Bertolli Floors

We hired Bertolli to replace some older wood and tile floors in the house we recently purchased. We chose the company based largely on all the rave reviews we saw here on Angie's List, and felt that we should contribute our review to help others make a flooring decision in the future. We replaced an older engineered wood floor with hardwoods in the entry, dining room, living room and hallway of our first floor. We also replaced tile in our kitchen with a travertine, and with slate in the pantry/laundry room/half bath. The floors do look much better now, although the slate floor is not as level as I would have expected (the slate "tiles" do have variation in the surface, which I expected, but several of the tiles are not laid level so you can feel a "lip" between one tile and the next one in several places.) There are several other aspects of the job that were not quite what I expected based on all those prior great reviews. The first issue we had involved scheduling. When we got the quote from Bruno, we were told that the whole job would take a week (and the quote had time frames for each element of the job in writing.) My husband arranged to take off from work so he could be there Mon-Fri. A couple of days into the project, no one had even started to touch the wood floors, and we were told that they would be done by a different crew (fine) ...but that they were not planning to *start* until Friday - so no chance they would be done in the promised timeframe (not fine; having your floors torn up is not a pleasant experience, and the house is a disaster while it's going on.) We were not very happy about the prospect of dragging the project out, especially since my husband was scheduled to be traveling the following week, and I was not in a position to take off from work to supervise the job. After several conversations and emails back and forth, Bruno did reschedule the crew to come out earlier to get the job done in the promised timeframe, but it was definitely stressful. Another issue arose with the hardwood installation in our living room, which is on a different level than the adjoining hallway. There are three entrances to the room that all involve a single step down into the room, and those steps are all made of the same wood as the floors. The workers had a hard time removing the existing (glued on) engineered wood on the "riser" portion of the stairs, and tried to pressure my husband into agreeing not to replace them. First he was told that we should "just sand them and re-stain them to match" the new wood. (No, you can't sand/re-stain engineered wood - it's a laminate.) When he pointed that out, they then said, "well, you can paint them white, or maybe paint them to match the walls." (Um, no ...) We had to strenuously insist that the job be done correctly and that ALL the old wood needed to be replaced with the new hardwood. In the end, installing those three pieces of hardwood took only about 30-40 minutes so clearly it was not all *that* difficult, so I'm not sure why they didn't just do it properly in the first place, but again it was a stressful situation to have to argue about how the work was being done. When we spoke to Bruno about this, he stated that he was just offering options. Other issues: when the workers removed the toilet from the half bath, the flange under the toilet broke, and thus the toilet could not be replaced when the slate was done. They said they could call a plumber - at our expense - to reinstall it. The plumbing work necessary ended up costing almost $500. (Bruno did offer to reimburse us for part of that cost.) They did not re-hang any of the doors that they removed when the floor was installed, and when my husband and I did that ourselves, we found that they no longer clear the new floor, and had to be sanded down to open and close properly. It's not the end of the world but given the amount we spent, ($10K *plus* the cost of wood, travertine, slate, grout ... so almost $20K all told) I did not expect to have to do that myself. I also had to spend quite a long time scrubbing the baseboards and cabinet doors to remove the grout left on them after the travertine was installed. Maybe I should have anticipated that but again after reading all the rave reviews, I did not expect to be on my hands and knees scrubbing the cabinets... All in all, the new floors do look very good overall and the workers were generally pleasant and cleaned up after themselves at the end of the workday. They were clearly proud of their work and took photos at the end of the job and it definitely does look a lot better, but the issues outlined above would make me uncertain about hiring them again or recommending them to others.

Mr. Bertolli was probably sorry he answered the phone to take my call.

I am extremely pleased with my outcome! Bruno stayed true to his estimate, he was very responsive to all my calls, and he explained everything in detail throughout the whole process. He supplied 2 different teams --- one for the hardwood and one for the carpeting. Each was terrific. Ronnie headed up the hardwood crew. Both crews were on time, moved all my furniture, put back my furniture, and cleaned up afterwards. One of my favorite parts was choosing my hardwood and carpet. Bruno sent me to a terrific supplier where I had tons of choices and lots of expert help. I chose Brazilian Cherry hardwood and a plush carpet. Both turned out GREAT! Bertolli Floors was not the cheapest estimate, nor the most expensive. I feel I got a good value overall for both product and labor. There were no surprises, and that's a good thing. Bruno stands by his word; I highly recommend Bertolli Floors!

Bertolli floors recently installed engineered hardwood in my home, on concrete slab. The slab was not level, and they worked to make it more suitable for a good installation. They were professional, friendly, and on time for the job. They worked hard all day. The floors are beautiful! I am very pleased! They even recommended that I have my water supply hose on my refrigerator changed to ensure no leaks. I will highly recommend them. Thanks to Bruno for his professionalism, honesty, and flexibility with delivery of the wood!

Excellent. Bruno came to the house, consulted with me, measured and was out the door within 15 minutes. He provided the estimate to me via email within 12 hours.

It went very well and the floors looked great. We were very happy to have Bertolli Floors to install the floors.

We did not use Bertolli Floors, but highly encourage others to call for an estimate -- ask for Bruno!

Bruno the owner showed up on time, explained how he could make the repair and provided a written quote and an estimated timeline for when he and his crew could get started. His team showed up on time, they marked each piece of furniture, moved it out and completed the work and moved the furniture back in place while we enjoyed a couple of days away.

They were very professional, on time, and cleaned up after themselves. They were very personable and a joy to work with. They did a wonderful job and I get so many compliments on my new floors! UPDATE About 2 weeks ago, one of the pieces of wood in the kitchen is coming up. I called them and they told me that they would send someone out to fix the problem. I waited a week and never heard from anyone and now every time I try to call them it goes straight to voicemail.

Bertolli came in for a free estimate, and we knew this would likely break the bank, so were only considering downstairs for refinishing the hardwoods. Given the price, we seriously considered doing upstairs as well, but chickened out in the end, much to my regret. When the service started, two men came in, sanded one room, and showed us 4 sample colors, indulged us while we mulled overlong. They completed the sanding and first coat of stain in one day, including removing the shoe moldings, putting up plastic. There was no sawdust produced as they used a vacuum attached to the sander, so no real impact there. One of the sanders came back the next day, but the floors had not dried sufficiently, so he came back the next day to apply the stain (without grumbling - just a very professional artisan looking to get the best result). Finishing occurred another day but I was out of town. The result is unbelievable. I'm kicking myself for not doing the whole house. The work is the absolute highest quality, and the price is completely reasonable. I shout Bertolli from the mountaintops, or recommend them here, which is probably more effective.

We fired them off the job after being unreliable, always late and basically not getting much done while here. After telling them not to come back we hired another company who had to remove the work they had tried to start because it wasn't being done properly and start over. That company explained why they had to remove the work started and showed me how it should have been done. I now have a beautifully tiled room and the second company was a joy to work with. I would never recommend Bertolli and would never use them again.

The whole operation was very easy and well done, from estimate to installation. Bruno came out at the time he said he would be there and had samples of flooring from Bruce, which is the same brand we already had installed in the kitchen. I asked Bruno to give me two estimates, one for three rooms and one for the Dining room, Great room, Master bedroom, three upstairs bedrooms, upstairs hallway, main floor half-bath, and foyer. The price difference between the two was insignificant so we decided to have the whole house done. After some negotiating we agreed on a price and scheduled the work. Bruno said that his guys would be in Bertolli shirts and driving a Bertolli labeled truck. He said that they would arrive by 9:00 AM on Friday to start the work. I let him know that I would be dropping my son off at school but that I left a key with the neighbor to let them get started if I was not back. True to his word the guys were there, dressed as he said, by 9:00 AM. When I returned from school shortly before 9, the guys were already pulling carpet out. This team, led by Ronny, did not dilly dally, they were hard-chargers all day long, only stopping for lunch at noon. By the end of the first day they had finished the upstairs rooms, had finished most of the great room, pulled up the hardwood in the foyer and started to work in the Master bedroom. They stopped at 5 PM and finished their cleanup at 6 PM. I was pleasantly surprised that they actually cleaned up the worksite, and organized their tools before leaving. Ronny then said they would be back at 9 AM on Saturday and true to his word there they were, 9 AM on the dot. They dove right back in and finished the rest of the house by 3 PM. Ronny and his team took great pride in the work that they did, and justifably so. When they finished Ronny even helped me install a new rug that my wife and I bought that afternoon. My neighbors were impressed with how quickly they worked and how well they cleaned up at the end of each day. My wife and I were overwhelmed at how great the new floors look and the job the Ronny and his team did!

Bruno was very nice and professional. His responses were timely and he was always punctual. The floors look great a week after the job was done.

I contacted Bertolli about the job. They came out to the rental house and gave us an estimate. I scheduled the work with them. The job took them about four days. The results are gorgeous! The only little problem had to do with coordination. Bruno told me that it would be okay to have painters in the house on the day after his crew put down the last coat of polyurethane. However, when the painters arrived, Bruno's guys didn't think it was a good idea, and the painters themselves didn't want to attempt it because they wouldn't be able to wipe up any small drips from the polyurethane without causing a visible streak. Overall, Bertolli did a great job. This was the second time I used them, and I will certainly use them again for work on my hardwood floors.

Bruno was a pleasure to work with. He was always professional and returned my e-mails in a timely fashion. His team did an amazing job...the floors are incredible. They were asked to match the downstairs pine floors to the upstairs darker floors and the match was perfect. The finished product looks very expensive, but the price is very affordable. It isn't highly laquered, which can look cheap. Really brought out the grains in the wood.I would highly reccommend Bertolli. Great job guys!

I joined Angie's List so I could find a reliable company to refinish my hardwood floors. After reading the reviews, I decided to call Bertolli Floors. Brian answered right away and scheduled an appointment for the next day. The owner, Bruno, met me at the house. He was prompt, knowledgeable and prepared a written estimate on-site. I knew the price was at market for refinishing hardwood floors (about $2 psf). I did not bid the job. I signed the contract and Bruno was able to take a credit card payment for the deposit. All work was completed as promised. My floors look beautiful!

I'm very pleased with them and I've used them a lot. They're very professional, and I like the price and quality of the merchandise.

Fantastic! From my first e-mail to Bruno Bertolli....the response time was great, helping to select the type of flooring I wanted and being patient enough to answer my questions and to coordinate things around my work schedule. Agreeable to all, they even did my installation on a holiday which worked out great for me. Ronnie and Juan showed up right on time and worked hard, fast and very efficiently.. They were very neat and careful moving the appliances in my kitchen and made me feel very comfortable with the installation. They cleaned after themselves and were both very friendly. I would definitely consider having them back for any other flooring job which I may decide to do. I had recently had a bathroom redone and had a nightmare experience, twice done, and it is still not right. This flooring job most definitely reassured me that their are still good, contientous workers out there and I thank Angie's list for helping me find them!

Very happy with all aspects of the job. We received three quotes and Bruno was in the middle. However I felt most comfortable in dealing with him and was not disappointed. His team did a great job and were very professional. Would not hesiate to recommend them or to use them again. They were always on time. We are out in Douglasville however the distance was not an issue for them and did not effect the timeliness of their visits.

They were great - on time, on budget, very good craftsmenship. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

While the nature of the beast of refinishing hardwoods is not a simple undertaking, this company made it as painless as possible. They do beautiful work and my floors look fantastic. I especially like the way that the shoe molding complements the floors.

Tile install was very nicely done. They kept the refrigerator plugged in the garage while doing the tile and moved all the appliances as needed. Was a bit of a problem with the dishwater hose, but they covered the plumbing cost to replace it. Very nice job on the tile and carpet fitting. Bruno was very helpful and accommodating, particularly when Home Depot screwed up the tile order which delayed the install! Would recommend them.

Received a quote for 1100 square feet of hardwood for upstairs at $9088, which included $850 for moving furniture, and stair treads and rails for $5490. I was told that I needed to change out my particleboard subflooring for plywood subflooring, which would also take care of my creaking floor. Bruno gave me a quote of an additional $1200 over the phone. The subflooring was put down and the hardwood installed. There were pieces of wood with holes and cracks, which is expected with wood. Bruno assured me that his crew would fill these in with wood putty. Some they did, others they didn?t. When the flooring came to the top landing of the stairs, his crew chief Ronnie, said that because of the thickness of the subfloor, there would be a height difference on the top step and recommended a riser that acted like a ramp. Basically half of the top step would have a ¾ inch riser to compensate for the subfloor. This would be on the front stairway and the back stairway. It didn?t make sense, and it was a safety issue. I told him I wanted the top step flush with the landing, and after much discussion, it was done. There was a gap under the lip of the top stair and I had to work with Ronnie to fix it. I picked up a piece of shoe molding from Home Depot and it was an easy fix. Since they were nearly finished, I told them to go ahead and do the stairs. The treads came out okay but there were some serious problems with the rails and balusters not being up quite right. I spoke with Bruno and he was nice enough to refund the cost of the stairs. The crew moved the furniture back and there was a little mishap with my dresser. We had it fixed and Bruno reimbursed us. After the job was completed, I received my invoice for the upstairs work. Surprisingly, the cost of the subfloor was not $1200 as I was led to believe. It was $2,793. $999 to remove the old subfloor, $1110 for installing plywood, and $684 for the plywood. The removal cost more per square foot than the installation. I called Bruno and told him about the difference from his quote. He took $450 off the bill. Unfortunately, when you walk into my master bedroom, the subflooring creaks. Bruno is a very nice person. He listens sympathetically to the issues and does his best to rectify any issues that might arise. The upstairs flooring and the stair treads turned out good. Added note: We had to have our stairs redone by a stairs professional. When the newel posts and rails on the second floor landing installed by Bertolli were removed, we found they had been attached to the wall by glue and nails that only went in 1/4 inch, the post was not bolted to the wall. This was a surprise as it was a safety issue and a code violation.

Poor job. I just don't get it! Why all these rave reviews and this job done poorly?. First, they didn't show up, and so hours later I had to call Bruno and ask where they were as I had email confirmation that they would be there at 9 a.m. The guys didn't speak much English so I couldn't communicate with them much when they did arrive. They put in the porcelain tile, then came back the next day and put in the grout. It looked okay, but when it was dry and we walked on it, the tiles are not all level, and the grout is not even around each. No one examined it. No one asked us if we were happy with this job. AND no one came back and finished the job. No one moved my washer and dryer back in (even though I was going to be charged $ 150 for take out and put back.) I finally had my painting crew move them back in. I emailed Bruno and said my new floor register would not fit as they had too much grout around it and also too much grout left on top of the tile for it to fit. I wanted this removed. They said they would come asap. One week later, still no one had come. So I finally had my husband call to try to get this job settled and pay them. Just one of the crew came, not Bruno. He fixed the grout, I gave him the check and he left. What frustration from start to finish that I didn't need to have. I could say other things, too, but I'll stop here.

We had worked with Bruno and crew last year to install hardwood in three bedrooms. So, we decided to go with them again. We were installing new kitchen appliances and hardwood was very worn down. We contacted Bruno for refinishing hardwood in entryway, foyer, kitchen and breakfast area. He sent quote immediately. We then added quote for refinishing stairs. Crew arrived punctually, but was unaware that they had to move fridge. I had to help both the guys move the fridge into the garage (luckily we were not moving it back as new appliances were anticipated). Crew speaks Portuguese, but usually there is one person who speaks English. They did a great job covering everything with plastic and began work. When they were done the next day, we arrived for check. The floor looked nice, except that they had used semi-gloss and stairs felt like walking on an outside deck. Spoke with Bruno who promptly came for inspection, and stated they would gloss again with heavy gloss. Crew arrived as scheduled and completed work. They closed house behind them (nice guys who we felt secure with in our house). The floors dried and next day another crew arrived to place shoe molding. Did a FANTASTIC job - our floor and stairs look great!!! I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Bertolli flooring. My only word of advice is that as busy as Bruno may be, he should arrive to do final inspection of all work done by crew with clients present. He is so very nice and professional. Cheers!! Looking forward to working with them again in the future!