UB Hardwoods LLC

It has been 1 year 5 months and 9 days since we officially started working with UB Hardwood and have now finished replacing floors in our kitchen, dining room, and entryway. This “one-day” project lasted much-much longer than the one-day which was quoted. This is one of several reasons to write this review. We chose UB Hardwood for two reasons: 1) UB Hardwood was recommended by the company that remodeled our kitchen and did phenomenal, fantastic, amazing job; 2) we were hoping to have an equally satisfying experience with this recommended installer. After we signed the agreement and payed 60% of invoice the “fun” has begun. The installation was scheduled about a month into the future. We were told it would take 1 day to install Adura Flex with grout. We heard nothing from UB the week leading up to the installation. So the day before the scheduled install date, we called them to see if things were still on-track. We were, at that time, the install would start at noon on the day-of. At 12:45 p.m. the day of installation we were still waiting (no communication from UB Hardwood). At 1:15 p.m. the installers finally showed up. They decided to install the new floor without removing the old one. They didn’t remove the trim (which we paid for), but rather cut it and did it very poorly. Then the glue was poured and installation begun. At 7:30 p.m. they were still working – clearly rushing – and still insisted they would be finished. At 8:00 p.m. they said they were done for the day and would be back tomorrow. As a result they didn’t clean the grout, off the floor surface, which on the package said to clean immediately. The next day they finished the installation, but the mess they left was enormous. After washing the floor 5 times to remove the dried grout (on hands and knees, with old mop, with a new mop), we gave up and called UB Hardwood. They ordered a cleaning solution (it took a week for it to arrive), which helped to clean the grout quite a bit, but not completely. Then the glue started to pop-up through the grout. The glue seeping through the tile seams was a continuous issue for the short life of the floor. Instead of installing a tile-matching stair nose, for which we were charged $78, a cheap metal one was installed. It was cut crookedly, with rough edges, attached with both re-used old and new screws. This was fixed eventually. And we thought we were done. But in about 6 months the grout started to crack. This was attributed to the defective floor and our bad luck. A claim was entered. Mannington satisfied the claim and we started everything allover again. We selected a different product because we couldn’t deal with the grout and glue again. Initially, even the 2nd floor was supposed to be a one-day installation. In early May, we scheduled our installation and at that time, they finally admitted it would be two days - July 6 and 7. On June 30th, 13 out of 16 boxes of flooring were delivered to our house. The other 3 boxes and stair nose didn’t make it. On July 6 around 1:00 p.m. we were still waiting for UB Hardwood and there was no communication. So we called. We were told that our installation was rescheduled to July 7-8 and they forgot to tell us. Nobody even asked us if were able to accommodate these changes. The second round of installation begun. We were getting different messages about the floor removal – if defective Adura was going to be removed or both old floors, or both old floors and plywood. How this was not articulated and clearly decided upon in advance, is unknown. , Ultimately both the defective Adura, previous old floor, and plywood were removed. Day 1 ended with our kitchen, dining room, and entry way in ruins with the removal of both floors and staples all over subfloor. Day 2 this was taken care of and installation of the new floor began. Again, due to poor communication and mixed messages from UB Hardwood, we expected a new plywood to go under the new floor. Sorting this out took several hours, meanwhile the installers just left and we were left with unusable kitchen/dining room for the entire weekend. On Monday the installers showed up again, with the missing stair nose and last 3 boxes of tiles. The stair nose was wooden, not vinyl as agreed upon and we got on the phone again. The floor was finished (without a new layer of plywood). Two weeks later, the proper stair-nose arrived and was installed. We were left with the aftermath of damaged trim, poorly installed shoes around our kitchen cabinets, and damage to the $30,000 cabinets from previous kitchen renovation . We chose to repair the woodwork ourselves as we couldn’t stand the idea of working with UB Hardwood any longer.

UB 's strength is definitely not customer service or satisfaction. They (the owner Bob) started out by being late during my work day by nearly an hour for the initial in-home estimate. The initial start date on a Monday was moved to Tuesday late in the day despite being scheduled weeks earlier, making the job extend into a second week. They did an adequate job of refinishing, however, the re-installation of the trim was sloppy (some nails protruding and obvious gaps between the trim and baseboard). The owner, rather than just apologizing for the poor work, made excuses for his workers, saying something like "it must have been the end of a long day" and they were eager to finish. Bob, the owner, was also hard to get on the phone and made excuses for himself as "too busy." In addition, one of the workers in my house was pretty rude until it was time to ask for a great review so he could win a vacation from his company. Overall, the refinishing job was adequate, but I am sure there are better options out there and Bob's company is not really worth the money that could be spent on a more professional flooring company. PS - I will be asking my handyman to fix UBs mistakes rather than deal with with them any further.

My wife and I were contemplating putting new carpet throught out our entire house, along with two flights of stairs. Our daughter has viral induced asthma and we wanted to replace old flooring that was in our home when we bought it. Robert listened to what we wanted and our needs and then suggested engineered hardwood floors since they reduce allergens by 87%. He then gave us some links to help us learn more about this and information of the benefits of wood floors with people with asthma. We had him back a couple more times to discuss and then hired UB Harwoods to install pre-finished, engineered flooring from Mirage. There was never a hard-pressure sell, only honest information and answers to our questions. They did an unbelievable job! They matched floor levels perfect that originally had all different types of existing flooring materials, custom cut and stained stair treads to match the new pre-finished floor, and even matched heat vent covers. We are extremely happy with their quality, service and expertise. We have recommended UB Hardwoods to at least a dozen friends, all of which are satisfied customers now like us. This is your flooring company! Highly recommend!

Very well. Bob (the owner) and his crew did a great job of installing new hardwood to match the existing hardwood. He made good recommendations for both the entryway and bathroom LVT flooring.

Went like dockworker!!!!

The initial impression was good. I relied on the reviews I saw on Angies list. When it came time for the installation, the crew although very courteous and nice to us and our family, left my house a mess. Cut the planking on the deck. Gouged the deck and left a mess. There was a soft spot on the floor and some debris underneath that showed through. They did come out and take care of that. After looking at how the planks were installed, there are some that have the appearance of maybe being too tight to the next one. Concerned how these planks will hold up in the future. We had to have some finish work redone as well. We had the work done in November and we still have one trim piece that has broken twice and is still not fixed. They have taken the piece and have not returned, nor do we get returned response on our emails or phone messages and of course, they have been paid in full.

They do a good! I will highly recommend and use them, again.

UB Hardwoods did a very professional job, over a 4 day period. They were punctual, even early every day, did a very careful job with each part and cleaned up after themselves each day. In spite of major sanding for nearly a day, there was very little dust in the house. I felt the price was very reasonable considering the amount of work and the time involved.

All went well. Product & installation was excellent. New flooring in rooms look like something that one would see in a builders magazine. Very beautiful.

The entire process went really well, I couldn't be more pleased. Shawn worked with me to ensure I had all the information I needed to make a solid decision. Every crew member working in my house was courteous, friendly, helpful and hard-working. The quality of the work performed was excellent. There were a few issues that needed addressing and Shawn was quick to address them, but even more so, he erred on the side of ensuring the work done was of the highest quality and probably did a more extensive repair job than was needed. You can't ask for more than that in a business. The true measure of a company is how they perform when there are issues, and UB Hardwoods was top notch in all respects. I cannot recommend them highly enough!

Great. They look like new.

I want to vomit when I think of the money we spent ($12,600.00) and the results we got: UPSTAIRS: CARPET/LAMINATE REMOVAL and PREFINISHED INSTALL: To be fair to UB Flooring, I need to separate the upstairs work from the main level work. Upstairs, (remove carpet & laminate/install prefinished solid hardwood) the job was done well by Tory, Jake and Ryan. They were courteous, cleaned up after themselves and went above and beyond-even helping me move a king sized mattress when I got a couple hours notice that the main level workers were showing up to sand. They answered questions readily and honestly. **NOTE-upstairs was measured incorrectly. One room was completely missed-adding $3000 to the original estimate MAIN LEVEL: SANDING, STAINING and POLY of existing hardwood This is where I am giving UB Flooring an "F". If I could give a lower grade I would. In medical terms, the work would be malpractice and they would be sued. In flooring terms, "It's worse than what a first time DIYer would've done”-quote from a contractor who came to assess the damage done by UB. Originally, I was going to have my main level polished/buffed keeping the existing light oak color. After talking to Bob in the showroom, I decided to go the more expensive route-having the floors sanded and restained to match the dark color that I wanted upstairs (attempting to get rid of some of the honey oak in my house). I showed Bob photos of my main level (we just had our kitchen completely renovated) and he assured me it would not be a problem to sand around the cabinets, fireplace etc. and stain the floor a darker color. He even showed me photos on his phone of other jobs they had done. I checked the online reviews and felt confident. We removed the trim ourselves. I could not remove the shoe around my new kitchen cabinets without damaging the cabinets, so I called Bob and said his guys would have to do it and just charge us. He told me that the shoe actually protects the cabinets and there might be a little stain that gets on it, but it could be easily touched up. I was unsure about this, but the upstairs crew assured me that the sanding/staining/poly guys were amazing and that they actually hand sand and stain in the corners, around the edges etc. and retouching would be very minimal. They seemed in awe of how well the other crew could work in tight areas, so I felt reassured. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I had to go overseas and my husband had to move out of the house for a week with our dog in order for the sanding, staining and poly to be done. Unfortunately, I was still gone when the floors were finished and Bob came to collect payment. As, an owner, Bob should have inspected the work and found it unacceptable. While my husband expressed concerns, he took Bob's word that the sloppiness was normal and could easily be touched up. I don't think my husband had even noticed the unstained areas at this point. He paid Bob, in full (via check, so we had no credit card guarantee leverage). I would not have paid any of the remaining money-the work was that bad. Bob did mention that the bottom squeaky step should have been fixed before the nose/tread went down and offered to put a screw into the newly stained wood. (NO!) When I came home and walked in the door some of the things that jumped out at me right away were: stain up the sides of my custom sprayed cabinets (not just on the trim), stain on the newel posts, pools of dark stain on several areas of the floor, spots where I could still see honey oak-near the fireplace, in the corners of the kitchen, under the stove and dishwasher and the bottom of our refrigerator was covered in dark stain. In addition to the squeaky step, every stair nose looked worn. I was absolutely sick to my stomach. I SOBBED! We had a beautiful kitchen renovation that cost a small fortune less than two years ago and it was RUINED! I sat in the house for two days just staring at the damage. I literally did not know what to do. I have never seen such horrendous workmanship. I could not believe that Bob, himself, came to our house (while I was gone) and took payment in full from my husband. As an owner, he should have taken responsibility for the shoddiness of his crew and should have refused payment until everything was fixed. While I was thinking of how to proceed, I had two other contractors in estimates on trim. I asked them to give their professional opinion as to whether I was being unrealistic in my disappointment. Both of them independently validated my dissatisfaction. I heard over and over, "Simple tape could've prevented the damage to your kitchen. Look at the pools of stain. It looks like they didn't even move your stove. Wow, they stained your refrigerator. You didn't pay this place in full, did you?" UGH. I'll be honest, at this point, I couldn't even speak to Bob. I would have let loose and it would've been ugly. I had my husband talk to Bob. He offered to send a crew down to touch up the cabinets, the steps and under the stove etc. We refused to have UB involved in the fixing of our cabinets. We did allow them to come back to fix the missed spots and the stair noses-which Bob did himself-see below. We had the kitchen contractor come out to repair the cabinets. Our kitchen contractor just kept saying "Who did this? I am just sick! Have they ever heard of taping? Oh, I am just sick." The cabinets were touched up as well as they could be, without having them entirely resprayed at a cost of $350-which UB reimbursed us for. They no longer look custom. We asked to have both our refrigerator and stove moved by UB at a cost of $300. (Apparently they have some type of air sled that moves the appliances around so that the sanding, staining and poly can be properly done under them.) When asked about this-“Why is our refrigerator stained and why is it still honey oak under the stove?" we were told "Don't worry, we didn't charge you to move the appliances." Are you kidding me? We asked to be charged because we wanted them moved and the job done right. You don't just cut corners on a job without running it by the homeowner. UB was okay with paying the kitchen contractors to repair the cabinets and Bob offered to come by himself and fix under the stove, dishwasher and the stair noses. I did not want any more damage done and figured that Bob, being an owner, would take care to ensure the repairs were done properly. We specifically asked him NOT to fix the squeaky step - I'd rather have it squeak, than have a giant screw hole in the brand new wood. Bob did come out, 90 minutes before the scheduled time. I was not home and unable to get home. My husband gave him the okay to let himself in and make repairs. Upon my return, the stair noses looked better, but it looked like there was a giant pool of dark stain under the stove. I was so upset, I pulled the stove out myself and saw that the "fix" was just slopping a stain and poly mix onto the floor over the honey oak. Behind the stove, I found a half stained area (one coat, no poly) and an area that was still entirely honey oak. The front grill of the refrigerator looked like someone took a power sander to it. (Bob did call my husband and offer to buy a new grill for the refrigerator.) And apparently Bob went nuts with a staple gun, trying to fix the squeaky step-to no avail. I now need to putty a bunch of holes and the step still squeaks. I don’t ever want to see another worker from UB in my house again. If I see their vehicle at someone else's house I will definitely walk up pt the door with photos of my house and encourage the homeowner to reconsider. Our neighbor was set to go with UB and has hired someone else after seeing the damage to our house. Long story short, I am pretty handy. I am 100% convinced that I could have (as a first timer) sanded, stained and polyurethaned my floors much better than UB did. Two and a half months later, I am still making repairs, sanding out chunks of poly and dirt and restaining missed areas. I do not see an end in sight. I have days where I think we will never be able to sell our house. I get sick thinking about the $12,636.70 we paid to UB. THE ENTIRE AMOUNT PAID

The installation was very well done. The pre-finished wood floor product they used is beautiful. It looks like a sanded hardwood floor without the fumes and mess. Jordan and Tyler made a great team. They finished the job in a timely fashion and were punctual and polite. They asked questions before proceeding to make sure we were happy and understood the results during every step of the process. The price was competitive, and the service excellent. I would use them again and recommend them for any flooring needs. Their shop does it all. Thanks U.B. Flooring!

Called them, they rushed out an inspector, got a quote, engaged them and the work was done fast and they did an amazing job. They quoted 3 days and finished in 2 1/2. Will definitely use them when i decided to redo the kitchen and upstairs apartment.

The crew did a great job. They worked hard to get it done as quickly as possible, but had high attention to detail. There was an initial problem with the staining for the stairs, but they reacted quickly and made the correction and got them installed before the holiday. Great work. I will have them back for my next floor project.

Our contractor sent us to UB Hardwoods to select flooring, from the first visit we knew we were going to get a quality job and service. The owner was very friendly, professional and helpful. He answered all our questions and gave great advice on our concern over installing new flooring over in-floor heating. On the day of the install his installers were prompt, friendly, and hardworking. Upon completion, the floors looked amazing, we could not have been happier. Thank you!!

I had a new install of hardwood floors in my dining room and family room. From the quote all the way up to the finished product, this company is A+. They have their own installers and do not sub out the work which was important to me. They helped me pick out the flooring at their showroom and offered suggestions when pairing it with my existing home style/décor. I will definitely be hiring them again to install in other rooms in our home.

Very well. They called to get in a day earlier and did a great job and there were no issues with the job or with the installers. they were very professional. We are building another home next year will be contacting them again.

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They did a great job!  We had family in town for a wedding and the crew worked around us and a

bunch of wild kids.  They were every professional and I would hire them again. There was a transition that didn't get nailed down good enough and we called Ub hardwoods and they a guy out there the next day to fix it.  Great service.

Great, The guys were there on time and got the job done well and quickly.

Owner came out to do the estimate, which took a few days to receive.  They were in the ball park with other flooring companies--even a bit lower--and seemed to know their trade, so we hired them and scheduled a start date for the work.  I was told that the wood floors would be done over three days' time and the carpet in one.  At the time of estimate, the owner commented on the shoe molding likely needing to be removed and re-installed.  Therefore I assumed this was included in the estimate.  (More about this later.)

I checked in with the owner a few days ahead of the agreed on start date and he told me they might have to start a few days late due to other jobs running long.  This work was going to disrupt my whole family, so I was not thrilled; However, this was not a huge problem.  I called because I wanted to move the appliances out of the kitchen and put the furniture in the garage.  Ultimately, they started only one day late but I had to call to find this out.  Communication was not their strong suit.

The wood flooring guys came and did a good job on the wood floors.  I work from home, so I appreciated that they gave me notice when I would no longer be able to walk on the main level floors.  They also worked with me on the stain color, applying samples to the bare floor so I could see them clearly.  Good guys overall!  My only very minor gripe was a damaged piece of shoe molding was reinstalled by the front door, and a noticeably discolored piece in the dining room.

In the end, the hardwood floors looked great!  (Why only a "B" rating, you ask?  I'll get to that.)

Two days after the hardwood floors were finished, the carpet guys came.  They were friendly and installed the carpet in about 4 hours.  We had a console piano that my wife and I managed to move into the hallway, but extremely heavy.  One of the installers asked if I would like a hand moving it back--which was about 10 feet.  I said thank you and he and I moved it back in place.  I offered him a tip, which he refused. Overall, the carpet looks great.

So, the workmanship seems to be good on both jobs.  Now, the rub...

When I received the bill for the hardwood floors, I noticed that I was charged $225.00 for re-installing the shoe molding.  When I questioned this, the owner said that they had to remove it to sand the floors.  The issue wasn't that they had to remove it but that he even called it out during the estimate but seemed to "forget" to add it in to the estimate.  This is what they do for a living and he is telling me that he did not know if the shoe molding have to be removed and re-installed??  My impression was that he estimates a bit low to get the business, then adds things to the final bill.

Also, when I received the bill for the carpet, an extra $50 was added for moving the piano.  This was for moving it 10 feet and with my on the other end helping to carry it, mind you.  This kind of thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth.  I can get quality work from several companies.  But it is the ones who do quality work AND behave ethically that will rise to the top.  I am sad to say, this kind of thing diluted my trust in this company.  Again, the installers were fine--no tarnish on them.

One additional point:  This company does not make it easy to select colors and styles of carpet.  You have to go to their showroom and try to remember or take photos.  My wife had to argue to bring some samples home.  It should not be that difficult.

In summary, the work was good enough to deserve an A.  The price wasn't bad in comparison to other quotes I received.  But the methods used in billing deserve a D.  It is more a matter of principle, not money.

Overall, the guys did a great job and our floors look shiny and new. The one part that was frustrating was the scheduling part. I had been contacted a couple of weeks in advance that they would be available to do the job on either a Wednesday or Thursday and that they'd contact me as the date came closer to finalize. I never heard anything from them. They showed up at my house unexpectedly to do the job and I was at work so we weren't ready for the job to be done. They said they'd come the following day mid-morning and call me ahead of time to confirm. They showed up unexpectedly at 8am and I was just getting out of the shower. The job was well done but advance notice for planning purposes would be helpful.