Upstate Increte

We had our front cement step, previously done years ago by UI, enlarged to a bigger two-tier step in summer 2020 for $3000. I asked and received advice about coating it for long-term use against the elements, and I followed the advice with coatings. Unfortunately after the first year it developed a few significant holes in the surface, which Paul returned to fix with cement caulk. But this year more holes and a crevice. After I texted him with pictures, Paul attributed this to salt, though the cement step originally there had never weathered. I asked him what could be done? He mentioned the name of a different coating, but said the steps would have to be ground down now to get off the previous seal, but he said he couldn't come back for "a few pennies" when he had other big jobs and not enough staff. He told me to just keep applying the sealant he originally recommended and plugging the holes. I said I was disappointed that it was just deteriorating right from the beginning and would keep on falling apart. He said, "I don't know what you want from me?" He then made a few rude comments to me about bothering him on a holiday weekend (he initiated the call to me on July 4). In his last followup text to me he said "I'm sorry I have no time and there is never enough time. Running myself crazy." Yes, something's not right, but he does have the money.

It was slow going to get project started and not much communication before, during or after. We were not even sure it was finished, when it was, as barriers were left & no communication. The problem was that the applied antiquing was very inconsistent. The darker color pooled in spots , and the color was heavy in some areas and not others. While the company did send out the worker & the manager neither was interested in fixing to our satisfaction when told we weren't satisfied with job. They explained it away as the nature of the method but we have never seen any pics of sidewalks that look like this. We believe that it was a sloppy application that now we have to live with as it is way too expensive to re-do.

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Arranging the initial visit for a quote took five weeks with a phone call each week. However, once the visit was arranged for a Tuesday, the work was begun the following Thursday and completed promptly in three days. The crew was very professional, efficient. and friendly. There was an entrance sill that needed repair not covered by the contract. They offered to make that repair at no charge with the understanding that the sill would not be covered by the floor's 10-year warranty. This was very generous and greatly appreciated. DAY 1: The floor preparation included diamond grinding the entire surface. This could have been very dusty, but their equipment captured most of the dust so that no major cleanup was required. Then all floor cracks were opened up and patched with an epoxy filler. When the filler was set the area was reground to a smooth surface and the floor cleaned to remove any remaining dust. The first coat of gray epoxy was applied very neatly and the work was finished for the first day. We discussed what to do with the 8" wide sill under the garage door which needed repair. They had earlier suggested hiring someone else since they do not usually do that work. DAY 2: When they arrived they explained that the manager had approved repairing the sill at no charge but it could not be covered by the 10-year warranty. This was more than acceptable to me. They cleaned the sill area, used their epoxy patching material to patch the holes and used a hand held diamond grinder to smooth the surface. The second coat of gray epoxy was applied to the main floor and the newly repaired sill area. colored chips were scattered by hand across the entire area. The chips were applied quite evenly without significant clumps or bare spots. This completed the second day's work. DAY 3: The floor was inspected and deemed in good shape. A coat of clear urethane was applied to the floor and sill area, aluminum oxide "grit" was scattered across the floor for traction and the entire area was rolled again to spread the grit evenly. This completed the project. I was advised to stay off the floor for 3 days and not park cars on the floor for 5-7 days. After about 5 days I moved most of the "stuff" back into the garage and after 7 days moved the cars back into the garage. The floor looks amazing, something like a car dealer's showroom floor, almost too nice to park on. It has been about three weeks now. The floor shows no signs of damage from moving heavy items back on the floor and parking the cars. It is very easy to sweep debris from the surface. Winter is coming and it will be interesting to see how the floor fares with the harsh weather, water and salt brought in by the cars. But as of now I am very pleased. In spite of the delay in making a first contact, I would confidently recommend Upstate Increte to anyone having a similar project. My sincere thanks to the crew and management for their work and willingness to go a bit beyond the normal limits of their contract.

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The floor was correctly installed and looked beautiful for the first couple of years. Upstate did return twice to fix the top level clear coating that was put on the floor. The first time the clear sealer was clear - the second time the clear sealer had a yellow appearance after the sealer was done and this yellowing has intensified. As a result of the harsh 2014 winter the floor has developed several cracks. I have been trying without success to get Upstate to come back to repair the cracks and recoat the sealer on the floor. We are even willing to pay for the work. However after leaving several voice mail messages and making at least three calls where we spoke to an actual person we are giving up. We are extremely disappointed with the vendor.

WOW!! They were on time, did a nice job, cleaned up VERY well and my husband was elated.