EVANSTONIA

Great! Ziggy replied to my request for an estimate the next day, was on time and gave an complete estimate of all cost and provided several suggestions on what to do. He arrive on time picked up the furniture and returned it completed a week early. The furniture looks brand new.

As stated above, it went terribly.

I have found Ziggy very easy to work with. He is not cheap but I haven't found anyone cheaper who does what he does in the vicinity. Cheaper ones either don't provide the same quality or the same range of services. Another company came very highly recommended but their prices are only justified by museum quality pieces as far as I can tell. Just be aware that he primarily refinishes furniture, to my knowledge. If that's not what you want perhaps you should go elsewhere.

I gave Ziggy my father's tiger oak dresser with beveled glass mirror to restore. The work took at least 6 months. He refinished it instead of restoring it, and replaced the antique mirror which he kept, with a cheap distorted one. When I called to speak to him about it he told me to "go to h***." I began posting reviews online, and on May 4, 2009, he showed up on my doorstep, uttering obscenities at me quietly with a smile on his face. The neighbors were out and he didn't want them to hear him. I reported him to the police. He is a fraud, not a "European Craftsman," and a creepy person.

I gave Ziggy my father's tiger oak dresser with beveled glass mirror to restore. He kept it many months, and he refinished it instead of restoring it. He also REPLACED THE ANTIQUED MIRROR WITH A CHEAP DISTORTED ONE and kept the valuable antique mirror. When I called to speak to him about it, he told me to "go to h***." I began posting reviews reflecting this experience online, and on May 4, 2009, he showed up on my doorstep, uttering obscenities at me quietly with a smile on his face. The neighbors were out and he didn't want them to hear him. I reported him to the police. He is a fraud who does not have the skills he claims to have, and a creepy person. There are other really qualified fine furniture restorer/refinishers in Evanston who I now use.

WHILE THE JOB WAS DONE WELL, IT WAS EXPENSIVE AND TOOK A LONG TIME TO COMPLETE. APPROXIMATELY 6 WEEKS. ZIGGY, THE ESTIMATOR, WAS BRUSQUE AND UNFRIENDLY.

WE USED ZIGGY AND HIS CREW TO REFINISH AND REPAIR SOME LEADED-GLASS BOOKCASE DOORS THAT WE FOUND IN THE BASEMENT AFTER WE MOVED INTO OUR HOUSE. THE DOORS HAD PROBABLY BEEN DOWN THERE 20 YEARS AND SOME OF THE GLASS PANES WERE BROKEN AND THE WOOD WAS WARPED AND BADLY DAMAGED BY WATER. ZIGGY STRIPPED AND REFINISHED THE DOORS, THEN CUT AND REGLUED THE JOINTS TO FLATTEN OUT THE WARPING. HE EVEN USED OLD GLASS PANES TO REPLACE THE BROKEN ONES SO THEY HAD THE SAME WAVY APPEARANCE, AND FOUND PERIOD LOCKS AND KEYS TO REPLACE THE MISSING HARDWARE. THEY WERE NOT CHEAP, AND THE WHOLE THING TOOK NEARLY 3 MONTHS, BUT THEY DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB. I REALLY NEVER THOUGHT THESE DOORS COULD BE SAVED. WE WOULD, AND PROBABLY WILL, USE THEM AGAIN FOR OTHER WORK.