Wolf Custom Tile & Design

I left a voicemail that was almost immediately returned by Rick, himself. He was friendly, honest and professional. He said he'd be happy to come out and talk to me about my very large tile project but also let me know upfront that he and his employees are master craftsmen, meaning that while they would do a beautiful job for me I would be paying a lot more than I needed to. Rick and his crew do smaller scale/more intricate jobs that require much more precision than my humongous tile job really needed. He recommended I go back to Angie's list and hire someone more suited to my needs in order to pay a more reasonable price for an equally excellent job. I truly appreciate Rick's honesty. Having not even met him face-to-face, I'm confident saying he is a man of great integrity that I will do business with in future projects. Anyone looking for specialized tile and design work would be wise to contact Rick Wolf.

I contacted Rick Wolf at Wolf Custom Tile and Design based on the outstanding reviews on Angie's List. We have tile in our first floor kitchen, laundry room, half bath and hall that has large continuous cracks, through the tile, in various places. Several years after our house was built and the tile began to crack (the tile not the grout lines). The cracks started out small, but grew in size and number over the years. We were told by some who we thought would know that was "the wrong type of tile" for the application (white back). This is a large area, approximately 450 sq. ft., and would require removal of cabinets, appliances, disconnection of plumbing, etc. Rick responded that they would like to help, but that due to the scope of the work (removal of cabinets, disconnection of plumbing, etc.) they were probably not best team for the extensive work involved to replace the tile. However, Rick offered to help diagnose the problem if I sent him pictures of the cracked tile. In fact to quote him: "It is unlikely that your tile is to blame for the continuous cracks. I can say, with a fair degree of certainty, that either your subfloor or a poor installation are to blame. If you're able to provide pictures, or any information you have regarding what's under the tile, I can help problem solve. You can also call anytime to discuss. We're in this business to help every homeowner get a proper tile installation - including the people who aren't hiring us." Wow, how refreshing! I provided Rick some photos and received the following response: The most likely scenario is that your subfloor or concrete board is moving/bouncing. Because the tiles are staying set, and the grout joints are in tact, your tile was probably laid properly, with the correct type of mortar. The easiest way to pinpoint which part of your substrate is to blame for this failure is to measure the distances between your 'fault' lines (cracked tiles). Plywood/OSB subfloor is generally in 4'x8' sheets. Concrete board is in 3'x5' sheets. You may also be able to see your subfloor from the basement, to crosscheck plywood seams with the cracked tiles. My most educated guess is that your subfloor was nailed to the joists, or poorly screwed to the joists. In turn, the tile is cracking at plywood seams. To make a long story short, I contacted a contractor that was interested in the job and he confirmed Rick's diagnosis. The problem is not with the tile but the sub floor/underlayment. I am in the process of getting several bids. Even though Rick was not interested in my job, I really appreciate him taking the time to help in the diagnosis of my cracked tile problem.

.

Everything went very well. Everyone showed up on time and exactly when planned. Rick and his employees do solid work and definitely stand by what they do. Had some issues after everything was complete and they came back immediately and fixed everything. Highly recommend these guys, you will not be disappointed.

Rick is an artist and a true professional. From planning the tile design to final installation, he gets an A+ rating. This tile job was supposed to start around September; however, due to issues with the tile manufacturer, we could not start until late December. Rick was delayed over and over again but had endless patience with this job. If you want a pro and someone who is just genuinely a really nice guy, call Rick!

He's amazing and is the best tile guy I've ever seen.

Beautiful job, very professional, personable, and responsive.

Beautiful job - easy to work with - gave helpful advice and made great suggestions. Can't wait to use them for a bigger more exciting project! Project kitchen/breakfast room/entry coming next!!

Rick is an artist. He worked with me to get an idea of what I was looking for and then took off. The work is almost finished and it is absolutely breathtaking....Take a look at his work on his web site...He's not the cheapest tile person; however, I have had the other guys on other jobs and am more than happy to pay a fair price for outstanding work....I'll be enjoying this for many years to come...

I found Wolf Custom Tile and Design on Angie's List and checked out their web page. I was impressed by what I saw there and appreciated that their office was located in my neighborhood. When I contacted them Rick Wolf was very helpful and assured me that even though he had worked on some extraordinary projects our humble period bathroom was something he was interested in doing. He brought a general contractor with him when he came to take a look and when that contractor's bid was too high for our budget he went about helping us find someone who could do the work within our means. He also brought in the plumber he usually works with, whose quote fell within our parameters. While it took a few months to get everyone's schedules coordinated (our own obligations were the biggest issue here - with only one bathroom we had to work around hosting house guests etc.) once they came to do the work things moved smoothly and quickly. We spoke to Rick and the other contractors almost daily and were consulted on details at every turn. This was much appreciated as we had some very specific wishes regarding this overhaul, for example we wanted to make it as "green" as we could afford to. Rick was not present every single day but was in regular contact to make sure things were going as planned. He and his team came in and did a beautiful installation of the tile, including a small niche beside the tub. We had gone over the basic design ahead of time and he had walked me through any issues he thought might come up, some of which inspired me to rethink my initial choices. I left some details to his professional discretion such as the tile work inside the niche and the color of the grout. The end result was even better than I had anticipated. One toilet paper holder had not arrived in time to be installed by the completion of the bulk of the project but Rick came and put it in (and finished some final grout touch-ups) as soon as the supplier received it. Throughout the process he was attentive to our needs and always willing to help us reach our goals. He was friendly and professional while also maintaining a healthy sense of humor. He understood and supported our vision from start to finish. We would hire him again in an instant.

Rick is a master of his craft and and artist with perfect attention to detail. His passion and commitment to excellence is evident in every aspect of his work. I found him to be creative, energetic, earnest, diligent and hardworking and all underlined with humor and dedication to do his best. Rick created an original design back splash for my kitchen and replaced my kitchen floor with a tile design as well. He was consistently timely, easy to work with and listened to what I wanted as a client. He was attentive to details at all times. I would highly recommend Rick. I respect him for his integrity, passion and artistry. Should I ever need tile work in the future I would look forward to working with him again.

Rick Wolf and his associate Brian did an outstanding job in installing a complex tile design for our kitchen backslash and tile on the side of our kitchen island. Their workmanship was top notch and they were very customer focused. They cleaned up perfectly after each day's work and they got the job done in less time than originally anticipated. They were very fair and flexible in their pricing and helped us out by negotiating with a vendor to have them take back some faux stone that was ordered incorrectly by me. They also did an incredible job of installing a faux stone wall in our kitchen which looks fantastic. Rick and Brian were extremely easy to work with, showed up on time, and their work exceeded our expectations. I would highly recommend them for anyone who is looking for creative craftsman to do tile of stone work that is out of the ordinary and requires some artistic sensibility to get the job done.