After going through several weeks of Kitchen Remodeling, I'm happy to say that I'm almost done. So now comes the evaluations of the various services I used. I was fortunate that my kitchen cabinets were solid wood and in great condition. I just needed a little updating through refinishing and found Oswaldo Design on YP.com I gave them a call and they gave me a quote to refinish my cabinets. I also got a quote from NHance who is Home Depots supplier. I opted for Oswaldo because the proprietor, Oswaldo is a craftsmen and his price was much better then Nhance. Oswaldo removed the doors and drawers and took them to his shop for refinishing. They then came in and sanded, stained, sealed and polished my cabinets and Voila, instant upgrade to a modern kitchen. Oswaldo Design is a small shop but does great work. They do kitchen cabinet refinishing, Furniture repair and refinishing, Custom Cabinets etc. So if you're looking to upgrade your kitchen or repair an old piece of furniture, give them a call and get a quote. You'll get what you want and possibly at a lower price done by a craftsman. read more

Biggest mistake ever! I started off getting a quote by Oswaldo...actually his son, Johan. Oswaldo doesn't speak any English. Johan is the son who is also the sales guy for the company. I wanted my cabinets refinished. For $8800, they quoted me to basically do my entire kitchen remodel and asked me for 50% up front and 50% at the completion of the job. All I had to do was supply all the backsplash tile, new sink and new faucet. They'd supply the kitchen counter top. The job went over schedule by about 2 weeks. Anytime they quote you on a date to have the project completed, multiply it by 2.5 and you'll get an accurate time frame of job completion. My kitchen turned out okay. So I decided to have them do my bathroom. That would cost me about $6000 plus the cost of tile. Again, the job went over about 2.5 times what the original quoted time frame would be. My bathroom was out of commission the entire time. But I was reasonably happy with the job. So, I had them do a final project for me. I had them put a door in going out to my outside deck from my master bedroom. This is where everything went to hell in a hand basket. They cut the door out, completely screwed up the stucco on the outside and never repaired it, didn't do the door jamb correctly, didn't weatherproof anything and had the bottom jamb sloped inward...meaning that the first rainstorm we'd have would funnel all the water inside my bedroom and ruin my carpet, padding and floorboards. I asked them to fix it. They came out and did a half-baked job at altering the bottom jamb area and weatherproofing. I had a building inspector come out and he told me that there should have been permits pulled for the outdoor lighting put in, which they put in. This is when I found out that they're not licensed to contract anything in the state of California. I tried calling, texting, and emailing Johan to fix the weatherproofing and to replace the door that started warping after about 2 weeks from the date of installation. He refuses to return my calls. Apparently they skipped town. Now I have to have another contractor come out to fix the door and then I'll have to sue them for the cost. That is...if I can locate these people. Or rather, I'll have to sue Johan's mother (Fidela) or Oswaldo's wife...whoever she is...because this is the person they have you write all the checks to. This should have been the first red flag; that you have to write checks to some other person who probably lives in Mexico or somewhere. In the meantime, I've had to file a complaint with the CSLB (Contractor's State License Board) of California with the hopes that they can shut these guys down from illegally contracting jobs with no contractor's license, no insurance, no bond, no legal business...and they're probably not even legal here in the United States. Do yourself a favor and hire someone else for whatever it is you're trying to do. These people skipped town with my money and they'll probably do a half-baked job for you and do the same to you too. read more

I just moved to LA from Chicago - my mother was kind enough to give me an old piece from her garage. I had no idea where to start looking for a refinishing place but found Oswaldo on Yelp. When I called the number they couldn't be nicer and sweeter. They explained how they work and that they would actually come to my house and look at the piece for an estimate. I felt very confident giving them this old piece and was excited to see what they could do with it. The piece used to be an old make up table that my Mum found over 50 years ago at an auction house in New York. The moment the gentlemen looked at it they knew it was something special. As they were working on it someone told them it was Italian and probably over 100 years old! The guys promised to have my piece delivered in two weeks and they were right on time. I am so thrilled with the work, it looks amazing. They even changed out the drawer pulls to ones that are traditional with the piece. You can't even tell the broken leg was ever detached and the inlaid flowers on the drawers really pop. What a great "welcome to LA" gift this was - and now I have a fairly priced, reliable furniture refinisher that I would recommend to anybody. Your a fool if you go with someone else. These guys are trustworthy, efficient, and offer a fair price. True craftsmen! read more

I also found them on a random Yelp search, I live in the Eagle Rock area. I had three small pieces so I drove them over there, it was an easy 10-minute drive. I had a small set of wood shelves, a small bench, and a wood-framed mirror that I wanted stripped and repainted. All were quite old pieces (80-100 years), and the shelves were made by my grandfather, so these were all very sentimentally valuable items to me. The older layers of paint and varnish were so old and therefore alcohol-based that they created some difficulty with the repainting, but Oswaldo and team were honest with me, pointed out the flaws in my pieces and what they could and could not do with them. Bottom line, the pieces ended up looking great! I definitely recommend them, they are honest and reliable. It's a joy to have my things refinished so well and for such a reasonable price. I will certainly be taking a few more things to them! read more

just a preliminary review based on the meeting i had with the guys for an estimate on cabinet work. they were very professional, brought wood samples, brought color samples, and drove in the rain from Alhambra to Hollywood, also made sure to call me to tell me they were running behind. I'd definitely give these guys the next cabinet specific job I have in any one of my 5 apartment buildings, it's just too bad I needed a more general contractor for this last make ready. read more

FIND ANOTHER SHOP FOR YOUR UPHOLSTERY WORK. When I got my Drexel loveseat back from Oswaldo, it was flat where before it had had a lovely, deep, comfortable seat cushion. I paid both the deposit and final amount in cash but got no pickup or delivery service and as we were driving away, Oswaldo came up to the truck and told us we were $20 short although both my husband & I had counted the money twice before going there. I never got back the extra fabric that I had planned to use for extra cushions. The worst part is that when I sit on my Drexel loveseat, I can tell the stuffing underneath is very poor quality. It's ruined. read more

Oswaldo and Company did some beautiful cabinet work with upgrading our kitchen. My husband and I were wondering who to go to for the work, and a friend of mine referred us to Oswaldo. And here I am to say how pleased we are with their work and their product. My husband and I had no idea how nice of a kitchen we would end up with. They not only built the cabinets, but also added their personal touch to the designing as well. They listened to us and always were very accommodating. No matter what the situation that surfaced, they were there to assist with making things happen. I had no idea how lovely these cabinets were going to look, and I actually enjoy spending time in my kitchen! I highly recommend them and will definitely call on them in the future again. read more

We contacted Oswald to refinish our dining room table and chairs. Oswald refinish and upholstered them. We were really pleased with the work. He expanded the table to conveniently fit 8 chairs. Oswald also made us a customized bar table to fit our beer fridge and wine holder. The bar finish matched our dinner table and chairs. We difinitely will use Oswald Designs again. read more

We hired Oswaldo after he was recommended by a large, well-reviewed cabinet company. Unfortunately, the kitchen cabinets he made were awful and the installation was disastrous. The carpentry was of poor quality: the doors were all misaligned and there were nail holes and putty visible all over the cabinets. He used very cheap plywood (not even painting grade) with knots and holes, and the doors were rough to the touch, which means the laquer wasn't even applied properly. The worst part, however, was that none of the cabinets were level and they installed the upper cabinets hanging off the walls. We later discovered that they weren't even screwed into the studs! I only wish I had taken pictures to show how bad they were, but I guess I didn't want the memory of that! In the end, we hired a carpenter who started from scratch ... which means we lost all the deposit money we paid to Oswaldo. Unfortunately, we found out after all of this that he is not even licensed, so we cannot hold him accountable. read more

The water damaged kitchen cabinet doors were repaired and stained to perfectly match the other cabinets. The dining tabletop was repaired and stained but came back darker than it was originally. Their craftsmanship is above average. Where they are deficient is in how they conduct business. It happened several times that they said they were going to be at my house only to call at the last minute and say they couldn't. They also underestimated the time it takes to complete my job. Be aware of these things and get them to commit to some kind of schedule. read more

I bought an antique amoire from Oswaldo Design about 6 mos. ago. I went to his house to look at it, and it needed a little more refinishing. When he brought it to my house, (no extra delivery charge!), it was polished and all the nicks were repaired. He does a great job on antiques, however, I can't find his website. I highly recommend him! read more

Oswaldo Designs just refinished cabinets throughout my new condo, and I couldn't be happier with their work. In addition to the cabinets looking gorgeous, they were incredibly reliable, friendly, and went above and beyond to make sure that I was satisfied. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking to refinish cabinets! read more

Oswaldo Design just completed a full refinish and upgrade of our kitchen and two bathrooms (new vanities). I would recommend them highly. For the kitchen, I gave them a photograph of the finished look that I wanted (from a display at Lowe's) and Oswaldo matched this perfectly. They were very complete in their efforts -- even replacing the old plumbing under the sink because I switched to a deeper sink. Oswaldo provided the full team - plumber, electrician, tiler, stone cutter, painter, etc. No need to get separate contractors. They were very friendly to work with and always on time. Communication was efficient by either e-mail or phone. Craftsmanship, reliability, dependability. Oh, did I mention that the pricing was reasonable as well? I got three quotes before proceeding with the work, and I am glad I went with Oswaldo Design. read more

I had my closet doors taken off in my home office, which had been an extra bedroom. I needed something to mask the closet railing, etc. and wanted an oak bookshelf. If I were to sell the house, I'd want to put the closet back, so I didn't want to remove the railing and supports. I'd contacted another carpenter, gave him pics, and asked him to come up with a design. He couldn't. I called Oswaldo Designs. They came to see the closet, but also didn't come up with a design. Though I'm not a designer at all, I came up with a design, Oswaldo Designs built and installed it, and I love it. They did a terrific job. Their woodwork is beautiful. They're very nice, and they really want to please. The only reason I didn't give them five stars is that I wanted less of me in the design and more of a carpenter's input. read more

I am writing this review because I am very disappointed with the lack of communication their less then professional way of business. I am disappointed of how I tried to work with them it failed more then twice.I am very disappointed. This "Oswaldo Design" is a hole in a wall place a small family business, "Father and son" I was driving by the business (I am a walk in.) I was looking for a place to refinish a dining room table and six chairs. " they were working on pieces of furniture Antiques kitchen cabinets, I asked them for a estimate, to have my kitchen re-done. they came to my home (I lived a mile away) The Father Oswaldo gave me a quote. Refinish my cabinets,Here is my quote: hand made wood doors for the kitchen cabinets, paint kitchen, change knobs, granite. I hired them. I also hired them to furnish the dining room table. The table would be done in 5 days. The five days took 2 half weeks. I never heard from them. no news from them, I called them and was told that the father was ill with bronchitis, "He is the one that does the work, therefore the work will be delayed" I felt sympathy I had no hurry for my table and chairs and told them "don't worry, tell your Dad to take care of himself" . the table and chairs came back 2 1/2 weeks later, I was NOT impressed. I returned one of the chairs back to get redone. The kitchen was suppose to be done in 5 days, The entire work took over 1 month. Some minor details never got done. (The work started Thursday March 21, today is Tuesday, April 30th) and I'm still dealing with details that I should not be dealing with. The cabinets doors should have been installed on Wednesday April 10th, some of the doors were in stalled on Sat, April 20th. Only some of them cause the doors were either to long or to short. The communication of these men SUCK! The granite back splash, have large black tears drops about 3 inches long. I have never seen should of thing. I ask them, "Where do you purchase your material?" Is it from a outlet? Or from a reject place? I originally wanted a 9 in dual sink, later changed my mind (4 hours later) and wanted a farmer sink and was told that I could not change my mind, cause where they purchase their items they cannot return them ! Hum ! When they painted my kitchen, my refrigerate got painted when I pointed it out, I was told that the plastic moved therefore the refrigerator got painted, They painted my kitchen. They meant (Only half of my kitchen would be painted) cabinets only, no walls. So, half of the kitchen was painted the another half was not! when I asked them "Why the other half was not painted " they said that was not part of the deal. If I wanted the other half painted I needed to pay additional $100.00, I think that should be added and included to the package deal, it only make sense! The ktichen look so funny, One sided was white, and the side was antique white. LOL. Yes I paid the $100.00 to get the another half painted white. i had to inspect a lot of things. I had a cabinet door replace and the measurement came back short , the door had to be redone. When I asked about the the screws of the dishwasher showing and the door too short, their response was, we measured the opening of the hole , not the door that was removed, so, I asked them to replace the door, cause the door was made incorrect, wrong size. i was told that I should be charged for it!! you figure this out! The communication between customer and Vendor is Zero, They would leave in the evening never communicating with me what I should expect , or what they finished for the day, I would come home to find that the granite had been installed. They used liquid nails, therefore large black circles the size of pancakes, at least 25 black circles all over the granite. I come home to find this. I start crying not knowing what these circles are. I text the son, cause the father never answers his phone, the son does not know what I'm talking about, so I need to send him pictures, he tells me that they will fade within in time, I ask him , how long, day, months, etc , he say "I don't know " time. The circles faded away within 1 week. I can continue with the stories, If you ever use these people, the quality of work is good, at times, depending on how much work they have. The father Oswaldo does outstanding work, I cannot speak for the son or the others. Take your chances. read more

Oswaldo and son did a great job refinishing my kitchen cabinets in fall of 2011 (long overdue review). I was delighted by the quality of work and price. The new finish has help up well and I get lots of compliments on them. read more