PERFECT SOLUTIONS

The finished job was embarrassingly poor. The color was inconsistent due to equipment malfunction; Bob re-did it a few times, but problems just replaced problems--blotchyness, etc. He put in lines to make it look like a tiled floor, but they were not all straight. He sealed the floor without removing the drip-marks caused by his stain-sprayer. The sealed floor also had crud in it--bits of sand, even a few flies. He dug them out, but then we were left with pot-marks. The edges were particulaly sloppy--he did not trowel the concrete product, so the edges against the wall were rounded, which meant the molding could not be replaced. The edges next to door sills and steps, which would not be covered with molding, looked awful--ragged and unfinished. The worst part is that the moment my dogs stepped onto it, they scratched it. Bob told me that I would have a beautiful, durable floor that would hold up under my dogs. I just cried. My husband made a deal with Bob to sand down the floor, and he could keep about half the money. I don't know very many people that would be so nice, but he felt bad for Bob, who seemed to be doing his best. I do believe that Bob didn't see the flaws of the floor and was angry with this deal. I berated myself for not getting references beforehand. It's been a month, and Bob has not given back any of the money, so it looks as if we are going to have to sue him. In the meantime, we put down a very durable porcelain stone-look tile that we are very happy with.