Kiah Commercial Inc

Our contractor hired this company (owner Steven Chung) to refinish our 90 year old floors (about 900 square feet plus stair steps). Our floors prior to refinishing, were red oak finished with a walnut stain; the grain presented a nice rich, dark brown color. We did not want the color to change at all. We requested the floors be repaired and refinished with the matching walnut color. The company arrived to finish the floors sooner than we expected, and without notice. The contractor provided them with access to the property and the crew moved all of our furnishings into piles in the kitchen and bathroom, causing damage to some items like glass candleholders and curtain rods which we discovered after the job was complete. They did not close doors or put plastic over these areas so draperies and rugs were not protected during their work. They piled heavy rugs and furnishings on top of fragile items. Two antique lamps suffered bent harps. We would have gladly moved these items with care if we knew they were arriving early. We assumed, as with any other contractor, we would be provided with a sample color to approve after sanding and prior to application of stain to all wood surface. We also assumed after sanding, that we would be asked if we wanted to repair boards that were stained (there were two pronounced black areas more prominent after sanding). Instead, the company sanded the floors, did not remove sanding dust from the house, then applied a red stain to the oak floors, finished with clear coat, and sealed right over the heavily stained black areas. They completed the floors in three days and when we were able to enter our house to see the work, we were absolutely mortified first, by the color, then, by the condition of our walls and belongings. Repairs were amateur at best (they broke free within weeks). We asked for Mr Chung and the contractor to meet with us and expressed our dissatisfaction with the color. Mr Chung refused to acknowledge the error and claimed he matched the floors. But he also informed us, he was not present after he quoted the job so his employee "matched the stair risers" which were not original (pine instead of oak) and therefore, not the color we wanted. In spite of this, he continued to stand firm that the color ("Gunstock") was correct and claimed the color would darken from red to brown five shades over the next six weeks. We expressed serious doubts at his assertion. He repeated that red oak will darken over time and this will occur in the next six weeks. We're not new to wood finishing, and we have never heard such a claim. Polyurethanes are famous for developing a yellow or amber tint after prolonged UV exposure however, I have never heard a claim that a stain would darken from Gunstock (which was applied) to Dark Walnut in six weeks (in Brazilian Cherry varieties, maybe?). We showed Mr Chung areas beyond the baseboard where the original color was still visible and not touched by his sanders. He looked at the bordering dark walnut color and firmly claimed that was not the original color. We showed him photographs. He was firm, the color applied was correct. The color is just the primary problem with this work. There is much more. We had just restored the plaster walls and had them professionally painted. We wanted to complete the wall work prior to the floors so we didn't get paint, plaster, etc., on the new floor surface. Every single wall in our home now has hand prints and red stain smears between two and four feet above the baseboards and on both sides of every single stair. This company does not apply plastic or tape bordering trim. Stain was dripped on the face of the stair risers that were not finished so not only do we have two-tone stairs, the risers all have red drips down their faces. The sanding crew did not remove dust from the baseboards prior to application of polyurethane either, so the baseboards all have a line of polyurethane splash that is embedded with sanding dust. When I asked Mr. Chung why the sanding debris was not removed prior to application of the polyurethane, he said a cleaning crew comes to remove all of the dust. I showed him the dust everywhere and then he said it was our responsibility to remove this dust. He contradicted himself repeatedly. We asked why he didn't phone us to notify us the dust should be removed prior to the application of the polyurethane and he had no answer. Our contractor claimed he had good experiences with this company prior. Mr. Chung agreed to re-sand the floors on the lower level (living room and dining room) as a concession and re-stain and refinish in walnut. He also said he would send his people to paint over the stain on all of the walls. If someone does a terrible job the first time, why on earth would you want him to return to do it again? Would I want floor finishers to paint my walls? I cannot stress enough what a terrible experience we had with this company. Beware, beware, beware. ***The floors are still Gunstock. Not a bit darker or more brown than when they were originally refinished.

He and his crew showed up when they said they would on a daily basis and finished ahead of schedule. His estimate was exact and did not change (other than a floor vent we decided to change to wood after the job started for a reasonable 30.00). His crew worked very hard with and without constant supervision and performed very high quality work. In the very few areas which I questioned, they remedied the situation expertly and without complaint. These guys can mark a straight edge free-hand and cut it as good as I can with a square and table saw guides in half the time. When my wife was having difficulty in picking out a stain, Steve was very patient in showing her samples, mixing custom example hues, and even volunteered to take her and my mother to his own house to show them the stain he used there. He used quality name-brand wood, stain, and sealant products and had up to date installation and refinishing equipment. His workers were very polite and conscientious. While it was not an inexpensive endeavor for us, I feel we received a lot of value in flooring for our money and would not hesitate to hire Steve and his crew again down the road. Upon reading one of the other reviews on here about this company I was a bit leery but had two personal recommendations from my own neighborhood to support my decision. After working with Steve, I am glad I made the decision that I did.

When we approached Steve , he said the dust would "work its self out of the finish. He also said he did not wait until all the other contractors were done to do his work( which we already knew) He kept making excuses, We brought in the man who recommended Steve to give us guidance in what to do. He agreed with us that the job was sub-par. We want to wait until we can get another floor company in there to evaluate the situation. He has the nerve to sue US. for his money. with the pictures of the floors and the opinion of the gentlemen who recommended him, I'm not sure what he is thinking at the moment. He ruined the floor. Anyone with even the most untrained eye can see that.