Grain Flooring

Brian was responsive, courteous, timely; each day he followed up with me to let me know the plan for the next day. Work was completed on time, actually earlier than I expected. He and his crew cleaned up, moved furniture, and removed carpets. I was so pleased with the first floor I decided to have the second floor done. Brian was able to accommodate the next week. Brian even leveled a door that wouldn't shut. Very pleased, would recommend!

I was extremely impressed with his expertise. He basically refurbished a demolished deck into something that looks brand new. His pricing in regards to his quality of work was very inexpensive.

Beautiful results. Highly recommend this vendor

It went fabulously well. He also finished off some areas in the living room where there had just been sheetrock but no baseboard and framed the fireplace hearth very nicely. The price was very reasonable, the job is very nice and Brian was very nice to work with.

Brian was prompt to respond to my telephone message and came out that week to give us an estimate for the work. Of the three flooring contractors we reached out to, Brian seemed to be the best fit for us. Upon signing of the contract, Brian delivered the wood to our home so that it could acclimate. The work took seven days to complete, and Brian and his team were on time each day. The team did a meticulous job, and the floors look beautiful. We are very happy with the quality of work done, and plan on using Brian again in the future when we are ready to finish the remainder of the second floor.

I called for an estimate and made an appointment. The provider no showed and never called. Very unprofessional and disappointing.

Brian was prompt to arrive for the estimate appointment. He discussed the options for refinishing and we set a date for the job. He arrived on time and performed the job in the timeline that he had promised. When we scratched parts of the floor as we tried to put our heavy furniture back in the room, I called Brian in a panic and he promised to return to fix the floor. Of course, we had to pay him for his labor, an additional $400.00. It probably would have paid to have him and his men move the furniture back in, in hindsight.

I called Brian for the estimate. He came to my new house next day for estimates. He estimated sq.ft for the house and steps for second floor. He gave me the estimates and he explained me how many days he needs, what he is going to do each day, how long it will take and how many people he needed. I did my calculation based on time he told me and felt estimates are reasonable. When he started the work, he was very professional , he was on-time and he was there for complete work. He took exactly same amount of time and people what he told during the estimates to complete the job. The floors are so smooth. We are very happy with his services.

Our contractor had torn out the existing layers of floor, but Brian wasn't content with pounding down the remaining nails. He spent 3 hours pulling out every last nail and smoothing the floor. Our formerly squeaky floor is virtually silent now, and looks fantastic. He is a true craftsman, and is very meticulous. Brian clearly takes great pride in his work. He had workmen help bring the supplies to him, but he did all the installation himself. Any work that was done by his workers (sanding, applying polyeurethane), he supervised. He did not leave the job until he was satisfied that we were pleased with the results.

My wife and I just bought a house in Rutherford, and the floors were completely covered with horribly old, moist and generally-disgusting shag carpet. We're 99% sure that it was installed sometime back in the 70s, and that the last owners didn't know what it meant to update or maintain their home. The only places that didn't have shag were the dining room and kitchen, which had linoleum tile. The first thing we did when we got in was rip up all the old carpet and the linoleum in the dining room (we left it in the kitchen for now). We found a bit of a gem on the first floor - oak floors with a chestnut inlay that must have been beautiful, once. Since the carpet had gone in, an incontinent dog had lived there its entire life, and there were urine stains over 60-70% of the living room. Upstairs there were pine floors that were in more or less OK shape, except underneath the standalone steam radiators where a slow drip over time had seriously damaged the wood under their feet. One of the radiators damaged the floor so badly that it had actually fallen *into* the floor, exposing the sheet rock from the lower level's ceiling. The office on the second floor, which was installed later, had only huge unfinished planks underneath the old carpet. Not a suitable floor. Brian has made our floors absolutely beautiful. In the living room, where the urine stains covered the floor, he spent two days tearing out the damaged wood (not before sanding it to see if it was salvageable - the stains went nowhere) and replacing it with new floorboards that he acquired on his own (another contractor told me that he'd install new wood but that I'd have to get it - what do I know about buying floorboards?!). The floors in the dining room and the living room, which are really one big open space, are now basically a work of art. We knew from the dining room (that was basically in OK shape since it was under linoleum, and protected from the dog) that it was going to look good when fixed, but our expectations have been far exceeded. The transition from old wood to new wood is not invisible in some places, but it is in others, and where it wasn't, Brian carefully staggered the cuts to make the effect not jarring. The only place you can tell is directly in front of the fireplace, and time and smoke are the likely culprits for darker boards in that area of the room. Upstairs, the office got a new floor. Brian suggested using Australian Cypress boards (which is very hard and well-suited to rolling chairs), and it looks excellent. He asked me to lay out some plywood the night before, to act as a moisture barrier and to counteract some of the house's sagging in the back, but I'm pretty handy and I didn't mind at all. In the bedrooms and upstairs hallway, the old pine floor that was, for the most part, in good shape, got a great refinishing. He brought in some new wood to repair the hole from the old radiator drip, and while he couldn't match 90-year-old yellow pine's color exactly, it's close enough (and in the corner enough) that it doesn't matter. He also replaced a board in the other bedroom that was originally laid on top of an improperly installed stud (or something), causing it to jut up a quarter-inch above its neighbors. He shaved down the problem underneath and put in some new wood that blends right in to the rest of the room. There was a significant sag in the front of the house, causing the floor to dip noticeably for the last three feet. We talked to Brian about how this could be corrected, but he suggested that it would not be cost effective (we'd have to rip up the old floor and lay new, after creating something to keep it level) and we agreed. My only complaint is that I have to wait several days for the polyurethane to cure before I can move my furniture in place. At the end, we were very happy with Brian's work, and when we redo the kitchen (it will involve moving the dining room inlay in two feet) we will definitely call him back to help us keep everything as beautiful as it is now. I simply wouldn't trust anyone else to do a good job. The final price was just about $5.40/sqft, which would be a bit high for a simple refinishing, but this job was not a simple refinishing. It involved a lot of new wood, and I could tell he was a bit irritated when he found out how much of the living room floor needed to be replaced (he couldn't tell until after the initial sanding - we didn't try to hide anything), but he kept to our agreed-upon price even though it cost him a bit more, both to get the needed material and in time spent doing the repair. He also worked with us a lot on the price in the beginning, possibly to his disadvantage. We had several estimates for much less, but they were from people who either weren't floor specialists or who just said "let's sand out those stains and hope they disappear!" They didn't disappear, and we knew they wouldn't disappear, and we didn't want to negotiate for replacement with the contractor already in there - we had no faith that we'd be able to get a good price for repair-work in that situation. Only two contractors convinced us they'd do a good job, and only one of them was going to take care of acquiring all the necessary material for the repair work, and that was Brian.

We had several problems. We were quotes a daily rate for the work of $500/day plus supplies, which would not exceed $500 for the stated work. The work was also not expected to take longer than 5 days. When you leave one day at 1:30, that shouldn't count as a full day. After 3 days, it became more evident that it might take longer and, at that time, the quality of the work began to deteriorate rapidly. Worse, at the end, I was quotes $1,000 for supplies, double the guaranteed max price. When I pointed out the various deficiencies - such as lines chopped into the side of the wood ruining the wood, but still using it, I was essentially told, "that's the way it is." My wife thinks the work is horrible, I don't think it's quite that bad, but you get the point. There are probably about a dozen or more complaints we have about the work. The railings are too loose, the gaps in the stairs are too wide, the trim on the side of our house was not put all the way around because he elected to make the post too large to do this thus changing the look, the corners for a lot of the trim is not cleanly cut and looks like it was done by a child, the caulking was not fully completed, the holes where the old railing was taken off were not filled and sealed, a couple of the tasks were not even completed, overall shabby appearance, lots of knots apparent in the wood, large gaps between pieces, some of the trim was not painted b/c it was installed after painting.... On another note, stop talking politics with clients. Within 2 sentences of meeting, very strong politic views were brought up. I don't care about your political views, I just want the work done properly.

I called a few places on Angie's list and one company that a neighbor used. Brian, the owner, got back to me immediately by phone. Another company gave me a price per foot on the phone. Brian wanted to discuss the options since I was thinking of getting the finish that dries in a few hours and has no odor. If I had to live in the house while this was being done I would have done that procedure. However, I was going away for as much as 3 weeks and decided to go with the polyurethane finish. It was probably this personal touch since I had many questions that had me choose Brian's company, and it seemed to be the superior procedure. As for the estimate....not sure since I did not have that many estimates come in, but I think there is wiggle room on the price....I was not going to get the upstairs done but brian said it would not blend in with the finished hall...glad I did. This is a difficult procedure to live with and is well worth it to go away, or get this done before you move into a dwelling. I did packing of dishes, books etc to ensure nothing would break. I also hired someone to come in my house and clean some before I returned and before the furniture was moved. I do not think the dust was that great, but I also had this done. The best thing was that Brian was always there with maybe 2 other men. He could answer any questions and you knew everyone was being supervised. He works quickly and actually answers question that way....good idea to write all inquiries down...to make sure you get to them. The work confirmed to my schedule since they started on a weekend and came back almost the day after I arrived to put back furniture. If they move the furniture they put soft pads on the bottom...if you move it they are not there....and you should put them on to make sure you do not unintentionally scratch the floor... Brian does have expertise of furniture....fixing things....and gives advice along the way...like don't keep your carbon monoxide alarm on the second floor.... This was a procedure I got done for myself and also because a realtor indicated that it is helpful when putting a house on the market.

I think that the person that did my flooring was awesome, he did a great job.

We could not be happier with our floors or with Brian and his team. From our first conversation to finish, he was extremely professional in every aspect. He was punctual - in fact, he was always there before us to ensure that he didn't keep us waiting. He was timely - he finished the job exactly on the timeline he told us at the beginning. He was a perfectionist (as am I), noticing every single detail and closely scrutinizing every aspect of the work completed. He was trustworthy. We gave him a key, never worrying about his trustworthiness and he followed through on every deliverable and promise. Our home was left very clean - a concern we had was that with all of the old carpet, nails and staples, and massive amount of dust from the sanding that it may be dirty...he left it in better condition than it was left in by the previous owners...we can move right in. He was consultative - he asked us what we wanted and he would give us guidance if we asked for it. He wanted us to be a part of the process and very happy the entire time. As you can tell, we could not more highly recommend Brian and his team! He was referred to us and we will refer him to anyone who needs their wood floors installed, repaired or refinished!

Brian is the owner. He was very detailed. He read everything to me about what process he needs to go through and how much time it would take. His cost was experience. I asked to skip all the bedrooms, but it was still high for me. He was the most expensive.

In short, Brian separates the boys from the men (as he likes to say). Importantly, he likes what he does. So if you want your floors done right, do call him. I wanted the work to be done quickly before I can move in. Brian was at the house ready to start work as I got to the house after my closing! He and his crew are very efficient; he quickly removed the old carpet, even got the garbage guys to take it away (not an easy task where I live). He worked hard to level the floors (my house is about 100 years old) and did a good job given the constraints. He explained what he was doing throughout the process, and was able to work independently during the week. In about seven days, the floors were done, and looked beautiful. I am very particular and notice every little imperfection. On a scale of 1 to 100, the floors are close to 95. How do I know Brian is good? I know because he is willing to make changes / do extra work to make clients happy. In my case, the stain that was applied did not turn out the way I expected. Brian was able to change the color by adding some stain to the second coat of poly. When the entry way got dusty after the third coat of poly, Brian came back (after I had paid him) and put another coat the very next day! No hesitation at all. My only regret? I wish I spent more time discussing the job with Brian before he started. I bought the wood myself. I was trying to match some old wide plank flooring in the house. I thought I had found the perfect match. However, when the stain + first coat of poly was applied, it became apparent that the wood/color was different. Brian explained I had purchased southern pine (the old floor was northern pine); hence, there was no way to match it. Now it was too late to make a change, and I wish I knew there was a difference much sooner. So take the time to make sure you and Brian are on the same page, especially if you are ordering the material yourself. He is very knowledgable so do take advantage of it. Overall, a great job and I would highly recommend him.

What can I say about Brian, words are not enough to describe the quality,workmanship, punctuality, professionalism etc....I could go on and on and on. Like Brian, I am very detail oriented to the point of perfectionism. I'm a type A person that's difficult to please but Brian went to great lengths to satisfy my needs. He presented me ideas to enhance the beauty of the floor therefore enhancing the beauty of the room. Brian and his crew are very punctual and kept me informed of their plan for the day. When asked to apply additional coat of polyurethane, he gave me not one but two additional coats. He did not hesitated to take that extra trip to apply the additional polyurethane coat. I give Brian and his crew an A+++ and highly recommended. They exceeded my expectations. Anybody reading this review, please feel free to contact me for reference. I would definitely use Grain flooring again in my future projects.

The floors look absolutely gorgeous. He arrived on time, his cost was very reasonable, matched up the flooring perfectly to match the living room and dining room, did a fantastic job and carefully cleaned up before he left. I would highly recommend Brian and would absolutely use him again.

I was very happy with Brian's work for the following reasons: As time went on it became more and more apparent that Brian was a very nice and honest person and could be trusted in my house and with doing the work correctly. I was away working for weeks at a time at a remote location while the work was being done so I needed someone I could trust while I was not there. In addition, each day he would call me in the morning to let me know when he would be at the house for that day and into the week. He was in constant contact with me to let me know how things were coming along and when there were decisions needed for how a certain thing would be done. I was not around some of the time to buy items than needed to be installed and he bought those for me when I needed him to. On the other hand I liked that he left the choosing of the tile to me so I could take my time and pick out just what I liked. When the store I picked it out from did not have it in stock he went around and found the tile at another place - and luckily there it was on sale for less than 1/2 the priceof the 1st store. Brian was patient when I wanted things a certain way and was very easy to work within that respect. Brian is very experienced in all aspects of construction and very good at spotting area that could later become problems even if not apparent now to most people. By correcting these things now money and time is saved in the long run. For example, while working in the attic he detected that I only had 1 20 amp. wirefeeding into the entire upper kitchen and also a second kitchen. A friend corrected this while things were open and easy to work on. Additionally, by testing each outlet he gave me a good idea of how many outlets were on each circuit breaker. I could tell he was always mindful of getting everything done by when I needed it all done. Also, some of my projects were more difficult than most people's in that it was an older house and the floors, walls, and ceilings were uneven. And where the old stoop was there was a deck built above it so it was very difficult to work on. When Brian needed it he would bring helpers but I could tell he was always the one doing the challenging work which was what I was hoping for. A tribute to his work is that someone visiting my house later actually asked if it was a new house, even though as I said before it is quite old. And Brian never asked for money ahead of time, even when he had to buy things with his own money to get the work done. One more thing. It turned out the kitchen I wanted was from Ikea. It was too challenging for me to figure out how to order what I need from them and Brian actually went with me and did was what needed at the store to order the right cabinets etc. In fact his wife Allison, who is a realtor and through house staging for future house sales has become experienced in interior decorating, even came and helped me with the color and other choices. Actually that reminds me of one final thing to comment on. Brian was always looking at the work with and eye as to how the final project would look. With all of his experience, I think he has acquired an interior designer's eye.

They came in and fixed the problems. They were the only company that said they could do it and ended up doing for me. They were very professional and did a great job. They cleaned up after themselves and I am very pleased with their work. I would highly recommend them and will use them again.

Brian and helper came on time. Work was done as promised. Floors had been stained in many areas. They look really great.

Brian Leger owner of Grain Flooring, worked very efficiently to put up lots of old carpeting and refinish 45-year old hard wood floors. One floor, in the master bedroom, that had not been carpeted and was badly marked up and scarred, came out beautifully. Brian did a great job and his fee was very reasonable.

There were no surprises. Brian finished the job on schedule, and on budget. The work was exceptional. My wife and I are extremely pleased with the results. Additionally, Brian is professional, and extremely knowledgable. During our initial consultation, we had discussed what stain we might be interested in going with. Brian provided us with stain samples so we could better form an idea of what we ultimately wanted to achieve. Once it came time to make the final decision, Brian laid down four or five colors on our own floor so we could see roughly what each color would look like in the end. This was very helpful. I would recommend Brian and Grain Flooring to anyone. I plan on having him back next year to take care of my deck.

My wife and I were very happy with the work Brian and his crew did on our floors. We have received many compliments from people who have seen his work already, even though we've only been in the house for a few days. They worked hard to match all stains to the existing wood trim in the house, and reapplied stain to achieve the correct look. He definitely had a "we'll work until we get it exactly right" attitude, which we appreciated. The floors were in fairly bad shape before his work, but now they look great. He is good about explaining the progress he achieved each day, and we never had to chase him to find out what was going on...he always called us without us having to ask. He didn't take any money up-front, which was a nice gesture. He's a nice guy and is easy to work with. We would recommend him highly to others, and we would use him again if we decide to have the wood floor of the porch refinished. As a bonus, he noticed our garage doors were contacting the ground and making them difficult to open. He offered to saw the door-bottoms a little bit so this wouldn't be a problem. It's always great when people go above and beyond to help their customers, and he did so.

I called Brian from Grain Flooring because I saw on Angie's List he had a high rating. He called me back right away and came to give me an estimate. Once I decided to use him, he was there, on time, to start the job. He told me exactly what he was going to be doing each day and what to expect. It took three days to complete the job and the floor looks fabulous. He matched it to what I had in the rest of the house and looking at it, you would think it was there all along. I would use him again and would recommend him highly to anyone interested in putting in hardwood floors in their house.