two options. Option one and the most common is to use an engineered
wood floor that is a hardwood veneer laminated on a softwood sub ply. These
floors are generally made so that the tongue and groove are so tight once they
are put together the floor acts as one unit independent of the slab. The nature of
the engineered ply floor makes it much more stable and less susceptible to the
moisture and temperature swings. Option two is using solid plank wood flooring
that has a special clip system to join it together as well as a poly felt moisture
barrier. The only one I know of that has a very good and successful reputation is
Junkers. I would recommend contacting Golden State Flooring (650.872.0500) or
EcoTimber (510.549.3000) for the engineered flooring and Junkers
(714.777.6430) direct to find a certified distributor and installer in your area.
-Paul
I recently purchased some pre-finished hardwood flooring from Lumber
Liquidators, on the frontage road in Albany, and got a terrific price. They have
many grades and woods available, and we bought the "good" grade maple with
7-coat finish for something like $3.20/square foot. As for installation, I'm fairly
sure you would put down wood strips and nail the flooring crosswise over the
strips, so there would be a little dead space, allowing for give and preventing the
flooring from getting damp.
Valerie
April 2008
I am considering replacing the carpet in a couple rooms of our
house, plus a flight of stairs, with hardwood floors. I've
talked to a couple of companies and they really advocate using
prefinished flooring. The price is about the same for both, but
I guess it's quicker and less messy to install the prefinished. For
those who've gone with unfinished, just how messy is the
installation? What can I expect? Apart from being able to sand
the unfinished floor in the future, what are some of the pros
and cons of each flooring type? Also, is there much space
between the prefinished planks after they're installed? The
installers tell me the tongue-and-groove fit closely together,
but when I saw someone's house who used prefinished flooring, it
just didn't look very smooth and it looked like dirt could get
between the planks. Thank you for any feedback you can provide!
anon
We just had a prefinished (bamboo) floor put in. Advantages for
us: Quicker, no stinky finishing, no drying time. The grooves
are very slight -- it's not like an unfinished floor, which is
sanded and sealed in place so the grooves don't really exist
anymore, but they certainly don't collect dirt when the floor is
properly installed. Bottom line, if you want it to be
completely smooth, you should probably go with the unfinished
flooring, but personally I think the prefinished looks fine.
Either type of flooring can be sanded and refinished in the
future. I'd highly recommend the flooring company we used, btw:
www.avisfloors.com
JP
I had the same decision to make as you. I chose to install the
unfinished hardwood floor versus the prefinished because I had
more freedom in selecting the type of finish that would protect
my floor. There are different types of water-base and oil-base
finishes that endure different pressures per square inch. (I
wanted one that could endure high pressures to get the most
protection for my oak flooring.) I also chose the prefinished
flooring because I had more options in the staining. I chose a
wood flooring contractor with dust free capabilities to avoid
the mess. I used Oaklandwoodfloors.com. They did a terrific
job. Hope this helps.
Juan
Oct 2007
I am interested in recommendations for wood flooring for a kitchen. I have reviewed
the archives, however, there are so many new products available and the 'existing'
products seem to have evolved also. My understand is that bamboo, although
desirable is not the right product for a kitchen. Some of the laminate products do
seem a good choice, especially the ones that have several 'layers' so there is a
possibility of sanding them in the future. However, the choices are overwhelming. So,
what do people recommend? Which brand, which grade within the brand, and where is
the best place to purchase? Many thanks.
waiting to get rid of that old linoleum!
We are putting wood down throughout the house (except the
bathrooms and laundry) and went with a beautiful engineered
hardwood. The product we went with is BR-111 (br111.com). I
also recommend our installer, H&H Flooring.
(www.handhflooring.com) Gary Harrison is fantastic,
professional and an expert in the field of flooring. He is not
a salesman. He will honestly tell you what you can and can't
do based on your specific situation. Gary also does carpeting
and sheet flooring. You can call him to set up an appointment. Good luck!
Angela in Richmond
July 2005
I have owned homes with every kind of kitchen floor available, and I much prefer hardwood. It is softer on the feet and hides dirt better than anything else, even tile or lineoleum chosen to disguise dirt. Pair it with washable rugs, and you can then wash most of your floor by putting it in the washing machine! You use Bona, a special hardwood cleaner that is biodegradable etc., on polyurethane-finished floors.
I don't know about laminates but I wouldn't use a soft wood because kitchen floors take so much wear and tear. It will eventually need refinishing, but this is easy enough with hardwood.
Mary Ann
Sept 2004
We are thinking about tearing up the linoleum in our
kitchen and refinishing the wood underneath rather than
replacing it with tile. Is there any down/up side to wood
floors that we should consider before making our decision
to go ahead? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Jeanne
We removed the old vinyl in our kitchen and had hardwood
floors installed a few years ago. I had initially thought we
could just take up the vinyl and refinish the oak
underneath, but it turned out that the oak didn't cover the
whole floor; some had been replaced with plywood when the
vinyl was installed in the 50s. You might pull up little
pieces around the room to make sure you have good wood
everywhere.
There are pros and cons of oak flooring in the kitchen. Pros
include a uniform look throughout the house and ease of
cleaning (I damp mop every two weeks, but it never shows
dirt). The downside, however, is that the wood is *hard*,
and thus tougher on the body and the ears (the room feels
more acoustically ''live'').
Good luck!
anne
The downside is that most kitchens see a lot of foot traffic
and a lot of water (from spills, leaks, and so on), so be
sure you have a really good installation and a really good
finish (like polyurethane). Our kitchen floor (refinished 80
year-old wood) is pretty beat up. I think the previous
owners used a suboptimal finish. We keep rugs on most of it now!
The upside of wood is that when you drop something fragile
(glass or ceramic) the object is less likely to break than
if you had tile or stone or concrete, because wood gives a
little. And it's comfortable to stand on.
David in Berkeley
Hi - we did exactly what you're contemplating, and are very
happy with the results. Of course, some idiot had put very
cheap black linoleum in our kitchen, so almost anything
would have been an improvement, but when we had the fir
subfloor refinished, it was so beautiful - a warm honey
color - and it really completed our sort of
Victorian/country kitchen. It also lightened up the room
dramatically. The downside is that fir is a soft wood, so
it dents easily. After a few months you can see little
dents all over the place (though I wouldn't call them
obvious). But it doesn't really bother us, so if that
wouldn't be a problem for you, I highly recommend
refinishing your kitchen subfloor.
Star
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