Countertops & Flooring by Traditional Designs

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It was all handled professionally.  Two-man crew arrived as promised.  Stone looked handsome. It was installed across base cabinets as requested.  Cut-outs for two sinks and bore holes for two faucets were done to specifications.  It was done quickly but competently.  This was my second experience with this company (had limestone counter done for half bath last year) and quite satisfied  with the results both times. Not the cheapest around, but good value.

The salespersons at Traditional Designs were extremely helpful in helping me choose the tile size, type, and color of tile I eventually had installed. They were sensitive to my cost constraints and did not push items or styles that were over lavish or incongruent with my home. The delay from the time I purchased the tile to the time of installation was very reasonable (approximately 1.5 wks). The only complaint I have is that I had to watch the tiler and his supervisor very closely in order to get quality outcome I wanted. After the first day of work, I actually removed about 20 pieces of tile that were set very poorly. I wanted a plumb and square corner around the shower door opening and their first attempt was poor in my opinion. After I insisted they try again, the final outcome turned out very well. In addition, they began laying the tile in such a manner that the floor tile would only abut the wall tile instead of having the floor tile lay underneath the wall tile. But again after I insisted they lay the tile in the appropriate way, they did a good job. The tiling of the floor and backsplash went very well. Bottom line: My impression is that the installers will take as many shortcuts as you allow them to take. Their priority it seems is to finish the job as quickly as possible instead of focusing on the quality of installation. I found the salespersons, however, to be very helpful and professional.

My overall experience was horrible. They measured the countertop, but the countertop did not fit. When they installed the countertop, they turned off the plumbing, removed the sink, and turned off the gas. Once the countertop was in, which did not fit, they informed me that they could not install the new sink, turn on the water or put the cooktop back in place. They punctured the gas line in the house. They corrected the countertop size, but when they did one of workers decided that my backyard was a restroom, and left the remnants and the toilet paper behind. I had evidence of all, and Traditional Designs denied all and thought we were lying to them. They did reduce the price, but I strongly recommend finding someone else to do the job!

The new countertops were installed in one day and everything went perfectly. This is not easy when dealing with an under mounted sink. The sink is below the counter surface, and it has to be absolutely level, which it was. After the installation was complete, the workmen had to polish the surface by hand. Everyone involved did a great job. Their manners were fantastic as well.