In general, we are very satisfied with our floors and with the service we received. Just a few complaints (and suggestions for improvement).
First the positive stuff: Andy Taylor in Customer Service was very helpful in the planning stages...we were unsure which wood type and stain to use and he patiently walked us through our choices, and even provided some actual stained samples (delivered to our front door), which made our decision much easier. Our job came with a few challenges (some of the flooring had to be placed over a small stretch of concrete slab) and they came up with good (and inexpensive) solutions. The end result was a beautiful floor that appears to be very durable as well.
Our complaints:
1. The job required them to do one coat of finish, then wait for appliances, etc to be installed before they could return to apply the 2nd coat. When they did return, they claimed that the first coat was too "marred" and needed to be repaired before the 2nd coat could be applied. This delayed the job by a few days and set our counter installation back a week due to scheduling issues. However, our contractor had laid down lots of protective cardboard over the floor between coats and on the day planned for the 2nd coat of finish, the technician did not show up until very late in the day to do the 2nd coat. We were skeptical that the floor was truly damaged by our contractor, and suspected that might have been an excuse to cover the fact that they showed up late. However, all that said, I am glad that they took the time to do the job right.
2. The installer did not provide a piece of trim wood at one end of the floor (under a fireplace), and this had to be provided by our contractor (so it didn't match the floor wood exactly, just close enough). Andy did offer to provide trim when I requested it, but by then it was going to be much faster to just have our contractor do it. It seemed odd that we even had to ask.
3. The installer was not very communicative and I had to push him to explain how things were going, if there were any issues, etc. Might be nice to have him explain upfront what he would be doing that day, etc, since we were every interested in how things were proceeding. I know that these jobs become commonplace for the workers, but each job is likely the first for the customer, and it helps to feel like the installer is taking it as seriously as we are. Also, unlike the experience posted by another customer on this site, the installer did not just barge in, but rather waited in our driveway (without knocking) until we were leaving the house so he could get in. I thought it was odd that he didn't just knock, but I'm grateful he didn't barge in, either!
4. During the sanding phase, a ton of dust settled downstairs below our kitchen. This was probably unavoidable, but it would have been nice if we had been warned to put down tarps, etc to make the clean-up a lot easier!
5. After living with the floor for several months, we noticed a number of places where the finish had been applied unevenly, or where drops of finish had dried on. In general, it seems the finishing job was sloppier than we originally appreciated, which is disappointing, but not something we plan to change anytime soon. When it comes time to re-finish, though, we will likely use another company.
Overall, we were fairly pleased with Seattle Floor Service. read more