Abeln Floor Systems

Amazing! My only regret is that it has taken me too long to post this review of Jim Abeln's superior work refinishing the floors in our home. Jim was prompt, professional, and timely in all the estimates, communication and work. His crew was also professional, punctual, and did an excellent job with prep work and cleanup. Jim gave us honest answers about which floors were worth refinishing and which floors could not be salvaged. We chose to refinish 3 rooms and carpet over two rooms where the floors were shot until we can save up to replace. Jim also gave us great instructions on how to care for the floors and how to tell when they should be buffed to lengthen their lifespan. We worked with him to choose not to apply a stain and we are so glad we took his recommendation to do so - the natural lightness and variation in color in the wood is so beautiful. We think our floors, with Jim's work, are one of the most beautiful features of our house. Jim was not the cheapest bid we got, but we are 100% confident that we made the best choice and absolutely don't regret choosing him to refinish our floors - best investment we made.

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This provider and his crew were personable, professional, and did a fantastic job. I can't believe how our our floors--which I had been told weren't worth refinishing--have changed and are now my favorite part of the house. The floors were patched with reclaimed pine where necessary, and sanded, then finished with an oil-based glossy finish. It took about five days overall. We were lucky to fine this craftsman and are he will be doing more work for us soon.

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Jim Abeln of Abeln Floor Systems is by far the best service
provider I have encountered in more than 35 years of home ownership. Recently I
purchased a 100 year old home in which carpeting had been removed to reveal
unfinished hardwood floors. He was immediately responsive when I called to
schedule an appointment for the estimate. When he arrived, he was thoroughly
knowledgeable about the type of wood I had and made excellent suggestions about
what was needed to bring them back to life. At his suggestion, I did not stain
them but left them natural, and he was spot on when he said their natural
beauty would shine when refinished. They were red oak and had a couple of
places where it was necessary for him to install reclaimed red oak wood to
match the original. I was astonished at how perfectly he was able to accomplish
an exact match. They are gorgeous. There was quite a bit of cutting in around
the several radiators in the home, which his crew accomplished flawlessly. They
were intelligent and friendly and did their best minimize the inconvenience
associated with the multi-day process necessary to complete the project. Jim is
also very knowledgeable about architecture, particularly older buildings such
as mine. Because of this knowledge, he was able to surmise that there were two
beautiful features in the living room and dining room where previous owners had
removed fireplaces but left their stunning Arts and Crafts style hearths
behind. He assisted me in uncovering them and they now stand as a lovely
testament to the home?s character. He did the work to the highest level of
quality, on time and on budget. You need look no further is you want your
floors to be beautifully refinished at a reasonable price by one of the most
genuinely personable contractors I have ever encountered.

All work was done perfectly. The stain was an exact match. Repaired areas were done in an excellent manner. Clean up was thorough. We were very pleased with the work, the workers, and Jim's personal involvement.

The first thing you should know about Jim is that he truly cares about the end result and wants each customer to be completely happy about the floor. He is a floor restorer, vs. a floor re-finisher or just a "new floor installer and let's go" kind of guy.
 
We had him restore the floors in our 1897 house. The floors were in really bad shape, but were quarter-sawn white oak and we wanted to keep them. Jim told us that he has some wood from the same time period that was quarter-sawn also that would be great for replacement matches for repairs.  We were excited that we would keep the floor as original as possible. During the bid
process we went around and identified areas that would need some substantial repair (under two
radiators, a cutout for a servant buzzer and some wood near the front door that was
patched with wood that did not match).
 
Well of course as you get into any project with an old house, problems start to arise.  We had some really bad spots under a radiator near the kitchen that would have to be totally replaced.  I asked if he could pull that radiator and was told that "he didn't do that type of work".  Then we had two areas on floor on the edge of the house that had settled and needed to be jacked back up in order to get the proper molding coverage.  I asked Jim if he could do that and again was told that he did not do that type of work.  Luckily, I'm a fairly handy guy so I was able to tackle the projects on the weekend.  Floors came up no problem and the radiator was moved out of the way (and very heavy I might add).
 
We found some more bad spots around so curved windows in the front where they were just a wee to short (the original boards) and Jim told us we would probably need to replace them. This added a little extra to the cost. Well, finally the floors are all sanded and stained and we came to a price agreement for the additional wood that was used for repairs. They look great! Would I use Jim again? Positively yes! He cares so much about customer satisfaction! I?ve been in some homes that are the era as ours and have not seen any yet that I thought were prettier than ours!

Jim Ablen and his crew did a great job from beginning to end.  I interviewed four other contractors, and felt most comfortable with Ablen Floor Systems.  Jim spent more time discussing the process, and he checked on the progress everyday. The crew arrived early and were ready for work.  They masked the entryway to the kitchen to alleviate most of the dust from entering the rest of the house, then their equipment rolled into action.  The sanding was completed before I knew it, and the crew leader invited me to inspect their work.   

The bare floors revealed a couple of spots that were unknown to me.  Jim suggested remedies, and the initial phase was promptly completed.  I appreciated Jim's observations.  It was apparent that he paid attention to details.  Although my project was relatively small, Abeln Floor Systems treated me as if I were their number one customer. The application of the four coats of polyurethane were applied over the next four days.  Each time the crew leader announced his arrival and departure.  Jim followed up with daily inspections, and an approximate start time for the following day's work.

It's been a week since Jim's crew left my house.  I've walked the floors in stocking feet, and have marveled at the quality of their work.  While the rooms are empty, I'm going to refinish some other woodwork and touch up some paint on the walls before moving back the furniture and wall coverings.  I've wanted to do that for a long time.  My refinished oak flooring project provided by Abeln Floor Systems have given this old house a great, new look!

Spoke with Jim, he was very responsive and even was able to show up the same day I called to make a quote!! Very professional and fair pricing.  Took about about 3 days to complete the refinishing and was very prompt with any questions.  The quality of work was very pleasing and I will definitely recommend to anyone.

Very easy to work with did a great job on the floor and am using him again to replace the floor in basement. 

My floors look amazing and I had a great experience overall. Jim provided updates all the time and gave great recommendations about the stain color, transitions between room, and using salvage wood to match my existing floors.

I had a great experience with Jim and his crew. I originally thought I had to get brand new flooring in the rooms (the one corner of carpet we had pulled up happened to be a plywood patch), but Jim said we probably had pine floors underneath considering the age of the home. So he took the time to go to the basement with us and make sure that pine flooring was indeed there throughout the house. After tearing out the carpet out of all the rooms, we found more broken/warped/cracked boards, sanding and nail setting than originally anticipated, so he wasn't sure how much the job would deviate from the quote. This made me a little nervous, but the final price was only $100 more, and I was able to use the Angie's List coupon. 2 of the rooms were the original pine, and one of the room was the thinner depression oak. He had salvaged wood that perfectly matched both kinds, and also very thoughtfully showed me the stains that would match the 2 types of woods. The end result was absolutely beautiful. You can barely tell where the new boards are. It was more expensive than I had anticipated (although I had not gotten any other quotes, just based hearing general floor refinishing ranges that didn't include patching), but definitely worth the worry-free, professional experience and beautiful end result. All 3 rooms were sanded and patched on the first day, and they came back and stained the floors every day for the next 3 days, so everything was done from Tuesday to Friday. Would definitely hire Jim again! You can tell he is committed and passionate about doing high quality work!

I cannot recommend this company enough! Being a first-time homeowner, I was very nervous about choosing the right company for my first big project. I got close to 5 different bids, and although Abeln was not the cheapest, I was very impressed by Jim's knowledge, enthusiasm, and willingness to take the time and explain things. He is very passionate about his work and took me through my entire house, pointing out every different type of wood and giving me advice on other things here and there.

I knew that my floors were in pretty bad shape, as the previous homeowners had sanded the floors against the grain leaving deep grooves and a horrible stain job. Jim let me know that they would do their absolute best to get those out and make them look new again but that some areas might still show through. When the job was finished, there was almost NO TRACE of the last horrible floor job. The floors looked brand new again.

All in all, I am confident in referring anyone to Abeln flooring. His crew, Ricardo and Robson, work harder than anyone I've ever seen to get the job done on time and done well. Some nights, they stayed until close to 7-8:00 pm working!! They covered a lot of square footage in an unbelievable amount of time and the craftsmanship was still there. When it came time to choose the stain color, they showed us swatches, I chose my favorite ones, and they applied them on the floor with a coat of the poly so that I could see how they looked on my wood.

 I am glad that they offered to do this because the poly adds a hint of yellow to the stain once it's applied, and I simply would not have ended up with the same color had I just chosen off the swatch. This way, I was able to see its true color and make the best decision. They even offered to mix colors if I wanted. Along the way, there were a couple bumps in the road but I am only mentioning them because Jim showed that he will do anything to make it right.

We had originally planned to have the stair risers done in addition to the treads however, after finding led paint underneath the existing stain, we had to come up with a plan B because they could not handle led removal. Jim offered a couple of options...painting them or hiring a led removal professional and gave me referrals. In the end we just decided to leave them and Jim took them off of the overall price.

The only other thing we ran into was an unusual line that showed up only in certain lighting after the whole job was finished. Jim came over to my house to check it out within minutes after calling him and bringing it to his attention. He was surprised to see it as it had not been visible when he last inspected the floors. It turns out that there must have been a heavy piece of furniture (such as a piano) dragged along the floor at some point in time that compressed the wood grain so much that it was not sanded out.

Jim offered to start from square one and re-sand the entire room however he was concerned with how the re-done part would blend in with the other part. All in all, we decided it wasn't worth the trouble and the risk because it was hardly noticeable and the floors just looked amazing. The fact that he was attentive and willing to do whatever would have made us happy was good enough for us :)

I told Jim "Thank gosh your company name starts with an A" because I found out about his company when I searched the Better Business Bureau and he was first on the list. What a great find!!! As I said before, Abeln was not my cheapest bid however he was able to work with my budget and in the end, I would pay it all over again for the quality of their work.

It went SO well.  LOVE Jim and his crew. 
I contacted him via his website for a quote and he was quick to call and schedule a late afternoon when we could meet.  He measured the space and looked at the original hardwood in the home (which was under carpet then plywood).  We had already decided we'd lay new hardwood but it was nice to get a second opinion that the original hardwood could not be saved (the plywood was nailed down WAY too good - guess the prior homeowners didn't want any squeaks!).
Within a day or two he called with a quote and then also sent a written one.  We agreed on a price and an approximate time to start.  Jim was always in contact and if I called or emailed with a question he was VERY quick to respond.  
The day of the job his 2 man crew showed up and started right away.  (We had removed the carpet ourselves and the furniture so everything was ready to go.)  I think they had the first board in within 10-20 min of being there!  The crew did an EXCELLENT job on our old, unlevel and unsquare home.  Plastic was hung to prevent the dust from spreading too far and the crew did a great job cleaning up at the end.  It only took 1 day to get everything done!!!   
My husband finished the job by putting in the quarter round and it looks SO good.  We put off installing hardwood for almost 3 years and had I known about Abeln Floors 3 years ago we would have done it ASAP! 
I highly recommend them.  They're local, prompt, reasonable, quick, talented....I could go on and on.  Just call and get a quote!

We have had no problems with the work. They did a great job with the installation. They cleaned up and followed up after the work as well.

It has been a childhood dream of mine to own and operate a dance studio and over the past 6 years this has become a wonderful reality. I started in a church basement, and then moved to a very small location in Saint Louis, MO where I have been able to grow my business and do what I really love. The surroundings weren't perfect but it served a great purpose as I grew my student base. I had out grown my little studio so the opportunity came up to move to a triple-the-size location this winter. For years I had dreamed about my perfect studio with the perfect floor, and Abeln Flooring Systems made all my dreams a reality! Its really impossible to name everything Jim Abeln and his workers do well but I will try in this space provided.

- Jim was so willing to introduce this clueless girl into the wonderful world of wood and all the options that were available. I had talked briefly to other "floor guys" and was totally freaked out because I had no idea what they were talking about and they didn't ever stop to explain. I really appreciated him breaking down the options in layman terms so I could make appropriate decisions. I know I asked tons of stupid questions but I never once felt like anything I was asking was out of the ordinary.

-Jim's help at the flooring warehouse was invaluable. He was so willing to meet me there to talk through options even while his schedule was busy and hectic. He spent a long time with me as I thought and pondered what would be best for me and my business. He took price, type of wood, and installation costs into account and in the end came up with the perfect solution.

- After picking the best product Jim and his guys installed the floor in less than a weeks time starting the day after Christmas! Other workers on the job site accidentally left the heating system on during the finishing process so some small dust particles were airborne over night and landed in the finish. He could have blamed other people or left it alone but instead he re-sanded (by hand!) the entire 820sq feet to make sure it was a quality product. I couldn't even really see what he wanted to correct but his highly trained eye and experience picked out the small imperfections. Jim Abeln has very high standards and will only deliver the best. I am beyond thrilled with the result and am so excited to be teaching and dancing on this beautiful floor.

- I could go on and on about Jim's quality service he provides but above all Jim is a man of integrity and honesty. He will help you make the right decision for your home or business and do what is best for your situation without being pushy or forward. If there is a problem he will tell you about it. If there is a mistake, he will fix it. Working with Jim Abeln flooring is a joy! You can immediately tell he is "into" wood and before you know it you are drug right along into the enthusiasm.  It is rare combination to not only get a gorgeous floor for your space, but to work with a man who loves his profession and will try his very hardest to make the customer happy. I can't wait to have an opportunity to use Abeln Flooring Systems again!

We had such an amazing experience with our floors.  We have a 108 year old home, and we were not sure if the wooden floors underneath our carpet were even salvageable.  The floors had been totally painted white, and we thought that we might have to start from scratch and buy new floors.  Thankfully we found Jim! 

From the initial call to the finished product, it only took two weeks.  During the initial visit, Jim spent over an hour explaining our options and coming up with ideas.  We had not even thought about looking at the hallway until Jim went to our basement and informed us that we had wood under the linoleum.  Jim is very passionate about flooring, and it shows.  He showed us that we actually had pine floors underneath the white oak floors in the dining room.  He was very good about talking to us about our options and not sugar coating anything.  He explained to us the pros and cons of going down to the pine or keeping the white oak.  When he discovered that we had maple floors in our hallway (that were placed around 1920), he even had a supply of old maple flooring that would match for the boards that were worn! 

He and his crew were always on time and very professional.  Whenever we had a question, Jim would always answer it.  He would also call during each step to let us know what was happening and see if we had any questions.  He was very good at explaining things and never made us feel stupid.

We are definitely going to use him when we get ready to tear up the linoleum from our kitchen to reveal more of the gorgeous maple floors!

THEY DID GREAT JOB. THEY DIDN'T LEAVE A MESS AND THEY VERY POLITE AND PLEASANT.