Totally disappointing and frustrating experience with Vera Specialty Concrete We hired Tony Vera of Vera Specialty Concrete to put in a poured cement floor for 2 rooms in our basement (about 500 Sq Ft). He promised a smooth, grey-patterned cement floor as shown in the pictures he sent us. Timeline of events: 1. They removed yucky old carpeting and the tacking holding it to the cement substrate. 2. They ground down the floor to even it up. He failed to put up any plastic sheathing and did not cover the HVAC vents and returns as he had promised. Our basement and half of the main floor were covered in dust and debris. Horrible. 3. They added material to cover the cracks in the substrate and it sat for a while. 4. At this point he should have realized that the substrate was rough and uneven and would require more work to cover properly. 5. They troweled on a micro-thin layer of micro cement which didn't cover the floor well and showed all the underlying cracks, holes and lines from the carpet tacking and did not match up to the level of surrounding tile work as he had promised twice. 6. After a week of curing, they sealed the floor with a floor mop type implement and left with little notice. They failed to clean up afterwards. We received demands for payment of the final balance. 7. After weeks of communicating that we were not satisfied with the coverage, thickness or smoothness of the surface, he ghosted us twice and we assumed that he had abandoned the project. 8. Weeks later, he texted that he wanted to do another pass, consisting of micro-abrasion to remove the sealer, additional layers of micro-cement and final re-seal, we agreed and scheduled him to return. They never showed up and he has ghosted us for the 3rd and final time. No further communications of any kind since. Lessons: watch every move, ask lots of detailed questions and ignore the bulls**t he dishes out. Highly not recommended. Do not hire them!!! read more

We contracted Verafloor to level the concrete sub-floor as part of a full gut rehab. The floor was very uneven and we wanted it flat so that we could lay wood / tile directly on top of it. Based on this project experience, I could never recommend this company for concrete leveling. They did not deliver a suitable subfloor, and ultimately cost us more than double the budget trying to remedy their mistakes. This review is with regards to concrete leveling, as I did not use them for concrete polishing/staining. The project started off poorly when we tried to get a certificate of insurance from Verafloor for our condo association. Over the course of 2 months, I sent 17 email and text requests, as well as made numerous phone calls trying to get the COI. We would have walked away from the company then, but had already signed a contract and paid a 50% deposit of $6K so we stuck it out. The project quickly spiraled downhill as soon as they started working. No mapping of the sub floor was done, and no targets heights were marked. Pea gravel was spread as filler in the high areas instead of the low areas. Concrete was poured without any strings nor markers. After three days of work, Verafloor scheduled a final walk-through with our GC asked for final payment. The floor was no where near the standard needed as a subfloor. It varied up to 3" in height within an 8' span throughout. The heights of the floor varied throughout and exceeded the maximum target height in areas. The industry standard for a flat subfloor was no more than 1/4" variance in a 10' span. The contract stated we would get a level floor, we would have accepted a flat floor but couldn't accept one with such variances. Our GC and we suggested Verafloor rip up this concrete and start over (in hindsight we should have insisted on that). Instead, we agreed to allow them to grind the floor down and then re-pour the floor. We never imagined the crew would be grinding down the concrete for 2 months. They hauled away 21 bags of concrete dust. When they were ready to pour a level floor again, we requested one room as a test to demonstrate the crew had the technical skill to pour a flat floor. This time they used strings and marked the target height...and poured a flat floor. Unfortunately, they measured incorrectly and placed the target strings 1/2" below target on one side and 1/4" below on the other side of the room. Even though they failed this test, we agreed to allow one more attempt to get a flat floor. This time they didn't use markers or string, and just eyed it. When we evaluated his finished product, the floor was once again not flat to the subfloor standard. We even invested in a $500 laser floor measurement tool to confirm it was not within the standard. At this point, our project was more than 4 months behind due to the floor work that should have only taken 1-2 weeks. We found several independent flooring and concrete professionals to assess the situation, and all agreed the floor was not acceptable. Rather than go to arbitration to recoup our costs and risk further delays, we decided it would be best to call it quits and allow Verafloor to keep the deposit. We then found a different professional who could fix the floor in its current state. I know Verafloor lost a lot of money on the deal, as they poured, ground, and hauled away a lot of concrete. But we lost significantly more. With the cost of the initial deposit, replacement floor contractor, and 4 month delay, we spent more than double of the original $12K budget. Additionally, the work crew was not professional nor respectful of the work site. The other project subs commented on their lack of professionalism, and they even drew graffiti on the drywall and floor. read more

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Anyone who is interested in polished concrete flooring, Tony and his team are the BEST in the business. They did a fabulous job on our basement floors (Pictures will be posted once the remodeling is complete). Tony is great to work with, he explained the whole process to us and if we have any questions or concerns, he is more than happy to answer them. Or...... in our case, answerS any questionS :) Give Tony a call, great great gentleman to work with. read more

Tony came through at the end. Glad I worked with these guys they delivered a great end result. read more

Verafloor Systems - Floors done by Tony - Flooring Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Tony came out after we had a bad experience with another flooring company. He reassured us it would be okay and he would have a crew out the next day. They came and did an initial couple of coats, I was concerned about the color and called Tony right way. He reassured me the color could be changed and it was no problem, he wanted us to be happy with our floors. Not only was Tony great to work with but his entire crew was fantastic, courteous and knowledgeable. We had a great experience with Verafloors! read more

Tony and his team are great people to work with. My floor turned out beautiful. Rigo Did the floor. What a great guy and very professional and patient. I am very particular and there were a fews spots that I thought were a little yellow. Nobody else would have noticed. But he redid it and he didn't make me feel like I was being a pest he said no problem. We want to make sure you are happy. I read the two negatve reviews. The woman that was unsatisfied with her floor should have called them back. Tony's goal is to make sure his clients are happy. I would highly recommend them. read more

I want so badly to love my floors. Also, Tony and his crew have a different standard of professionalism. At first hire he was eager to please and everything sounded great. They did the week long job in three days which should have been a red flag. After we cleaned up the mess that was left we noticed cracking along the edges just days after the job was "completed." I emailed Tony because his voicemail is perpetually full and he got back to us and came out to take a look. He stood us up a couple of times but then he finally made it and told us it was the way the sub-floor was and it was his mistake for not being proactive. Ok... Then we set up a time to have his crew come out and repair. Again with the no show/no call. Finally his crew came and did the repairs, Tony said he'd come out to check it out but then gave some excuse about taking a kid to practice or something to that effect. (Something your clients don't need to know) Once that was done I noticed more cracking and chipping. The concrete came up as I was vacuuming! I emailed for weeks, months with no response. Many emails later, I realized Tony had no intention of repairing our floor. We spent $6500 and our floors are cracked and chipped and it hasn't even been a year. It's such a disappointment. Please beware, delicate concrete is not cool. read more

I called them twice and never got a return call or message. Based on that I would not recommend them.

Pretty much the most unprofessional business I have gone through. I own a hair salon and in our consultation we discussed that we would be doing chemical color services. We talked about how important it was for the chemicals to not stain. Prior to the job there was no follow up, no communication, so an entire chunk of my salon did not get the concrete finish. While the work was being done food was left in the the salon to rot, and they lost our key. When I came back on the agreed finish date, I moved all of the contents back into my salon. It took the entire day to put it back in order. Just as I was finishing putting everything back, one of his crew members walks in and tells me they didn't do the final coat. There was no communication that this wasn't finished, we obviously would have waited for the final coat to be done before moving it all the equipment back in. We two days later had to move out all of the contents of the salon again. But atlas, my floors were done. Except, guess what? The floors stained every time a drop of color hits it. When I talked with tony about it, he told me it would cost an additional 1,000 for an apoxy coat. I am sorry, but I do hair for a living. Not floors. I would expect that an apoxy would have been discussed in the initial consultation. I was told he had done salons before, and like I previously mentioned, we talked about chemicals being used, and how we didn't want them to stain. I have reached out to him several times to fix the issue. He has told me that he would be there on three separate dates, that he has not showed up for. So, if you want a half ass job, where the customer definitely doesn't come first, then this business is for you. If you like a professional, communicative, thorough, and customer service oriented business, I would go through another avenue. read more

Verafloor Systems - Flooring Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Tony Vera and his crew did a fantastic job on my finished basement floor. I had hired another company to do the work 1st and let's just say it did NOT turn out well. Vera Floor to my rescue! My husband and I couldn't be happier with our new polished concrete floor. I can't wait to do more projects with Vera Floor in the very near future! read more

Tony and his team did an amazing job of refinishing our new, and very poorly finished stamped concrete floor. He came, made some suggestions about how to revive the floor, quoted, set up a time and did the work, all within a week. His crew were courteous, careful, tidy and did a brilliant job. We have had a truly horrible contractor experience through our renovations and it wasn't hard to impress us, but Tony and his crew have exceeded all our expectations and we are thrilled with the result. Thanks for a great job. read more

My wife and I looked at several contractors to replace our carpeted basement floor. Tony's price was reasonable and his approach was articulated professionally and made the most sense for what we were looking for. The end result was amazing. We have gotten loads of positive feedback. Our finished flooring looks as good as or better than what I've seen in high end North Shore homes. My wife and I love the troweled and stained concrete look and easy cleanup. I will be considering Tony for future work on the exterior of my property in the near term. I would highly recommend VeraFloor to anyone in the Chicago metropolitan area interested in installing finished concrete flooring in any part of their house. read more

Verafloor did an amazing job with the concrete floors in my loft. I tore out the marble tiles, expecting to just polish the exposed concrete but unfortunately there were unexpected areas underneath that weren't in an acceptable condition. Tony came in and advised me on how he and his crew could fix this. They poured a thin layer of concrete and colored it exactly the way I wanted. It was the same as the original concrete but smooth and shiny and just what I'd hoped for when I started the project myself. A few weeks later several cracks appeared in the ramp that was poured to connect the hardwood to the concrete. Tony and Rigo came out, assessed the unusual problem, tore out the ramp and re-poured, re-colored the floor for a seamless patch. Their willingness to work with me on this and to solve unforeseen problems was really appreciated and alleviated any worries I might have had doing such a large project in my home. read more

Everyone was great, all the employees were nice. I'm super happy with the work that they did and they're professionalism. There was a minor issue in one of the corners and they came right back to make it perfect. A+ all the way. read more

Set appointment to meet twice. He no-showed twice. Gave not-great excuses for both.

VeraFloors installed a concrete based floor in my basement. I needed a product that would be duarable, somewhat unique in styling and able to withstand moisture. VeraFloors concrete based product met all my needs at a cost comparable to other flooring products that were less durable and required high maintenance especially if moisture/water is a problem. Tony was very easy to work with and extremely flexible regarding how his product was installed. Other vendors I requested bids from were impersonal and only wanted to install their product THEIR way. My wife and I are extremely happy with the VeraFloors product and would highly recommend Tony/VeraFloors to anyone exploring options for basement flooring. read more

They are horrible they never show up on time & it was very uneven . The color is wrong & it's smooth in one place the I have troll marks which I wanted to have movement . He never sealed them . It's a disaster ! DON'T USE THEM ! YOU WILL BE SORRY there work is messy he sent non englishing speaking boys to do the job & it was all over my moldings ! He never calls back & his voice mail is full ! My lawyer also called . read more

Tony Vera the owner of this company is not an expert in concrete floors. My husband and I hired him to do NEW CONSTRUCTION concrete basement floor finish. It was a disaster. Owner is smooth talker but sends kids to do the work. They did not prime the floor correctly resulting in hundreds of black spots all over the new concrete floor that going to have a clear sealer. When it could not be sealed because it looked like a cheetah, they painted it and put so many coats that it did not dry. Looks horrible and finish is coming off. Do not hire this company. We are sorry we did. read more

We used Tony and verafloors to redo the flooring in our condo and it couldn't have turned out any better! Tony came out to our place twice before we had the flooring done and provided us with some great color recommendations since we weren't too familiar with concrete flooring and he nailed it! We had our main living area, hallway, and bathroom done with a light gray concrete stain (we live in a industrial type loft). There was quite a bit of dust, but that is expected with any flooring. His crew was there on time every day and very friendly. They also finished the job on time. I would highly recommended Verafloor for any of your flooring needs! read more

These guys are awesome. From great communication (he even called when he was running 15 min late!), great punctuality to a great job, everything was top notch. I had a 3 month old concrete floor that was done poorly by another contractor. It was uneven and had some patching to level it. The original contractor painted it for me to try to make it look acceptable. The paint peeled within a week. It was a disaster. Tony's crew removed the paint, applied a new layer of concrete and hardener, stain, and a sealer. They even came on Sunday, around the Marathon - I almost cried when they were done. It looks beautiful. They know their stuff. read more

With polished or stained concrete, there are so many moving pieces involved that you can never predict the precise texture, color and look of the finished "product." Tony and his crew showed up on time, but somehow the materials didn't set right and the result is a total fail. I communicated this to Tony and he sought to make sure I was satisfied by sending out a different crew on the very next business day. The crew, headed by Rigo, practically redid all the work and the result came out to my satisfaction. I appreciate that they came out promptly and at the promised time to create a result that pleased me. This was probably the fourth time I hire a concrete floor staining, but the first time the outcome looks close to what I expected. I did pay two to four times cost per square foot than for previous jobs. Although the ordeal was quite stressful and painful, I'm hoping that I enjoy my floor for many years and forget the effort and cost. Yelpers, If you really want to be guaranteed exactly what the floor is going, then go for RockTred instead of staining and polishing. read more

Tony and his crew did a good job on our floor in Chicago loop. The material used originally for the floor was poor and was moist. But tony and his crew did a good job fixing the problem. They did the base concrete twice and laid out the sound proofing. His crew was very professional and cleaned up after. They really did a great job. read more

used Vera floors several times and have always been thrilled. Tony is great.

Tony and his workers did an incredible job repairing and refinishing our basement floor. Tony was responsive, provided a quote right after speaking with us, and scheduled time to do our job just after the 4th of July holiday. He was easy to communicate with and his team was courteous, VERY clean, and punctual. I'd recommend his work and say he's exceptional in his business as someone who's honest, thorough, and accountable - and he's just a nice guy to have in your home. Thumbs up all the way. read more

I have a fascination with the incredible material that is concrete. When I decided to rehab my basement into an artist studio, I knew the best choice would have been concrete floors... ones that would look superb, would compliment the white brick and that would give that wow effect that was very much missing from my space. The decision was easy, finding the right crew was not. I researched online as well as asked around, especially in some of the city's cool boutique clothing stores, restaurants and cafes. There seemed to be a consensus that the best company for this work in Chicago is Verafloor. After a few other companies priced the project I called Verafloor and they promptly came out to price the project. The owner truly offered great tips and completly understood my vision. He immediately gained my trust and although their price wasn't the lowest, it wasn't the highest either. The recommendations, the vast online portfolio (Especially on Houzz) and the enthusiasm they showed won me over and the work soon began. Everything went super smoothly. The workers were clean and attentive to my needs. They worked real well with the other workers from other projects I had going on in the house and basement. So much did I like their work that I had them finish my basement washroom with cement too. Once more, they totally were on board with my lofty / industrial design and created for me a washroom, that can "withstand" my art projects while also matching aesthetic goals. It was also important that they finish on time as I was soon going to host in the space. They finished on time and left everything extremely clean and ready for me. Everything turned out better and more economical that I had envisioned. The look of the floors truly matches that of some of the finest commercial spaces in the city. The floor will make one fall in love with this material. All my friend and visitors notice the floors and compliment the color and depth. I can't wait for my next project that would envolve concrete. I know where to go this time around, Verafloor. read more