JL Floors, Inc

We asked JL Floors for an estimate to have our wood floors (which cover the entire first floor of our house, including bathroom and closets) refinished, based on the information found on his web site. After he came over to see what needed to be done and write up an estimate, I almost immediately decided - based solely on my conversation with him that day and the information available on his web page - that it was unlikely I would find someone who could do a better job for the same cost. (I would add here that I was not looking for an inexpensive job or someone who might underprice others ... his estimate was entirely in line with estimates I had determined using a variety of on-line resources.) Uncharacteristically for myself, I decided to go with Jay without getting any other estimates. Jay arrived on the planned start date, and got right to work sanding the floor. He had one helper with him, and it seemed obvious that the two had worked together for some time. There was some sawdust around, but it was fairly minimal, and all exposed surfaces (mainly, the kitchen counter tops) were drapped. As was called for in the contract, all quarter-round shoe molding was removed from the entire area to be refinished, and sanding was completed by the end of the first day. Jay and his helper returned the next three days, for a few hours each day in the morning, to apply 3 coats of polyurethane. On the 5th (and last) day, Jay came back to reinstall the shoe molding which he had removed prior to the onset of sanding. At his suggestion, he used solid oak molding (rather than primed pine, which would need to be painted) in some of the appropriate areas of the kitchen where floor cabinetry was natural wood color, as opposed to the walls all around the periphery of the floors, which had painted baseboards, so that the shoe molding he installed in those locations was regular quarter-round, which I had painted a few days later. But the oak quarter-round in the kitchen was a good idea which looks much better than the painted stuff he removed from that area before sanding started, so I am pleased that he suggested it. As part of his service, Jay was ready to move our furniture out of the area to be refinished, and even have it stored while his work was being done. He apparently even has some kind of device/machine which can lift heavy items - like refrigerators - on a bed of air, to move them without any chance of damaging the floors - especially important when returning heavy items to a newly refinished hardwood floor. I didn't use that particular service, (I had already arranged to have the furniture moved using a service I had previously utilized for the same thing, so I knew and trusted their ability to move my furniture without doing any damage to it, doorways, or the floor after the refinishing had been completed), but its nice to know that its available, if needed. There were no real issues over the course of the 5 days Jay was here. Everything went as planned. I did get the feeling (though maybe I am wrong ...) that he is more accustomed to doing commercial work (like the floors in some of the athletics buildings at UNCW) than residential, where he doesn't have to deal with homeowners who may be in and out of their homes (to the extent possible with wet polyurethane on the floor, giving off a very noxious odor) while he is working, and watching (as I was) out of curiosity, simply because it may be something that they (the homeowner) hasn't had done or even seen it being done maybe somewhere else previously. In any case, the job went well. One small "issue" we noticed several days later was that when the old (original) white shoe molding was removed in the kitchen area, a very small bead of white caulking was left (not removed) along where the top edge of the shoe molding had been. This became very noticeable against the new solid oak shoe molding Jay installed. I'm not sure why no one (including myself) didn't notice it before Jay left at the end of the last day ... I noticed it a few days later, contacted Jay, and he returned within a week to peel off that distracting white bead of caulking in all the spots it was noticeable. Overall, it was a good job completed for an appropriate cost