Owner Darrell Givens has been in the wood stripping business for many, many years and his business is now at 3821 N. Kedzie, Chicago, IL 60618. Over the course of the last 6 months, my husband and I had Darrell strip several 100 year old doors, various pieces of wood trim and baseboards and he did a great job. He always completed the work when he said he would and was even willing to pick up and deliver when necessary. His prices are incredibly reasonable and well below other area wood strippers. His work shop isn't fancy--in fact, its pretty rustic, but he gets the job done on time and takes great pride in his work. I highly recommend Darrell for your wood stripping needs! read more

Daryl and Steve did an AWESOME job on stripping my 2-flat hallway!! They worked each day for a full week, and got every nook and cranny. I then stained it and the finished job returned this hallway to it's 1922 glory! thanks Daryl and Steve for a job well done! read more

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Darryl was the best find on yelp. I have an old apartment building in Bucktown that I was remodeling and it had layers of paint and chipped original doors. The doors has many layers of paint and most of it was popping as the original varnish was never removed from the door. I tried heat guns and sanders and it was taking forever and messy. I researched many wood strippers on yelp and got some crazy high pricing and long lead times until I found Darryl. Darryl took all of my 11 old wooden doors and had them stripped at his business and they came back in great shape and like new. Not one paint chip or anything broken. He even stripped the hinges and door knobs. He delivered them on time and at the agreed upon price. I couldn't ask for anything more and his prices are extremely competitive. I have now given him 51 pieces of widow and door trim that was impossible to sand or use the heat gun on due to the detail on the trim. His pricing was again really good and he is trustworthy and professional. Darryl is also an honest guy and takes payment only when work is completed. He is old school and only takes cash or check payments. I would give him a try for any wood stripping needs as you won't be disappointed. read more

Well, I have to admit that I'm a bit heartbroken to write this review. I had Darryl Givens do work for me a couple of years back and his work, while great, was longer than expected and he added an extra charge at the last minute. It was awkward and upsetting, but I paid and let it go. Fast forward a few years, and I found myself wanting to work with contractors from south side locally-owned business, so I wanted to give Darryl and his brothers another chance. Getting in touch with Darryl and have him come at an agreed time was elusive. I would rearrange my schedule to be home and he wouldn't show up. After nearly two months, he came as scheduled and we had an agreed upon price. He said the job would take no more than two days - it took five long days. He and his brother never arrived on time in those five days and quietly complained about the amount of paint. The home is 126 years old with original woodwork. He had come out twice to quote. Since he didn't take photos and took so long to come back, he forgot the property and had to come back again. What a headache! They were, though, pleasant and friendly. Until - they weren't... By the 5th day, they had ended but didn't finish the door (the one that I needed done most) and the screens. Darryl promised he would be back that Saturday with the screens and to complete the door. Alas, that did not happen. My gut told me NOT to pay them until the work was complete, but he stated that he needed to make rent, so I gave him enough plus some. I was truly hopeful he would honor the agreement. What ensued was his holding our expensive vintage French door/ screens, demanding that we give him more money since he underestimated the time and cost of the job, etc. I had to threaten him with a lawsuit and the police to get the doors back, which he didn't, of course, strip. I am contemplating small claims court because the idea of someone not completing a job they've been paid for burns me. My apologies to the reviewer I messaged to tell her she wasn't being fair by writing a review for services she hadn't tried. Perhaps she read his character over the phone better than I did in-person. To me, he seemed like an older man who was knowledgeable and friendly. He is knowledgeable, but isn't an effective business owner, and a cunning person. Be careful, and do NOT trust these guys; pay a little extra for a company that is more reliable. read more

I called and spoke to Darryl. Sent pictures and measurements of my dresser and arranged pickup. He didn't show 3 times over 1 week period. Set specific time of day and no call no show. Kept saying he was busy on another job, then excuse he needed bigger truck (which was never an issue mentioned on our two discussions). Complete waste of time and frankly uncomfortable I gave him my address. read more

Once again Darryl did a great job. He stripped our 1920s medicine cabinet and two windows. Great work -- good price. Always a pleasure. read more

Chicago Woodstripping - Refinishing Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We had some major paint chipping on our son's door! I am only sad I didn't call these guys sooner! Beautiful work, great price, and for a small fee they even picked up and dropped off! Thank you so so much! read more

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Darrell is a thief! I used Darrell on two occasions. The first time he did a great job on doors, bulls-eyes and other trim. It was difficult pinning him down for pick up and delivery but his work and prices were good. A year or so later I gave him 4 boxes of bull-eyes and other trim. He did not strip, he did not call. When I reached him several months later he promised to bring them back. He didn't. When I called him again- HE CUSSED ME OUT. Then he calmed down and again promised to bring back my antique woodwork. At this point he'd had it almost a year and I just wanted it back unstripped. Still don't have it! NOT WORTH THE RISK! read more

I called to arrange pick up of my doors to be stripped and he said he would be there around 11am on a Saturday and he would call when he was 30 minutes away, I waited and he never showed up then I called and he said it would have to be Monday instead (was he even going to let me know??) I gave him a second chance and again waited in on Monday morning and again no one showed up (I took time off work too, very frustrating) I just paid someone else a lot of money to restore my doors instead and they look beautiful but I would've given this business to these guys but they let me down twice and never called or anything. I was very disappointed. Needless to say I wouldn't use these guys again purely because they are unreliable. read more

This company is top notch!!! I feel so lucky that I found them. They were so professional and did such an amazing job, not to mention they are the nicest guys to work with. Their price was very competitive and they have a lot of experience with restoring original woodwork. They are my go so for all my wood stripping needs! Don't hesitate and give them a call - you will be happy you did. read more

Darrell and his brothers stripped the window woodwork in my 20th century 2 flat and did a fantastic job! There was decades of paint and a considerable amount of work. Again, I used them a few months ago to strip a door, base trim and a couple of door frames and again I was pleased with the results. I sanded, stained and refinished the door myself, and the other woodwork I sanded and repainted. What a difference and Chicago Woodstripping made it possible! Thank you! read more

Darrell picked up our door and brought it back the same day. It looked amazing! Such a good price for the fast and high quality work done.

Is this even a real business? I don't know because I called four times to have a door picked up to be stripped. And four times, we made an appointment and he never showed up. Every time I followed up to find out what happened, he apologized, made another appointment and didn't show up. It was just bizarre. read more

Darrell and his brothers have done a great job stripping layers of paint and stain from the decorative trims and baseboards and doors in our vintage condo! As a 'test' we had Darrell take one of the bedroom doors to his shop to be stripped. The result was so good that they then stripped all the doors and currently they are working in our condo to strip the trims and baseboards. The work is messy, but Darrell and his brothers do their very best to protect the adjacent surfaces and to respect the neighboring residents. Their work ethic is great and they are knowledgeable about the stripping products used and types of wood. If you are thinking about restoring old growth wood, check out Chicago Woodstripping. read more