Illusions

Mike and Micah are gifted artisans. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect that we would end up with the amazingly beautiful and perfect plaster that we did! We didn't know it was possible!!!! I'm telling you... if you hire these astounding professionals you will not be disappointed!!! We had several projects in our home from a kiva fireplace, an entire bathroom remodel, pony wall in the entry and patch work in the kitchen. I cannot speak highly enough about every aspect of the job from matching the colors to perfectly smooth walls and gorgeous natural trowel marks to perfect lines and joints. I just wish I could now have them re-do my whole house!!!

Mike and Micah are the BEST contractors we have ever hired!!! We had them redo all the walls in our entire home 6-7 years ago and just had them back to do touch-ups on new cracks and filled in nail holes from hanging pictures. It is still just the 2 of them, no sub-contactors, no extras. They come and evaluate the job, are realistic on how long it will take them, price the job fairly then show up when they say they will show up! They make suggestions and offer advice on how to fix certain issues for lasting results. This is not done to increase their work or price, but just because they are so conscientious and care of the job and results. We had new windows installed 1 year ago, but had not fixed the walls- I had actually forgotten that they needed to be repaired and they pointed it out to me and then they just fixed it so it looks brand new! The end results is perfection! Plus they take down fixtures and then put them back! They are super neat and do not leave your home in chaos! I highly recommend them if you are looking to have gorgeous walls!

Micah is a wizard with plaster color and texture. He fixed our Variance plaster, matching it perfectly. He was punctual, professional, and did an amazing job fixing our rotunda, which is the showcase of our residence. We had been told that there was no way to match the texture and color and we would have to pay thousands of dollars to replanted the entire rotunda. Micah was able to fix everything for a fraction of the cost. We highly recommend Illusions for any work of this type.

They had knowledge of products and presented appropriate solutions without any up-selling. They were professional, courteous, punctual, and responded to communications in a timely fashion. Their work was impeccable, and I will employ them in the future and will recommend them to family and friends.

I found Mike & Micah to be most helpful in color selection and re-finishing selection. They were fast and considerate in their work, I observed their methods and found them to be very professional in execution, They were prompt and continued their work to timely completion These men are obviously very skilled and experienced in their work. I would highly recommend them for any painting project.

The Pro From Dover. Former Pro Athlete. Focused. Meticulous. Dry sense of humor. "Can Do' attitude. Superb job. An artiste with the trowel. Down to all the fine details. Cracks disappeared. Stunned. No half measures. Down to even the Door Jambs and Wall plates. Absolutely over the top! Responsive and helpful. It "only got better" with all the initial patching and then the repairs and color coats and sealing. And Yes, Virginia he did a yeoman's service of protecting everything and cleaning up.

The room looks fantastic now! Michael Sauer did a wonderful job--on time every day, worked long and hard, impeccable detail, cleaned up when the work was finished, and completed the job on time. Can't say enough good things. We are already scheduling to have him redo two more rooms in the house. We are very satisfied. Everytime I walk by that bedroom I like it more and more. Excited about the next projects!

Well. Mike did all of the painting and Micah did the plaster works. The team showed up on time and finished the job in one day. Work areas were cleaned and they arranged for paint and repair products to remain behind for touch up. They also had to mix paint that I had bought to match texture and existing colors. Lastly we live in Santa Fe and there was no charge to come from Albuquerque .

Mike has been doing work with us since 2010 around the house. He does an excellent job, he is always on time.

Mike was a professional right from the start. He quickly replied to my call for an estimate to plaster a newly built kiva fireplace kit, and immediately came to my house to provide the estimate. After it was provided, the job was scheduled, and the work was completed in 3 days, as promised. The results are stunning. The variance plaster finish he created adds elegance, class, and charm to the space, and it's exactly what I envisioned for the room. I wish there was a category of A+ in this review because the quality of his work is superb. He's a true craftsman, and I would recommend him to anyone who wants the quality and class.

The job was beautifully done and colors matched perfectly after the job was completed on both the fireplace and outside wall. All clean-up was done as the areas were spic and span. Micah is a true artist and his work is done to perfection

Excellent service. Prompt response and very happy with the result.

They are artists. He is a home owner's dream. He was on time. He did an outstanding craftsman's job. It took him two days to finish which was in the time frame he gave. If I could I would give them an A+. The price was fair.

Fantastic !! Amazing !! Incredible!! Illusions and Las Manos Handcrafted Finishes (Mike and Micah) worked together to complete this huge job! They are a perfect team. Punctuality: arrived on time or before- NEVER late or missed days! Since we are all early risers, they would show up prior to us leaving for work. Communication: txt works well for us and they would share pictures or finished walls or problems encountered while we were at work. They also notified us in advance of arrival times and dates. Work ethic: fantastic, it was a small crew using just 2, but occasionally 3. They arrived (on time or earlier), worked hard all day and then cleaned up before they left. Carftsmanship: They did an amazing job! The quality is exceptional, the walls look better than we could have imagined. We used different techniques in the smaller rooms rooms before deciding on our great room finish. This allowed us to actually see the finishes prior to application in a large space. They also brought 20x20 or larger examples of finishes for us to look at in our home- important when matching cabinets and tile. Honesty and Reliability: We agreed on a price before starting and as we progressed along and found more and more issues, they were upfront and reasonable with additional costs. We only ended up paying a couple hundred dollars more than originally planned- which with all the problems we encountered is amazing! We had no concerns about security of our home or belongings. Dos: We knew that was going to be a huge undertaking and we rented a container for outside storage of our furniture and belongings. We literally moved out of each room while they were working on them (of course once you move all the furniture and see the floor- be prepared- carpets may need replacing!) Replacing carpets worked in our favor- ensuring the rugs did not get damaged or stained in the process was not an issue. We did need to let them know the depth of the new carpet so they could bring the walls down to the level of the carpet. When working in tiled areas, they carefully taped thick paper to the floors to protect it. Don'ts: Be prepared, you don't want them waiting on you to get to the next room or area. They are honest about what they can accomplish and when they need the next space available. Completion and Follow-up: We created a list of items to fix or complete. On their last day with us, we scheduled a follow up date for 2 weeks later. This gave us time to continue to add to the list. They arrived the day scheduled, and completed every item on the list! Absolutely, the BEST contractors we have ever worked with! Highly recommend them!

Illusions (Mike Sauer) expertly and perfectly matched the custom color of the front face of our kiva fireplace to match the rest of it, and to match the other features in the room which have the same color, His company was able to do what another contractor wasn't able to do. We were amazed at the perfect match in color and texture. It looks brand new. They were prompt, responsive, answered emails ASAP, and courteous. I appreciated them being conscientious about protecting our floors and other areas of contact, and cleaned up as if they were never there. This was only a small job compared to others I'm sure they have, but Mike treated us as if we were VIPs. I would highly recommend Illusions and will be calling them again for another project in the future.

Mike was amazing!! over and above his professionalism... Pleasant to work with... Very beautiful work.. One of the best contractors I worked with on a huge home build... I would recommmend him to anyone

It went well, better than expected. Illusions did perfect color match and the diamond finish was very good too. The repaired spots blend in perfectly. I would recommend the vendor to others without reservation. Very professional.

It is so difficult to find experts who are willing to do small jobs. Mark put us in touch with his assistant.. His assistant came out three times to complete the work, which we appreciated. He came out and gave us an estimate, returned to do the plaster patch with the right sand finish. He brought the right bit to install the grab bar in the shower. Then he returned in a few days and painted the plaster patch and a small area outside. He was prompt, personable, efficient and we really liked him and his work. I will call him again and I will definitely recommend him to friends and family. He said he considered small jobs just as important as big ones. Mike Sauer has an excellent Assistant.

Mike promptly came to my home after I called him. He walked through the house with me while we discussed what needed to be done and the best way to handle the issues as well as some ways to keep costs down. He provided a very reasonable written estimate within 24 hours. We scheduled the job, which he estimated would take 5 days. I was having quite a bit of other work done so the timing was very important to me. He arrived as scheduled. Once the window coverings were down, we found a number of areas that needed repair that were not in the original estimate, but Mike did not charge extra as a result of the added work. The repair and painting was done well. On one wall that was damaged I have a special mural where the damage came very close to the mural. Mike and his associate did a wonderful job of repairing the plaster and texture around the painting and touching up and blending the paint around the mural. I am especially pleased with this aspect of their work. The job was completed ahead of schedule in just four days, and this is a large home. Once my flooring was installed, Mike returned to paint the baseboards in that area and touch up paint that had been affected by the floor installation. There was no extra charge for this either. Mike and his associate were very pleasant, did the work quickly and cleaned as they went along. Everything was left looking fresh and clean. Although Illusions performs much more complex wall treatments than I needed they did a fabulous job on my home. I highly recommend them.

We contacted Mike a couple months before we wanted the work and and he came over with some samples and discussed our requirements and the colors available. We got a quote a couple days later. Once we were ready to go, it took a while to get onto his schedule because he was busy with other projects. We changed one aspect of the project and Mike was willing to consider our ideas and make suggestions. The finished fireplace looks amazing, it's even better than we expected it to be. A lot of the pictures on the website for the product he uses are for a somewhat rustic style, whereas we were going for a more modern look and he achieved it perfectly! We definitely made the right choice in going with Illusions for our project.

We first contacted Mike in May of 2012. We wanted to add Variance to our LR, DR & entry way. We were so pleased with Mike's work we decided to add more. As of Feb 2013 we have done every room in our house. Mike was great to work with. We would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking to finish their walls with the Variance products.

I obtained three estimates. Mike's was the least expensive to do four rooms in a home I am remodeling (one estimate was $20,000.-- clearly from a vendor who did not want the job). The rooms are beauitiful. Mike did touchup work once the floors were put in and did not charge me a dime. I couldn't be happier with his work. Highest recommendation!

Our curved fireplace surface (a very prominent feature in our living room) had been plastered over years ago by a previous owner. It started buckling and peeling after we'd lived in the house for awhile, and we realized that the job was not done right the first time. We peeled and chipped off almost all of the old stuff, but this left the fireplace looking pretty awful. We hid the ugliness under various decorations and behind plants, but we didn't know what to do with it and it didn't seem like a DIY project we could manage. It was a real eyesore. Mike Sauer met with us to discuss repair / re-plastering and explained the advantages of using Variance products, and we decided to use his services. He was able to accommodate us fairly quickly, and showed up on time both days he worked on this project. Mike managed to successfully fill in some really challenging contours, plastered over a dated brick arch, and covered the entire thing with a beautiful Mediterranean-looking finish we selected. This major home feature has been totally transformed. Mike's work and attention to detail was excellent, the price was fair, and he was very willing to come back to touch up a spot needing an extra bit of stain. We're really happy with our "new" fireplace!

He's a great guy, shows up on time, and does a wonderful job. You can't ask ask for much more!

We called Illusions because they were listed as a company that applies Variance finish to walls. Mike called us right back and was very polite. We set up an appt. day and time and he was very prompt, courteous, and professional. We had just had our kitchen remodeled and had been working with a lot of different companies and he was definitely a breath of fresh air. He brought a batch of samples of different variance finishes and colors. We had a paint color picked and he had another company make up a sample of it in variance so that we could see it before it was applied on the wall. We had to go and pick it up from that company. He came on time on the day he was suppose to do the job. He was professional, friendly, and did an incredible job! We had a bathroom finished in variance and so I know what a good variance job is suppose to look like and he delivered beautifully!!! There is an artistic component to applying variance and he definitely has the knack! We are definitely going to call him again to finish several other walls in our home.