R L MAREK & CO

unknown

After a long draw out (and generally bad) experience with a major national wood floor sales outlet, we looked for a local contractor who could replace our previously water damaged 10 year old engineered wood floor.  After talking to a number of local flooring contractors, we settled on R.L. Marek & Co.  David Lamoreaux (the owner) seemed very knowledgeable and familiar with the custom flooring market in New Mexico.  We later found out that they are one of the "go to" flooring contractors used by several custom homebuilders in Santa Fe.  We chose 1/2" tongue & groove material for the floor (most materials today for floating wood floors are 3/8" and feel much flimsier than this material). The flooring is an eight-layer engineered material that has a 2mm hard-finished resurface-able layer (much thicker than many products that claim to be wood).  After a bit of delivery delay (and some delay related to incomplete prep work on our end), the floor was installed about two weeks after or original scheduled date.  The installation crew arrived right on time and worked with us to move furniture that was too large to take out of the room as needed.  By the end first day about 90% of the flooring was in.  On the second day, the balance of the flooring was completed.  I was impressed the way the installers custom cut corners to minimize the gap between the wall and floor (required for expansion and contraction) so that we would not need to install corner-round at the bottom of our baseboard.  The installers worked with us to determine how best to handle the transitions (one to carpeting, four to tile floors, one to another wood floor).  Most contractors automatically install glue-down T-molding for all transitions, but Marek worked to do the best transitions for the type of transition and level of the floors on both sides.  Three transitions (to tile at or very close to the level of the new floor) were handled with colored sanded calking (supplied by us) that matched the grout color of the tile, two were handled with T-moldings (to the other wood floor and tile that was lower than the floor), and one (to carpet) was handled by a step-down "wedge" molding that looks much better than the standard "T".  We had selected very tall (5 1/2") baseboard that Marek could not install because the installer's miter saw was a 10" one and a 12" blade was required so we had to hire another person to do that.  Overall, our experience with David and his very professional crew was excellent, and the floor looks great.  .    

They did a good job and they were prompt. They cleaned up after themselves and did everything. My overall experience with them was very good.

The owner is super nice and all of his crew were very nice and capable.  They did a great job.  The floor looks great!  They were very quick and were able to get the job done sooner than was scheduled.

unknown

'We contracted for this work a couple weeks before Thanksgiving. Marek does not move furniture, so we also contracted with a local mover to get everything out of the three rooms and into the hallway, garage and guest room (we "camped out" in the guest room for the duration). Marek called to move the date of the installation forward a few days, and the total job was completed in four consecutive days, by a team of three experienced flooring installers. The owner was just here this morning to deliver a couple wooden floor vents that were not available earlier, and to clean up some adhesive marks on the wood that was not evident at an earlier date.
The flooring is fitted so closely along and around a somewhat irregular brick hearth and wall that is wasn't necessary to use any grout in that area. The mating between the wood areas and the hallway and bathroom tile is as close to perfect as one could imagine (we had discussed some contingencies in case of a mismatch prior to the installation with David, the owner).
The floors are beautiful. The workers were professional and neater than expected (some dust was produced, but no damage to other surfaces). Marek sells flooring with a thicker wood veneer than some others use, so it can be refinished (not likely in my lifetime).

unknown

The work went very well. They did a great job on the installation. I would recommend them to other.

We contacted R.L. Marek & Company because they had installed the original hardwood floor in our kitchen, when our home was built in 2001. David Lamoureux was very helpful in explaining our options for choosing a new floor. He made a house call to look at our current flooring situation, pulled various flooring samples that he believed would provide suitable alternatives, and encouraged us to take those flooring samples home to see how they looked with our cabinets, trim, etc.. He explained the installations associated with each flooring type and made our decision much easier. During the installation process, the workmen arrived on time, answered any and all questions that we had, cleaned up thoroughly after the job was done and did a fantastic job. We are very pleased with the final product and would highly recommend Marek & Company to others.

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R.L. Marek & Co was recommended by the architect and builder of our house. They were easy to locate, contact and set an appointment for the estimate.  David Lamoureux visited our house and was extremely knowledgeable about wood flooring and our options for replacing the carpet.
We visited their offices to choose the wood. There was a large selection and David made sensible recommendations to guide our choice.
We waited 2 weeks for the wood to arrive from the manufacturer. David was prompt in contacting us and setting an installation date.
Installation went smoothly. The installers were prompt and worked in a quiet, clean and professional manner. In less than a day we had a new floor.
The floor took 24 hours to set. It looks beautiful.
The only criticism I have is that they were unable and unwilling to caulk the 1/8 inch gaps between the existing tile and the new floor.