CHICAGOLAND DECK CLEANING & SEALING INC

It went fine, I have no complaints.

I called them for an estimate in the spring. They told me that there was a long waiting list and not to expect the job to be done until the end of the summer. I delayed in giving them the OK to proceed until mid summer. They called to let me know that if the weather held the job could be done at the end of October. The deck was cleaned and looked so good we couldn't believe it. Then the weather didn't cooperate so a week passed. They came back and cleaned it again because leaves had fallen all over the deck. A couple of days later the first half was stained. They called me with specific instructions that we followed, not walking on the new stain...keep the dog off for 24 hrs and the next day they did the other section. So in my mind this was a custom job.

They had two employees come to do the washing and were done in about 1/2 a day. For the sealing they had 5 employees and were done in 1 day. Very impressed. Great job and the fence looks great.

I scheduled them a couple of months in advance when we would be out of town. They as promised, washed and sealed/stained the deck and sent me an invoice. Communications with Bill were excellent and ongoing before the job as we decided what color to stain everything. They even dropped off a wood post that had been treated with different colors to help us decide.

Everything went fine. Weather was a little dicey but since my porches are covered even when the weather was threatening they were still able to complete the job. There are a couple of spots missed on vertical boards but I gave them a pass because they were minor and water does not lay on the verticle boards. Company offered to come out and touch things up but I said it didn't matter. Happy with the work that was performed and will use again.

I think they did a great job of cleaning my deck and I was very impressed with it. We had a small altercation. They had someone coming out and they were supposed to be showing me a sample for the stain and I wasn't home and they showed it to someone else and they went on and stained my deck without my permission. I had a little problem with that, but I was able to resolve it especially with the owner.

At first the company appeared polite & responsive and Bill Haderlein came in person to look over the job and give me an estimate. He said he did not think we needed sanding and offered what seemed to be a good price to refinish our wood deck. At our meeting, he said they do not usually sand, but if I wanted sanding, he could recommend someone. I spoke with his wife, Jeanie on July 13th by phone to tell her we wanted to have it sanded. She gave me the number of a professional sander and said to call back with the sanding date and they would fit me in within a day or two after the sanding was completed the first week of August. I called back and informed them that the person they recommended said they could sand August 1,2, or 6th. I asked that they coordinate with the sander. On July 24th, I got a message from Mr. Haderlein saying ". . . Why don't you do the August 6th date? We'll try to follow it as close as possible at that point. 773. I have you down for August 6th and you let us know that it was successfully completed, for example . . . so just call us to say okay, they finished the sanding and then we'll try to finish it as quickly as possible 773-348-4516 if you have any questions. Bye Bye." On July 30th, Mr. Haderlein called me and said, "you talked with my wife Jeanie on July 13th saying that you guys wanted it sanded though she did not relay that info to me . . . In reality our quote changes . On our original we really did not recommend you needed sanding. So I need to talk to you about revised wording and THEN we'll talk about scheduling." He then proceded to tell me they we doing a big condo job and could not do my job [as previously agreed], blaming her for not telling him and me for not calling sooner (even though I had). When it became clear he would not do it the week previously agreed upon, I asked him what the soonest date he could do it was. He replied "the soonest realistic date is unknown." I told him we had a party coming up at which point he told me for the first time that the oil-based finish smelled bad and would take 3 weeks to cure properly. He asked me to call back with the date of the party, and then left me another message that he could not give me [another] date without the date of the party. No service was performed because the owner reneged on the original service date promised. Mr Bill Haderlein tried to blame his wife and me.

I contacted Chicagoland Deck in early April to clean, pressure wash and seal my 20-year-old backyard wood deck. The deck was extremely dirty and hadn't been cleaned or treated in at least five years. I used to do the work myself each year, using deck cleaner and a deck brush (I don't have a power washer) but I can't do it anymore. I spoke with the owner Bill at the time. He was very honest in telling me that he had a backlog of work and wouldn't be able to get to my deck until late May, or possibly into June based on weather. I was disappointed but decided to wait, and I'm glad I did. They came to pressure wash my deck on June 14th and returned on June 15th to seal and stain it. By this time I had planted and placed all of my containers on the deck - I have a large number of them. They moved everything from the deck for me prior to beginning the work. I am amazed at the result. The 20-year-old deck looks brand new. It is just beautiful. My husband thinks the deck looks better now than even on the day it was installed 20 years ago. My neighbors on both sides have commented on how great it looks, and one neighbor asked who did the work so he can hire them to do his. Needless to say I told them that Chicagoland Deck did the work. Chicagoland even offered to come back and put all of my planted pots back! But it wasn't necessary and I was able to put them back on my own.Overall they did a FANTASTIC job and I am very, very pleased with the work they did. I felt the price was very fair.

An estimator came to analyze the job which was to clean and stain my deck. He was very polite and knowledgable. Very soon after that, a quote arrived in the mail. Scheduling for my appointment was a bit complicated because it had to immediately follow the sanding of the deck that was done by another company- one that they recommended. We arranged to have the appointment put on the books tentativley- pending the sanding. A month later, I called to arrange for the cleaning and staining. Big surprise: they were all ready for me. They had even checked the weather for the week- and already had me on the books. The owner called a little while later, and arranged it all. The deck cleaners arrived exactly on time. They helped me chose the color of the stain before they started cleaning. They were VERY knowledgeable. They cleaned the deck and deck bench thouroughly. They were fast and very efficient. They could not have been more polite. The next day, the stainers arrived right on time. They were extremely polite. They took a long time applying the stain and when they were done- this 12 year old deck looked brand new. It was a beautiful job and a great experience.

My deck was way overdue for cleaning & staining. I tried to do it myself but couldn't get it clean enough so decided to hire someone for the job. Found this firm on Angie's List - really good references. They were easy to work with, friendly & professional, gave me a good estimate, let me know when I called that they most likely would not get to me in 2011 but would put me on their list & hold the estimate until warmer weather in 2012. They called once the weather got warmer, asked if I was still interested, and although they could not give me an exact date, they said they'd call ahead of time when they got closer to a date (I'm sure it depended in part on weather & how many ahead of me changed their minds about getting work done). I would definitely recommend them - deck looks really good!

I was excited to have this company estimate, wash and seal my deck. They returned my call promptly. Unfortunately they aren't scheduling new clients until July and I can't wait.

I really value businesses where you can tell that the owners are personally involved, personally care about your issue you're trying to solve, and exude confidence that they're going to take care of you better than anyone else out there, because they take pride in what they do and know they're the best. Such was the case with Chicagoland Deck Cleaning & Sealing. I spoke with Bill, the owner, several times, and he was so patient and competent that I felt like my problems would just go away, and they did. They worked with me on pricing and scheduling, and the decks turned out beautifully. I could tell that their work was far superior to other handyman services that had done prior deck water-sealing jobs. Their materials they use are better quality, and the finished job won't flake off like prior jobs did, since you can tell the sealant really has embedded into the wood. Whereas before, I expected to have to reseal every year, I new have confidence this job will last several years with no problems. Great, great job!!!

It took them one week to get back to me for a quote. I hired someone else.

Bill Haderlein called to schedule the work. The next day his son and crew took care of business. Great work, clean, professional.

Although the decks are over 20 years old, they look like new. They do a great job.This is my second time having them do the work (they did the same work for me 3 years ago).

The owner, who was working on the job, was very professional and very efficient. It was a real pleasure to do business with. I would highly recommend them.

Update, December 2013: While the deck looked fantastic when the work was first performed in the sumer of 2011, the stain immediately faded and barely lasted until the fall. By mid fall, both of the decks I had stained looked like they needed staining and finishing again. While the quality of the work was good, the stain they used was very subpar. It is now over 2 years later, and I will need to have my deck restained again this summer. This after I was told the stain they used should easily last 5 years. I am not as impressed as I was originally. Original review: Chicagoland Deck Cleaning and Sealing did a fantastic job doing just that, cleaning and sealing my deck. The power washing alone made a huge difference, but once they sealed it, it made a huge difference. Bill, the owner, was very responsive and listened to everything I said, and once the workers came out, they got right to work, finished quickly, and even protected my neighbor's decks from any dirt or debris or dripped stain. Two workers did the power washing, and FIVE guys actually came out to do the staining the next day, which was very impressive. Overall it was a great experience, and my decks look brand new. They also did both of my neighbor's decks and did a fantastic job on those as well. I definitely recommend this company. One note: Make sure to book way in advance as they tend to get booked far ahead for the season.

The cleaning took one day and the sealing another 1 and 1/2 days. The crew size went from about six for cleaning, to about ten on the first day of sealing, to a couple on the last day of sealing, when only about 25% of the sealing work remained undone. The job was well done.

The team was very professional, punctual, and considerate of the property. On day 1 the decks were pressure washed and a couple days later they came back to stain. They took extra care to lay down tarps to avoid getting stain on the composite decking. It didn't work out as planned and the owner had to come out and inspect the quality. They came back a couple of more times to fix some problems areas. Totally hassle-free. The owner is a wonder to work with. I wish all contractors were as responsive, honest, and dedicated to quality as him.

Went very well. Called back same day to discuss project. No surprises. Looks great. Wish all companies ran so efficiently.

Their rates seemed high to me, but I wouldn't mind paying if they had done decent work. They did a terrible job. They were mighty sloppy in applying that stain (I still have marks on my door and walls), but the main thing is that they absolutely failed to get the surface anything approaching clean before they starting staining. And once the stain went on, the wood ended up looking dirtier than it did before they started (as more than one guest remarked to me). It's now less than two years after they did the job, and whatever water seal they put down is of course long gone and the whole thing looks just awful and needs to be redone. Plus they broke the concrete step outside my door in two places and couldn't even bother to let me know. Your average person could do a better job with a rented power washer and a can of Thompson's.

Got an appointment when it was convenient for me and my condo neighbors. Rainy spring delayed the work, but Chicagoland Deck was in touch and worked with us to reschedule.

What stands out about them was their professionalism and the quality of their work They were on time and cleaned up after themselves. The deck looks a lot better now.

I found them on Angie?s list. They could not do the job themselves so they gave an estimate for somebody else. The quote was for subcontracting. They sent someone to take measurements. I don?t think they were as professional as the other company that came. The person that came did not seem to know a lot about that particular situation. I will consider them in the future for a quote.

They were the least expensive bid. They've done this same work before for me, and they had their records and were able to give me a quote on the phone.