VERAFLOOR SYSTEMS INC

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. Their competency may be with concrete staining and polishing, but it certainly is not concrete leveling based on this experience. 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 was was asking 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 on with such variances. Our GC and we suggested he rip up this concrete and start over (in hindsight we should have insisted on that). Instead, we agreed to allow him 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 pour a level floor again, we asked him to do one room as a test to demonstrate his 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 an $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 a 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 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.

I was referred by someone in our building who also used Vera Floors. I emailed Tony and told him what I was interested in doing and asked if he could come out. He sent me pictures and and asked what type of finish I was interested in. He never came out to even look at the floors, just said, "I know what you want based on the emails." This concerned me, but he did a great job on the other floors so I proceeded. He said it would take 3-4 days and we could be back on the floors by the 4th day. He showed on the first day with 2 guys. Asked if I had an iPad or Laptop so I could pull up the pictures I selected to show his guys. He left with one other guy leaving just one. He worked 2 full days, took Sunday off then worked all day Monday. It didn't look finished and wasn't sealed when he left on Monday. Tony came back out on Tuesday and sealed it. Still wasn't done, came back out Wednesday to put another coat on it. Also had to touch up many places. The areas around the cabinets still look pretty bad and corners still bad too. :( Overall the floors are better then they were, but not $5600 worth!

It went from BAD to WORSE. TONY VERA is a scam artist that does not do the work he promises to do. He employed a non-english speaking kid to do the job and then left the job site. The site is a small loft in Chicago at State and Washington. Tony Vera and I met at the site. He explained all that would be done and the price and I accepted. I did do some homework and understood what the staining of concrete entailed and it semed that he knew what he was doing. I was surprised to hear from him that the job was finished in 1 day. Earlier he said it would take 3 to 4 days. He told me that I would love it. I could not wait to see it. When I saw the floor I thought he was joking. It was painted an oil based battleship grey with no sign of stain. He must have thought I was a stupid woman that would not know the difference. I expressed my shock and told him he did not deliver what he promised. He tried to convince me that that was the end result. He then changed his story and said he must have misunderstood me. The next day he brought over a young non-english speaking kid to do the staining and sealing. Tony again left the site saying his helper knew what to do. The kid started to spray various stains with a small bug sprayer. I finally ended up showing him where to spray and how much to spray. I then told the kid to seal all the stain. He said the seal was in the stain. I was not happy with the sub-standard work but needed the loft for a tenant that wanted to move in within a few days. Tony stated he would return to do some more stain and seal the whole floor. I paid him and never saw him or heard from him since. I have been calling him frequently and he never called back. I had my daughter call him from our business phone number (a number that he did not recognize) and he bit. My daughter explaind to him everything that I had written above and he said he remembers me well and would get back to me. He never did nor does he reply to my daughters calls. I also mentioned to him that if he finishes my floor he could possibly have a big job 10 floors of concrete in the building where my loft is. The Management is very interested in staining the hallways but would like to see my floor first. If there is someone out there that would be interested in this job please let me know thru Angies list.

I tried getting in touch with this company twice, and never got a return call even. Both times I left detailed messages. Other companies at least called me back. Based upon that I would not recommend them.

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.

Concrete looked great at first but is showing visible cracks in certain areas. Most important thing to note is they improperly installed our electric heating coils. They were supposed to lay down a sensor next to the heating coils before pouring the concrete (so the thermometer would get an accurate read of how warm the floor is) and failed to do this. In fact, they tried to tell us they did do it and sent blurry images that showed something else. When asked if we could get a $500 refund on our $7,000 investment, Tony Vera (onsite manager) said "sounds fair to me." However, he then came back (after weeks of delaying a refund) to tell us that he would only pay for the cost of the thermostat (with receipt) which is a lesser value and not even the issue at hand. The fact remains, we now have the heated flooring connected to a thermostat that takes an air reading to shut off the floor. Now it runs longer than it should and we see this in our electric bills. We feel hoodwinked, and now seeing a crack starting to run down the center of our floor, unsatisfied. Do NOT recommend.

I was looking for a different finish for a lower level bathroom besides the standard tile options. Tony, who did prior work for me, mentioned they also did decorative concrete flooring. Originally it was going to be a special stain finish, which when you see the finished product is amazing. Not your standard, which was the appeal. But due to some complications, he actually ended up doing a top coating of colored concrete with a hand troweled finish that looks great. Typically this option would have been more expensive but he charged me at the lower rate since they couldn't provide the original option. The end result looks great and it's a nice change from the standard. I've included some pictures but they don't do justice to the detail, which is what I really love about this floor. It's a great finish & one I'd recommend as an alternative. Overall a great job and great results.

Tony and his crew did a great job prepping, sanding, & priming the original concrete floor. Once they poured the floor, it turned out great. I did have one spot that needed to be fixed and they were quick to come back and repair it. In the end, I got exactly what I wanted, on time, and great results. I would recommend them highly. Note, if you have to sand your concrete floors, make sure you have plastic covering doorways and anywhere you don't want the dust. It's finer dust, than drywall and can easily get everywhere.

Tony was very nice and helpful and assured me the finished floor would look like the polished concrete floors you see in upscale stores. The price seemed high but for what he promised I thought it would be worth it. They poured the concrete and after it dried I noticed a number of holes and indentations where dirt would easily get stuck, also, it did not look good at all. He said it would be resolved when they polished and put an epoxy finish on the floor but when they finished the problems were not resolved. I had paid 50% down and told him this did not match what he had promised, and that I would not pay the rest until he completed the job. He said he would not complete it unless he got more money and insisted the problem was that he started with a ''moist dirt floor'' which was just not true (I have many before pictures). Ideally they would come, fill the holes and make the floor look polished and nice, as promised. He just said ''forget it then''.

Tony was very nice and helpful and assured me the finished floor would look like the polished concrete floors you see in upscale stores. The price seemed high but for what he promised I thought it would be worth it. They poured the concrete and after it dried I noticed a number of holes and indentations where dirt would easily get stuck, also, it did not look good at all. He said it would be resolved when they polished and put an epoxy finish on the floor but when they finished the problems were not resolved. I had paid 50% down and told him this did not match what he had promised, and that I would not pay the rest until he completed the job. He said he would not complete it unless he got more money and insisted the problem was that he started with a ''moist dirt floor'' which was just not true (I have many before pictures). Ideally they would come, fill the holes and make the floor look polished and nice, as promised. He just said ''forget it then''.

Tony was interested in getting our business and was fair in following up on any issues that arose. Of the four bids we received, his was the second lowest, perhaps due to the different materials that each suggested. Most of the job was labor related to removing multiple layers of old paint from the surface, but he and his crew did the job the right way. A couple of surface cracks reappeared, but it was due to set line and the fact that the porch is one large monolitich slab without score lines. Would hire them again if the need arose.