COUNTERTOP SERVICES

Let me start off by saying I would not recommend this company based on this time wasting experience. I called Chicago Wood Refinishing to come out for an estimate on entire kitchen and bathroom cabinet refinishing. I spoke to H (name omitted on purpose) and he scheduled an appointment for Tuesday, August 15 at 1:00PM. I was happy to get scheduled right away so I took some time off of work to accommodate the quick appointment and estimate. A few minutes later H called back and asked if 2:00PM would work because of an appointment he didn't notice on his schedule. I said that is fine. Day of appointment: 1:41 PM - H calls me to confirm our 2:00 PM appointment... says he is on time. 2:08 PM- H calls me and says he is stuck in traffic...accident on the expressway..will be a little late 3:03 PM- I call H to ask what is going on that he is an hour late...asked where exactly he was. He said 5-10 minutes away. 3:28 PM - I called the main office to explain the situation and express my disappointment and frustration with their service and the time I wasted taking off of work. 3:35 PM - Upon leaving my home H shows up. Seems like a very nice gentleman but I politely state that he is an hour an half late and I have decided to move on to other companies for my business. Summary: * Would not recommend this company based upon this time wasting experience. * If H called and said he is on time for the 2:00PM appointment at 1:41 PM...no traffic issue unless he himself is in an accident makes you an hour an a half late to the appointment. * Very disappointed I took time off of work for nothing. * The old saying of always get three quotes has rung true in this situation. I'm glad they are not the only refinishing company in Chicago..just scheduled two other estimates for my kitchen/bathroom project.

An excellent experience and great value.

Overall, they were very good. They were on time and neat. I'd highly recommend them.

Just moved to condo in Chicago that was in need of updating. We originally came in contact with Countertop Services because we wanted to restore some older furniture that we have. We also wanted to repurpose some other furniture by refinishing it a matte black. When Gerardo saw that we were getting bids on the floor he asked to bid on that also. He also took us to see an example of a floor that was done about three years ago in a model townhouse. We were so impressed by that floor as it looked absolutely beautiful. We received three bids on the floor and Countertop's was by far the best in value as well as being a detailed description of what was to be accomplished. We considered an engineered floor but after seeing the example in the model we chose to go with the hardwood floor. We also decided to have Countertop Services do our furniture as well. The floor is beautiful, as well as, the furniture we had refinished. We couldn't be happier with everything nor with the way the work was completed. The workman came everyday when expected if not a bit early, cleaned up after themselves. We also were having a new kitchen installed so we were very pleased the way they handled that schedule, all the boxes, moved our furniture out of the way, as well as moving everything back. Overall we couldn't be more pleased and look forward to working with Countertop Services, as we continue to update our condo. The address and phone number is: Countertop Services, 3935 N Elston Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60618, 773-478-8328. We worked with Gerardo -773-744-2779 on the furniture and Juan-773-865-0400 on the floor.

Removed old top brought new top & custom fit in Kitcken all with great attention to detail

Worse than expected.

Major complaints- delay in starting the job - He started over a month later than promised. He removed drawers immediately; reasons for delays included: supplier delay,drawers were so old that they came apart and he would have to put them back together, best craftsman were deported. He did not initiate any calls regarding reasons for delays. Problem #2 - original estimate included laying hard wood flooring in all three apartments. After I made a price comparison I found another contractor to do this job for approximately half the price he was charging. Cost of flooring was not canceled from original estimate. I should have gotten a refund of $1,299.28 after subtracting the cost of the floors. He indicated there would be a $998.00 additional charge for materials (including $98 for the door pulls that I had already paid for). Consequently I received a refund check for $300 and a later refund check for $98 which was the cost of the door pulls; a total of $398.

The final finish in terms of the actual paint and look and repair was really well done and it looks really good. But there were some times in the process that were difficult. These were cabinets that were solid wood and had been refaced. The refacing was going bad. They were able to repair that and fix and paint on top of it. In that sense they look like brand new cabinets, but we had some difficulties in terms of scheduling. They came and took the doors to the shop to do them and we had trouble setting a date when they would finish. It took a lot of calls back and forth. They came when they said, but it was more difficult than they'd expected so it took a little longer than they expected. It was hot and messy work. The downsides were that we were told that you don't have to take anything out of your cabinets and that they cover them up. When they were finished everything in the kitchen was covered with really fine dust. Don't be afraid to use the service, but empty your cabinets. We had some problems with hardware. They installed the wrong hinges, and when they replaced them there were marks left. We had to pay extra to have the hinges changed.

The company did a good job locating the exact counter top stone and finish we were requesting and installed on time and on budget. The installation of the counter top for the island was a little tricky because the boarder was an existing tile wall that was not completely straight and required the counter top to be raised about 1/2 inch. The company did a good job raising the counter top, but the seam between the tiled wall and the counter top could have been a little more exact. Silicon was used to make up for a small gap.

I left a message for Howard Coles and he returned my call. He took the time to understand the issue very specifically. Mr. Coles was up-front with me that the marble would need to be replaced and that resurfacing would not work in this case. He explained that some of the products I'd heard about were ineffective. He did suggest two TurtleWax compounds/pastes. Although I was very disappointed with the news, I was certainly grateful that he was upfront and honest with me and that I didn't waste my money on a service that wouldn't work as we had hoped. I believe I got the right advice from a professional that knows this subject, and I appreciated his time and candor--especially when he knew he would not be getting any money for the work.

The cabinets looks good. But the overall process was "FAIR". Mr. Cole represents his company very well and offered insightful advice. We received 2 other quotes, but ended up using Coutertop Services. We were advised not to remove anything from the our cabinets. He reassured us that the workers doing the refinishing, will make sure the cabinet contents is well covered. The workers were always late 1 hour , 45 mins, 1 1/2 hours and spent a lot time taping the cabinets. The workers oversprayed the cabinets and painted our stuff. EVERY kitchen gadgets, plate, glass has that rough exterior to it. It took us all weekend, to clean our stuff. I contacted Mr. Cole and was told, he'll talk to his contractors. Our house was filthy, after the sanding and painting. Mr. Cole apologize and offered us some savings, if we use him for the countertops. I did not go with them for the countertop. The cabinets looks good, but I would not hire, this company again.

Howard was prompt in setting up an appointment for an estimate. Received the estimate within 24 hours via email. Saw samples of many kinds of wood veneers. Decided that we would do a custom color in the white as family. Worked with Jose on the color. He did an amazing job of creating samples of colors before we finally hit on the right color. Jose also did the installation of the veneers. Overall the job is great. Would not believe that this is the same cabinet as before. Howard and Jose were both professional and great to work with.

In addition to installing the granite counter top, Kitchen Counter Tops also refaced our bathroom cabinets. Howard was prompt in giving us an estimate. He set us up with his marble & granite supplier to select a slab. They were very patient and accommodating as we spent a long time looking at tons (pun intended) of marble and granite. Work was done in a timely manner. Ran into one snag when, during the installation, they realized they mismeasured the backsplash. The error was corrected the next day and the job was completed. Overall they did a great job. The granite looks great. Well worth the cost.

Someone re-did our floors and it was poor quality and looks like it needs another coat. They got varnish on our freshly painted walls. The trim was also nicked up and they didn't clean up after themselves. The lock is also broken. Up to this point I'm not impressed with their work and would like a timetable along with an explanation as to why things were left unfinished and damaged. Just a comment on Mr Cole's response to our concerns: I do feel it is very unprofessional for him to blame us for complaining about our concerns. He states we were under the weather and irritated. Maybe it would be more professional of him to reply to the specific issue and not make a personal jab at us. Obviously, my husband was well enough to clean up the mess left by the floor refinisher. I do not want to turn this into a war of words, we just want our work done as promised. This has become a frustrating and unpleasant experience.

The process was quick. I called around and got quotes. Howard called promptly and gave an estimate, which was competitive. Within a day or two, they were out to measure, and within a week, it was installed. They had great customer service and prompt delivery. There were no issues at all.

I thought the service was great.

I was in a hurry to get counter tops so I called several places. Howard had his person measuring the same day I called. And, he even provided color samples on the first visit for one top I hadn't decided on yet. He was exceedingly fast in delivering the counter tops and the installers were very accommodating when I realized, to my horror, that the vanity sinks I had provided were too small. (Always open the boxes first!) The installers helped me pick other sinks that would fit from a catalog I had. They recut and redelivered within a day or two. Amazing. There was another problem stemming from their distributor but Howard dealt with that quickly and to my satisfaction. He even checked in again to make sure I was happy. Howard had the work completed before some of the other places even called me back!

Seems like a great company, just more expensive than our budget allows for this project. Could see using them in the future for redoing kitchen cabinetry...

They were very nice on the phone explaining that they were a little too far away to help me. I appreciated them actually calling back to give me the info, as opposed to just not returning my call.

Had originally planned to have the cabinets resurfaced with a laminate. However, after talking to countertops, I decided to have them refinished because I thought it would look better and last better. Their price was so reasonable that we were able to get the large pantry done as well. They did beautiful work, their people were very nice and professional, and they cleaned up after themselves. We are quite pleased with their work, and will go back to them for other home remodeling jobs.

I needed the work done fast, and they were able to accommodate my schedule. When I called to confirm my appointment, I was told by the sales person that he didn't know anything about my appointment. This is taken care of by the installers, but I had no way to contact them. Some parts of the cabinets were still dark. They were on-time both days and the installers were very courteous and cleaned up after themselves. The price was very expensive for the work that they did, but I needed the job done quickly before my tenants moved in.

They were nice, I like them and hired them to do the job and it's coming along very well.

THEY WERE ON TIME, KEPT DUST TO A MINIMUM. THE CABINETS LOOK FABULOUS. EVERYONE THAT WALKS INTO THE KITCHEN COMMENTS ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY LOOK AFTER THE REFACING PROJECT.

JOSE WAS ALWAYS ON TIME AND VERY POLITE. THE PRICE WAS A LITTLE STEEP BUT I'M SURE THE CABINETS WILL BE GOOD FOR SEVERAL MORE YEARS.