Ashmore Wood Floors, Inc.

The first time they repaired our floor, it looked great. The second time, the floor looked terrible. I called several times to set up an appointment to see and fix the floor. Luke kept putting me off. I do not recommend this company.

Our house was built in 1954 and the wood floors looked like they'd not been refinished since then. The Ashmore team came out and gave me quote on the spot that was very reasonable. They showed up on time and completed the work on time, they cleaned up when the job was complete. They were matching hardwoods in another section of the house and took time going over stain colors with me to ensure the colors lined up. I realize a contractor doing what they say they'll do at the price they quoted should not be unique, but in our experience it has been - Ashmore delivered across the board. The best part however was the result. We have white oak hardwoods and they look absolutely amazing. The sanding was seamless, the stain applied uniformly throughout and the sealer applied with no streaks. We went with the water base at the recommendation of the Ashmore folks and it turned out great - dried after two hours, minimal smell throughout the house. We'll be doing the rest of our house next year and will use Ashmore again, great service and amazing results.

I had a very good experience. My new floors are beautiful and although sanding and re-staining is a very messy process there was way less dust than I expected which was a very nice surprise. I would definitely recommend Ashmore floors. They do beautiful work!

The owner was rude to me, arrived a month early and told me it was my fault I got the date wrong. The person doing the quote was nice and told me everything they would do but none of this information was shared with the crew who arrived and installed the new floors without correctly feathering them into the existing, did not replace boards they said they would, and patched holes that did not take the stain. Within two days of them leaving we had wholes in the boards they did not replace. I called and complained, they came and replaced a few boards without taking payment, though I told them I would rather pay to have all damaged boards removed and replaced. After they repaired the obviously damaged boards, the sanding had weakened others and new wholes appeared as well as one snapping off. They had told me the sanding may make more damage appear and I clearly said I would prefer to replace all the boards (the termite damage is restricted to one area) but insisted on only doing the minimum. Even despite of the termite damage/replacement boards, the work they did on the rest of the house left some boards weak, the shoe mould they applied to the baseboards pulled away, and they were rude throughout, difficult to schedule with, and left our key visible on the front porch (we had to move out while they worked on the floors.) We are paying for someone else to repair the damage they did.

Excellent job. Highly recommend Ashmore Wood Floors. Very good work. Professional workers and owner.

Ben finally came to look at the problem in May. He was very difficult to tie down and he never came to see the final product after his crew finished the job. I had other problems with the sealant on the wood as well and had to pay twice to get that fixed. When Ben finally came out he basically told me that was nothing he would do and the two areas about 3 ft by 4 ft that were clearly hollow were a result of my not providing him with a level floor. The thing that bothered me the most was how clear it was that he could not have cared less about my problem and that he just wanted me to quit bothering him. He had received his money and wanted to get on with other jobs. I will say that the floor looks nice for now but with the hollow areas and the creaking of the floors I don't know how long that will last. The hollow areas are in main traffic areas so we are reminded many times each day that there is a problem with our floor. Im sure at some point I will need to spend considerable money to get this fixed. I would definitely not recommend Ashmore Floors to anyone.

The floors look excellent, no complaints on their workmanship. I think they could have controlled the dust better, but it’s hard to complain about that, installing real wood floors is just a messy job.

Completed on time and well done, considering they had to re-build one floor for us and had to install the wood over three different finishes.

Great. Will recommend to others.

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Exceptional job matching the floor stain with the existing floor.   We had 3/4 of our kitchen refinished.  The kitchen is connected to a hallway, dining room, and living room - all with hardwood flooring.   The kitchen flooring had been scuffed over the years in high traffic areas and by chairs under a built in desk.   Ashmore sanded back to the bare wood, stained and added the high traffic coating.   No one can tell where the new stain ends and the old stain begins.  Just a great job and floors look fantastic.   While Ben can be hard to reach at times being the owner, he did everything he said he would and his crew was there on time every day.  They sealed off the area being worked on and kept the job site clean.  Price was reasonable and well worth it based on the quality of the work performed.   There was one minor build up after the final coat was completed and dry.  We called Ben and he talked us through a very easy fix that took 5 min and the build up was gone.  We could not be more pleased with the work Ashmore did on our flooring.

At first, it went well.  When we called about scheduling service, he was very responsive and got us worked into the schedule as soon as he had availability.  We had called in late November/early December to refinish approximately $1500 sq ft of floors that hadn't been touched for about 30 years (just bought a new old house).  I called back about a week or 2 later to ask if we could also have the staircase converted to hardwoods.  He said it wouldn't be a problem since we weren't scheduled until January to start. Then, the day rolled around, and his son along with the workers were very prompt to show up as scheduled bright and early in the morning.  We paid extra for them to cover everything (walls, light fixtures, etc.) because we were told from other contractors to work our way from top to bottom, so we had the ceiling, walls, and trim already repainted (whole house needs renovation).  We also paid extra for a special high traffic finish coat to protect the floors.  
The second day they showed up early again and got to work, so that went well as well.  But then, they told us they had a scheduling problem and couldn't start our staircase for a few days.  They started on a Wednesday, and they said they couldn't start the staircase until Saturday when they originally told us the whole job would take from Wed - Sat.   We were okay with that because things do come up, and we have a second staircase in the back to use.  Well on Friday, they didn't show up right away.  I was at work, but I know they came at some point to put the first coat of stain on.  They were supposed to also get the first coat of poly on that day, but they never came back to do so.
Saturday came (the original finish date), and no one showed up.  We called Ben's son since he was our original contact and left a voicemail.  After a little while with no word, we called Ben himself and left a voicemail.  Still nothing.  We had to send him an email message as well.  All we wanted was someone to answer us and tell us when the guys were showing up because they never told us a schedule other than the days they were going to be there (no times).  No one ever got back to us, but the workers finally showed up around 1.  They put the first coat of poly on.  They were supposed to come back after a few hours to put the last coat of poly on to wrap up the main job and start the staircase so that we could actually move into the rest of the house/unpack on Monday since it needs a few days to cure (most of the house was hardwoods we were getting refinished).  They never came back and never started the stairs.  
So, we couldn't move back into the house on Monday.  They came back on Monday, late again and without warning, so the house was locked.  Since they didn't call ahead to tell us they were coming at a certain time, and they didn't show up in the morning, we had to make a special trip back from work to let them in.  They finished the floors that day, so we couldn't move into the house until Wednesday.  They still hadn't started the stairs, and they called to ask for final payment on everything.  I told them they weren't finished yet!  The guys finally started the stairs on Tuesday, and I think they finished on Thursday.  During that time, we were able to actually talk to Ben, but he is very hard to actually get a hold of or get a call back.  Very poor communication and very poor scheduling/punctuality/responsiveness, which to me is directly related to professionalism.  If you have great front-end service and poor back-end service, it sends a signal that you don't care about your clients.  Then asking for your money before you finish the job.  That was the most and immediate phone calls I got.
 The worst part is that after not even a full month, we are noticing spots all over the floors where the poly/finish is bubbling.  Basically it starts to look like a filmy white coat instead of clear because there is a gap between the floor and poly coat (usually air).  So it doesn't look great.  They got stain all over our base trim, so that has to be repainted again.  When they covered our walls and such, they weren't careful removing the painters tape and ripped the paint off the walls and trim, which also has to be touched up.  I mean it's difficult to rip paint off with painters tape - that's why it is painter's tape!!  And they got the interior of our fireplace covered with dust because they didn't cover it.
The floors themselves - with the exception of the finish issue - look really good.  But good luck getting them to come back and fix things that aren't right.  Once they finish and get paid, you won't hear from them again.  We still have poly bubble places, and we just bought a small can ourselves to do all the necessary touch up, plus all the extra work fixing the trim we now have to do.  Basically, I got the distinct impression that we were a small job and not as important as their large Highland Park clients, and the service reflects that.  The funny thing is I have a co-worker that got his floors done at the same time as me - and he had a similar  experience, but I don't think he is on Angie's List.  So I'm sure not everyone gets the same level of service and experience that I did.  They weren't all bad, but I would likely not use them again.

Apparently, my original book of a review was not sufficient enough, so I now need to add to it to clarify.  I thought I was being incredibly fair and tried to describe in detail everything that occurred, so that anyone reading this could understand my perspective on the situation.  I received a phone call from Ben yesterday (Monday 2/9) with a voicemail because I was busy getting ready for work and unable to answer.  While I appreciate that he wanted to call after reading my original review above, I DO NOT appreciate that the first 30 seconds of the message was him accusing me of my review being "undeserved and untrue".  I now have the full voicemail and can transcribe and post the whole message if necessary.  I am NOT a liar, nor do I appreciate being called one because you don't like what I have to say.  Not everyone is going to give you glowing reviews.  I'm sure your service to others is more than likely better than what I received.  If I was a vindictive person, I would change this review to full Fs simply because you called to insult me.  Now, the other 1.5 minutes of the voicemail did offer to come back and address the minor imperfections with our floors, but that doesn't make up for the first 30 seconds. It also adds to the lack of professionalism.  However, the minor imperfections is not why I gave the grade I did.

A on price.  Needs no explanation
B on quality.  This was because of the minor imperfections that were not fixed and because I have damage to fix on my trim work everywhere.  Now, as for accusing me of not calling on this.  I did not call after the job was done.  I called while the job on the stairs was still being performed but the rest of the floors needed touch up.  I could not get a hold of you, and you never returned my calls.  My husband did in fact get a hold of you on this - he has a text message chain proving so that I can also transcribe if you need evidence.  You said you would send over your best guy Lewis (not sure of spelling, husband has the message).  He did come over.  I pointed out some of the issues we found.  He marked them with tape to fix.  I expected him to check the rest of the floors, and I went to work.  Nothing but what I specifically showed him was fixed.  I am not going to hand hold and sit there marking each and every flaw I want corrected.  That is your job as floor refinishers, not mine.  Also, I realize the contract states that you are no

The initial visit went great. After I called to confirm their time of arrival they very professionally reviewed the state of our stairs and floors, offered some options after hearing what we wanted to do, gave input on some areas we were unsure of (e.g. could some nosing be salvaged or did it have to be replaced), and gave a very comprehensive and transparent invoice. After putting 50% down, they got to work, sanding and putting the stain down the first day.
After that though, we never knew when they were going to return. We'd ask the work crews, but they weren't able to tell us anything other than their portion of the work was done. Since we could never figure out when they were returning, we had noidea when we were supposed to be home to let them and had to rely on them calling us at whatever time they arrived (8am one day, 2:30 another, once on a Saturday).
After finishing the floors, the nosing hadn't been replaced as per our request (and the work crew claimed no knowledge of this part of work order, even though it was on the invoice) but their office called seeking payment. After informing them the job wasn't finished, they sent someone out to replace the nosing on a Friday. Their office called again seeking payment which I gave them, which I wish I hadn't since the job wasn't done.
After sanding, staining, and applying polyurethane to the oak nosing and the boards adjacent to the nosing on Saturday, the boards look and feel different than the rest of the floor boards they refinished; like they didn't use the same sand grits or apply the same number of polyurethane coats. The person doing the work left without saying a word (e.g. to say he was finished, that he was coming back), so there was no way to know we were looking at the final product.
In addition, their work crew spilled polyurethane on our porch, leaving a large shiny streak and footprint on our stained porch, and they left large bits of tape stuck to our light fixtures and floors.
To summarize: Positives: Great initial visit and excellent work on the floors, very transparent pricing (no surprises at all). The negatives: Poor communication with us and with themselves (work crew, billing, and foreman all had different ideas of what was happening), questionable work on the nosing and adjacent boards, and semi-permanent/permanent damage to our porch from spilled polyurethane all left me with a less than excellent experience.

Jorge was absolutely great. He arrived early the first trip and they completed the job perfectly. Unfortunately, we didn't have the nose piece for the stairs and had to order and reschedule. After 3 weeks, the part arrived and we had a slight issue getting in touch with the office, but Ben did call and the guys came out within 3-4 days. Jorge wasn't with the crew this time arround, so it didn't move as quick. They called him at the end of the evening and he came in and assisted in flnalzing the project with 2 hours. The crew will clean up their mess and work very hard. I will always use this company. Very good clean workers and very professional. Ben should keep Jorge around for life or make him a partner.

Our floors look amazing and we receive compliments quite often. We've referred Ashmore to a few friends and neighbors (but with warning).
The sons are amazing and very thorough. They walked us through the process and answered questions, providing the quotes, options, etc. Mr. Ashmore (the dad/owner) is not known for his people skills but his work and prices are the best in the area. If you can have patience I think it's worth it. I don't think this is a secret, I think he's aware and some people just lack people skills...Clearly his work is great as he was referred to us as well. I would suggest getting a phone line to the office and not relying on the owner to answer all phone calls via cell.
The process was rather quick (less than 5 days) but we had to be on their schedule, they are very busy and basically you call them 2-3 weeks before you are ready and they put you on the books. It is not an up to date way to book business but I think they are working on that. (it worked for us b/c we were not in the house yet but we did have to rearrange other workers to let them finish) They require half of the money up front.
Winter weather caused a part of the hallway (where they blended the new area) to come up and they came out and fixed it all with no charge. It was a 3 week process to get me on the books but was completed and looks great. (replace one week, stain the next, seal the next - not sufficient use of time but it's done. They were working on the neighbors house so I thought with a referral and proximity this would have been faster.)
The blending of the new floors is perfect and there is not difference in the seam. One bad spot Ben Jr. had his crew come out to fix as he was not happy with the work. Other than that the crew was great and we felt very comfortable with them.
A neighbor had the same experience (and thanked me for the warning so she knew how to be prepared) but are pleased with their floors as well. Prices and workmanship are superb, I suggest buttoning up the customer service.

We had a bad experience with them on the small wood patch in our existing home, and decided not to use them for the larger flooring project in the new addition.

Overall I would recommend Ashmore Wood Floors because of price and quality of workmanship alone. The value proposition you get with Ashmore Wood Floors absolutely cannot be beat. The two minor drawbacks are that at times, they weren't very responsive and weren't very timely (especially on my small job). See below for details.
PRICE: I bid out each of the two jobs I had done, and Ashmore Wood Floors offered the best price by far both times. With Ashmore Wood Floors, you're basically getting home builder type pricing. On my first job, they charged me $2,444. On my second job they charged my $500 to add wood flooring to areas of a bedroom that was being renovated, as well as to make a few repairs to the wood floors in other parts of my house. I'm sorry I don't remember what that means in terms of price/sq. ft., but it was extremely competitive.
QUALITY: I thought the quality of workmanship was very good. At my request, they made sure to add supports where necessary to adjust for uneven floors. On both jobs, they were basically having to match the floor color to the hardwood floors elsewhere in the house, and they did an excellent job there. You couldn't tell that part of the floor was new, and the other part was older. I was told I was getting and quot;Selectand quot; quality red oak wood planks on my first job (supposed to have virtually no blemishes). I'm not sure I actually got this quality, but at the end of the day the floors looked fine so I didn't fuss.
RESPONSIVENESS and PUNCTUALITY: The one drawback of using Ashmore Wood Floors was that they didn't seem to be very responsive in responding to phone calls. Both times I used them I felt somewhat like my job was too small for them, and that I got put at the bottom of their priority list. I have no doubt they are extremely busy, and most of the jobs they do are for large contractors or homebuilders. On the second job, they said they would show up to finish work on a Friday but didn't actually show up until the following Tuesday I believe. That annoyed me as it put my renovation off of schedule. Even then for the price and quality work they provide, I still would recommend them.

Excellent results. Ben came to house and gave very reasonable estimate. Work scheduled for 3 weeks out. A group of 4 showed up to sand one day, restrain the next, and then 2 coats of high traffic finish put on. Guys were prompt, fast and professional. Love the new floors. Would highly recommend them.

Great fast good quality at a cheap price.

Great. I highly recommended them. Their business model is word of mouth only which speaks for itself. I interviewed 6 other contractors and Ashemore was the cheapest. Prices varied from $10000 down to $4000. I have used other local contractors for the same service and their quality was the same (all excellent) but for half the price.

Excellent experience. Installers were highly efficient and prompt during each stage of the process - removing old carpet, installing wood, sanding, and finally staining and finishing. We have used Ashmore Flooring in the past to install hard wood floors in kitchen, dining, den, and entry - those experiences went equally well.