Chicago Wood Flooring Experts

"I called , provided the description and measurements over the phone of the work needed in a small galley kitchen.  (Note btw that while this amount is not high, it's the prinicipal and manner in which I was treated that I'd like to share for others to consider)  They gave me an estimate of $80-$100 ...more .  The guy came out, confirmed my description and measurements were accurate.  I had to ask several times afterward for an official quote so I could then schedule the work.  Finally he replies with a very unofficial email that says the job is actually going to cost over 400% more at $430!  It took many emails and a few phone calls, I finally reached the owner.  He was RUDE right off the bat and insisted on arguing.  He gave no consideration to listening and understanding my experience before taking on this demeanor with me.  He finally asked, "Fine, what do you want me to do?"  I replied, "Do the work for an amount much closer to $100 than to $400."  He then tells me he wouldn't step foot in my house since I'm already complaining when work hasn't even been done yet and that I ought to be glad that I know of the price increase before the work than after it's done.  He also went on to say the amount was not high enough to warrant my time.  I said it is for me to decide what is expensive to me or not, and that the complaint is not the dollar amount, it is the DELTA of 4 TIMES the original estimate.   Frustrated with his demeanor, I said, "Never mind, I'll put my experience on Angie's List and hung up."  He called back and left a message in a mocking, threatening

and said, "Oh you better be careful because if you write something negative, I can write a review about you as well so you better be careful about what you write."  I asked Angie's List about this.  It was explained to me that they have the right to respond to tell their side.  Well that is ceratinly fair.  In any case, my experience has now beeen shared. "

"Very responsive to calls and flexible with scheduling. His team is solid - was able to answer questions on the job. I would definitely use them again."

" was a pleasure to work with.  We only had a short amount of time between the closing of our house to when all our furniture would be moved in.  was able to work us into his schedule and kept in timely communication with me as to his availability.  In addition to the re-sanding, buffing and ...more staining, there was also a section of hardwood that needed to be replaced.  I thought it would be costly because it was the end pieces on our diagonal floor pattern.  

replaced the minimal amount of hardwood to keep the cost low without sacarificing the diagonal pattern.  Overall, we're very happy with the results and the price we paid."

" kindly accommodated our very quick and specific time frame (we needed floors buffed after closing on a new home, but before moving the furniture in the next day). They were professional, informative and prompt. I would not hesitate to recommend them or use them again. Our experience was wonderful and I think the price was competitive ...more for the area of hardwood flooring we had buffed."

"We recently purchased a home built in 1885 with various 'improvements' implemented on it over it's years. All the improvements needed revision. We started to tear things out in hopes of replacing them ourselves but soon realized we were in way over our heads. Any improvements we might have made would be erased by a poor structure that didn't allow ...more us to add value. We needed a Contractor. Catalyst came in for the estimate shortly after I contacted them.

made an excellent sales pitch showing his team's qualifications, experience, certifications and insurance. Had several other GC's in the house for estimates but none came in that left me feeling at all confident they were up for the job. I've been in homes with contractors run wild in the past so my nose is tuned to sort out promises that can't be kept. Glad that my sense of smell is still working fine as Catalyst did great work. Work started soon after I signed the contract. Partial payment was made on the first day of work and they didn't leave the job until the contract was complete. A timeline was provided upfront in regard to what we still needed to pick-out and finalize in order to keep them busy - we kept up with those timelines and they kept busy.

was my Superintendant on the job. Over 20 years in the field that he expertly brought to working on our house. His practical experience was invaluable in helping us make difficult and sometimes mundane decisions. It's nice when you don't have to tell a contractor where electrical fixtures go. Typical interaction...

: "Do you have a preference where I put the switches for the lights?" Me: "Put

where you think they should go." Result: Things are perfect where he put them - where they belong. Did I mention we were living in the house throughout the entire project? We'd move ourselves to whatever part of the house wasn't being worked on at the time,

kept this to a minimum.

did most of the work on his own but he would occassionally have an assistant stop by to install heavier things (think 20 foot beams). Everyone that came to my home from Catalyst was polite, pleasant and professional."

"Overall, the initial response to our inquiry was as expected, the issue came when we took time to have someone from come out to look at the damage and get an estimate and to this day have not."

"There was nothing they could have improved on. I thought they were amazing. The owner, , takes care of every little detail. He is very detail-oriented. He does everything extremely professionally and on time. He is very easy to work with. We ended up with a beautiful finished product."

"we've used for several projects over the years from a gut rehab of a master bath to replacing the back door. He repaired a disastrous shower leak that also corrected problems from a previous contractor. He's a problem solver. Latest project involved upgrades to the kitchen and small bath and repair and refinishing the floor under ...more a radiator in our

Park condo. This job lasted about three days and we are very pleased with the results.

is conscientious and meticulous in his work and works hard to finish in a timely manner. He sometimes needs nudging on clean up, but is reasonably priced and a charm to work with."