Grout Expert

Excellent job. Friendly workers, on time and took great pride in their work. The floor looks like new!

Shortly after the work was complete, the "glaze" on grout started to come off. The glaze was significantly lighter than the grout. Also, the threshold they supposedly fixed is worse than ever. The worker cracked one of the tiles. In addition, after allowing the shower to dry out for two days before the work could be done, they cancelled and rescheduled.

Excellent, So easy to have work done in your house when the people you bring in your house to do the work show as much care for your home as you do yourself. I spoke to several competitors listed on this site and [Trademark Redacted] was very competitive in price. I am very picky and like to know everything about what is being done as far as work, The quality and follow through was excellent. The end result was a job well done and yes yes yes yes.....I will use the in the future!!!!!

They did a very good job. They knew what they were doing and completed within the estimated time. Would use again.

The day of the job, the workman was on time and did a good job removing the hard and old caulk. The new caulk was installed. The color of the caulk was a little off, but we figured maybe it needed to dry to match. However, I later realized the workman used a different and wrong color. I confirmed this by purchasing the exact brand and color caulk noted in my initial estimate, and it is different than what was installed. In addition, as can be noted in the attached pictures, the caulk was misapplied with gaps and cracks such that water can infiltrate behind the tub. The caulk was also applied in an ugly and blotchy fashion as noted in the pictures. I thereafter emailed the company with these pictures, and asked that they repair the caulk application to fill these gaps and cracks, and they ignored my email and request. We had also scheduled additional work for other rooms, but due to the company's work on this bathroom caulk, we will be cancelling such. We tried recently to call the company to cancel the work, but their voicemail was full. I suppose we will have to let them know when they show up at our home!

I hesitated to write this review because my first experience with [Trademark Redacted] was positive, however, my second experience has been horrible and I will not hire them again. The first time they worked on my shower it looked brand new. However, after time a lot of mold was showing up in/on the caulk so I reached out to Kevin and he had a technician come and out re-do at no charge. Again, it looked great so overall we were pleased with the company. We hired them again to do the same work including steam cleaning, recaulking, and resealing the grout, however this time it looked terrible. The technician showed up and began hand cleaning it and when my husband asked about the steam cleaning he said that the machine was being used for another job so it wasn't available. This alone did little to improve the condition of the grout. The technician caulked the seams with a different color than what was in the work order and it does not match the tile. He also skipped a whole seam at the bottom of the shower so it very visibly has two different color caulks. I immediately reached out to Kevin with photos of the shower looking worse than before, but did not hear back. Last week I was cleaning my shower and noticed several strips of sealer peeling off with gentle washing of the shower walls and floor. I reached out to Kevin again and have received no response. I am usually very understanding in situations where a business makes an effort to fix their mistakes (which is why I didn't want to post a poor review), but it is very frustrating to be ignored after paying for very disappointing work. I will be looking for another company to fix our shower.

We had a very negative experience with [Trademark Redacted] of Northern Illinois. We experienced multiple scheduling problems, inappropriate and rude subcontractors, and an owner who was insistent on being paid for completely unnecessary work (which his subcontractors confirmed). Their recaulking of an unreparable shower that they later said needed to be replaced is the equivalent of reupholstering the seats of a junker car – pretty to look at, but ultimately pointless. This needless work was performed because of their inaccurate estimate, and then their multiple scheduling and rescheduling errors. We will definitely be looking elsewhere for any future work.

We could not have been happier with our experience working with [Trademark Redacted]. We were referred by a family member who had a similar positive experience. From our first call to request an estimate up to the conclusion of the project, the company was efficient, professional and all-around respectful of our time and our home. We had the estimate on a Wednesday. The work began on the following Monday. The company used a sub-contractor (fully disclosed at the outset) for the demolition, re-tiling around the tub and re-glazing of the tub. The sub-contractors, Carlos and his crew were fantastic. Their attention to detail in the tiling and the respect for our home were phenomenal. They went out of their way to make sure that our home stayed clean despite the major demolition in the bathroom. They even were able to get a plumber in on short notice (included in final price above) to address a plumbing issue with the shower. I do not typically gush about contractors. But, I feel compelled to do so about [Trademark Redacted] and their workers. I have had some very negative experiences with contractors who don't come when they say they will, are not courteous and respectful of our home, or do lackluster work. None of this was the case with [Trademark Redacted]. From start to finish, the experience was positive. They are the gold standard for contractors.

it went well. there was confusion about the time on the day up until the technician arrived (scheduling gave one time, confirmed another, and technician was early), but the quote process, the technician, and the work was good.

Price-$300 Sales-4/5 Work Quality- 2/5 Customer Service- 1/5 Was quoted 3-4 hours of work at 1:30. Guy showed up 2 hours early and stayed for less than an hour. I called him after his departure and asked why something was caulked. He says "yeahhh.... I saw that but did not do it". I agreed to a random time the following day he would be back to finish it. He did not come. After several emails and phone calls for days to the office the owner finally called and made him come back. He came back and did a very sloppy job. Looks like someone used a jumbo marker and slopped some caulk around. I paid 100 bucks for cleaning and the doors were not even touched. I will never use this company again, very disappointing and upsetting experience.

I had some water damage in my home-which was all new construction and only one year old. I called others before calling [Trademark Redacted] and no one could figure it out. No one wanted to take responsibility. The longer it took, the more water damage there was and the more upset I became. Then I found [Trademark Redacted]. [Trademark Redacted] came to inspect the damage and within minutes they figured out what the problem was and came up with a solution and fixed the problem. The actual cause of the problem was an easy fix and the fee [Trademark Redacted] charged was very fair. I would use them again in a heartbeat. Both Kevin and Corbin were awesome!! Thank you!!!!

[Trademark Redacted] of Norther Illinois was recommended to us by an interior decorator. We were advised that lighting the grout in our kitchen would be an inexpensive way to make the room brighter. This way we could avoid going to the expense of installing a new ceramic tile floor. Michael Miller, the estimator that called on us was very friendly and polite. He explained the [Trademark Redacted] process which is steam cleaning the the existing grout and floor and then using a coloring agent to lighten or darkening the existing grout. While preparing the estimate Michael mentioned that there was a loose tile and said nothing further about it. After hearing the price to perform the work, we decided to proceed and picked out the color that we wanted to have applied. We scheduled an appointment to have the work done. The floor initially looked so nice we called to have Michael come out again to give us an estimate on doing more work in our bathrooms. He came out and my wife proceeded to tell him what work we wanted to have done. Michael became overwhelmed and rather curt with my wife especially when it came time to pick out the grout colors for the additional work. As a matter of fact, he had to leave because he had another appointment that he was already late for. So he left leaving both my wife and myself upset at the way that we were treated. Another appointment was scheduled for Michael to come back to finalize the arrangements for the additional work. In the meantime, we noticed cracks throughout the grout and screws popping up in the grout lines. What once looked terrific was now worse looking than what we had before the work had been done. We pointed this out to Michael and he said that the cracking was probably caused by the loose tiles and that they should have never taken the job. Great. Had we known there was the risk of the floor looking worse, we would have opted not to proceed. Additionally, since Michael had already pointed out on his first visit that there was a loose tile, we feel it was his responsibility to point out the possible ramifications of having the work done. Since he is just an employee, we were told that we had to deal with the owner of the company, Kevin Ferrara. We were told that Michael would have Mr. Ferrara call us right away to discuss the situation. A week went by and then I had to call and try to get ahold of him. We were finally able to connect on the telephone. At which time he denied that anything [Trademark Redacted] does can cause the cracking that was becoming more and more evident every day. Further stating that the cracks were there in the first place and were not visible because the grout was dirty. We are not sure how he could make that statement since he hadn’t seen the floor until after the work had been done. He mentioned that it may be possible to inject cement under the tile to secure it to the floor, but that additional work would not be free. Why should we pay more money to [Trademark Redacted] for them to undo the problems they themselves caused. After the call, Kevin was very inflexible about scheduling an appointment that was convenient for us and would not require us to miss time at work . We finally agreed to have him come to the house at 7:30 Saturday morning July 2nd. Prior to this appointment we contacted an independent contractor having 57 years of tiling experience in the North Shore to give us an estimate on installing a new floor. The independent contractor said that there was no way to fix the floor satisfactorily and that we had 2 choices: do nothing and live with a worse looking floor than we started with, or install a new floor. He also mentioned that injecting cement under the existing tile would be a temporary solution to secure the tile and would lead to greater expense to remove the floor which could result in damaging the sub-floor. In addition, we contacted an attorney to find out what our legal options were. His opinion, after consulting with several other attorneys that we were entitled to a new floor and that [Trademark Redacted] had the responsibility to pay for it and put us in the same position we were in before they destroyed our floor. Kevin showed up punctually at 7:30 a.m. went in to the kitchen and proceeded to tell me again that nothing they did caused the cracks in the floor. He then said he would write me a check for a full refund. I told him that a refund wasn’t satisfactory and that I would not accept his check. He asked what I expected and I told him that I had contacted an attorney and that I was entitled to have him pay for a new floor. His response was that he had attorneys also and that it was funny that I expected something for nothing. I don’t expect something for nothing. I paid [Trademark Redacted] for their work and they destroyed my floor. They should be responsible for their damage. Kevin then said he needed to go to his car to get his camera. He continued to write the check. Despite my permission to do so, Kevin chose not to take pictures and proceeded to leave a check under the windshield wiper of my car. Which I ripped up in pieces and threw at his car as he drove away. We are so angry about this situation and the results of the work performed. We really feel that we are being taken advantage of. Just because their prices are low, it feels like [Trademark Redacted]c is of the opinion that they should not be responsible for damage they cause. At this point, we just want to be back in the position we were in before [Trademark Redacted] destroyed our floor. The only means to that end are a new floor. It seems inconceivable that I would have to spend the $2,200 it was estimated for a new floor when my floor was fine (albeit a little darker than we wanted it) before [Trademark Redacted] destroyed it. Now we are saddled with this horrible situation and will have to waste additional time away from work so that we can sue if [Trademark Redacted] doesn’t do what’s right to make us whole again.

When the owner came to my house to give me an estimate we decided that about 10 tiles needed to be removed and replaced, he assured me that it would not be difficult nor a problem. When the technician came out to do the actual work he did not want to replace the tiles. He said that it would be too difficult and would possibly damage other tiles, I told him to just seal and stain the grout. He is the expert and I deferred to his judgement. When I returned he had sealed the grout but he did not repair any of the cracked and damaged grout. I called the office and they did set up an appointment to come out and complete the work, which they did. My issue is with the lack of concern they showed about the situation. There was no interest at all over whether the work done was what we agreed on, I posed some questions about it and was essentially blown off. In a nice way, but dismissed. In order to earn an A there has to be a measure of excellence. These people were okay, if you want okay work done then these folks are for you. But not A work. It saddens me to have to say this, but there utter lack of concern concerns me.

Initial estimate was accurate and fair. Work was performed on time and professional. There was a minor problem with the grout drying to show some discoloration. [Trademark Redacted] response was immediate and quickly resolved the issue. It is refreshing to find someone who is so dedicated to customer service. I highly recommend them and will be contacting them shortly for another project.

It went well. Frank was the one who did everything. They estimated it would take 3 days but they were able to get everything done in 2 days. Frank was very honest and his work is of good quality. Price is reasonable too as I got quotes from other contractors and I thought this was the best value for everything. So I highly recommend [Trademark Redacted]!

When we called for an estimate, they were very timely in sending someone out. The price was reasonable compared to other estimates we had received. I waited about 5 months to call and have someone come out to do the work and they honored the pricing on the estimate. They were able to fit me into their schedule based on my availability. The contractor, Frank Anderson, was very friendly, thorough and arrived on time (time slot was between 8:30-9:30, he came right at 9am). He walked me through what he was going to do and didn't seem bothered when I kept checking in to the bathroom (I'm a little OCD). He scraped out the loose grout completely and scraped the "good" grout down enough so that he could put new grout over top of everything. He also removed all the old caulking completely (which was a chore because, I will admit, I did a HORRIBLE job caulking the tub before). He cleaned all the tiles and got them sparkling again. Then he regrouted and recaulked everything. The whole job took about 7 hours total (9-4ish) and he cleaned up everything when he was done. I am really impressed with how everything looks. It looks new again and I can't wait to take a bath in my nice, clean tub. As a side note, this was a MUCH cheaper option to removing all the tiles and putting in new ones. Our tiles were in good condition, but the grouting and caulking were not in great shape. When we got estimates for putting in new tiles, the cost was about 3x what it cost to redo the grouting/caulking. This was a great option for us!

Dale, the installer, was great to work with. He took his time and was very punctual.

This was a complete nightmare - and still is today. After failing to show on the first scheduled visit (set before my daughter was born); they then cancelled the nest appointment and finally came to do the work a month after the original appointment. The work was then performed by three (3) separate contractors on three different days - all of which we could not use the shower. Not only did I have to call and make sure the contractors showed up on the day they were supposed to (bc they weren't) - I had to instruct them step by step on what work they were supposed to do. No one had any idea what was going on and I had to act as a General Contractor to get this all straight. And in the end, they never did any of the grout work promised in the shower/floor. The work was ok. A chip in the slate I noticed later is no good - but I can't even bring myself to call them again. It was such a giant headache I was just glad they were gone. Now - only about two months later the swipes on the glass are coming off. I have reached out to them again (much to my chagrin) and I am having a h*** of a time getting the glass contractor (Lakeview Glass) to show up. Promised me they would be there at 9:00am sharp today - no show. "Maybe sometime today". wow. I would not recommend using [Trademark Redacted], as they don't do the work themselves but if you enjoy being your own GC - go for it. uest

Work was done quickly and efficiently. Very happy with results.

They worked magic on my shower tiles!! I really was surprised by the dramatic change. They re-grouted the whole shower/tub area. It looks amazing and I highly recommend the service to anyone looking for a new life for an old shower

Everything was completed on time Good quality of work

It went well. Arrived on time, did the job in half of the estimated time, was neat and tidy. Both showers look good.

It went very well they explained everything thoroughly and gave suggestions on how to maintain the new grout.

Mr. Ferrara was very prompt in coming to our home for an estimate on the work that we needed done in the shower. We had never had our showers sealed or caulked before so we learned a little during this entire process. After we decided to go with [Trademark Redacted], we were able to get scheduled for the work very quickly. We waited the required days prior to the service and after in order to dry out the shower and bathroom floors properly, so that they could do their work. The work was well done. I don't believe our tile or grout lines were beyond what they likely see on a standard basis. Our bathroom and shower are relatively small, living in the city. If you look at the lines of sealant or caulk very closely, you can see that things aren't always straight or lined up. However, the overall effect is good and the work has caused very little mold/mildew or water to accumulate in our shower anymore. We had a small misunderstanding about the floor tile in the shower. I thought it was included in the work for the sealant, but it was not, as it is not their policy to seal shower floors. (Mostly because it will peel very quickly.) However, they did steam clean the floor. Because we have hard water, it is likely that in the future we may have to re-grout the shower floor. But that is a job for another time! Unfortunately, about 3 months after the initial work was done, a small section of caulk began to peel away from the wall/tile. I was concerned that water was now seeping into this section because the section seemed to grow larger each week that passed by. So, I called [Trademark Redacted] to find out what we should do or what could be done. Once I heard back from them, they sent out two separate teams to come and repair the caulk, which was all covered within our initial contract. (It took two separate visits because the first re-working resulted in a different colored caulk than we were expecting to see.) Since they came back to do work, we have not seen any separation of caulk again and it has been about another 3 months since the re-do. I can see areas of sealant that are peeling away, but they are in high use areas, particularly when trying to clean the shower. I don't know that there is much that can be done to prevent that from happening. Overall, I would use them again and I would recommend them to neighbors and friends. Now that I understand a little more as to what to look for and ask, I think I feel confident in recommending them.

Kevin was prompt to come out and provide a quote. After reviewing the quote I noted that he squared up the room and multiplied by the sq ft. Since there are were over 50 sq ft x $1.85/ft under the cabinets I asked him to recalculate. He agreed to adjust the quote to to match the work being done. Brandon did the work as planned and was very careful not to get any stain on the surrounding tiles or kitchen cabinets. He was friendly, easy to work with and wanted to make sure the job was done correctly. Very happy with the results so far, the floor looks like the day we installed it. Total time to do 260 sq ft was ~6 hrs.