A & A Concrete

I contacted a contractor to inquire about having a commercial floor leveled. They came out and quoted me a price ($5,000) to have 2,300 sq/ft leveled... but they said they would have "their concrete guy" actually do the work. I was to pay 50% down ($2,500) and the other 50% would be due the day the work was completed. When we were ready for leveling a few weeks later, I called the contractor who then had Rudy of A & A Concrete come out and look things over. We agreed that he (Rudy) would come on Saturday morning early - around 8 a.m., and that I would make sure that the employees at the business we were remodeling would have EVERYTHING out of the building by Friday evening so the floor could be worked on. On Saturday morning (July 31st, 2010), was at the facility before 7 a.m. with doughnuts for the concrete workers. I waited and waited... and waited some more. Right around 10 a.m., Rudy and ONE other guy showed up. He seemed flustered and aggravated because he had "lost his keys" and had to reload all the materials from his pickup/trailer into his worker's truck... that's why they were late. I could understand his frustration and why they were behind schedule. He told me that he had brought some self-leveling material that, when poured, would seek the low points in our building, would spread out, dry rapidly, and be ready for tile the same day. I told him that I'd expected a concrete mixer to pull up and that he and several guys would be spreading stuff with those big trowels, etc. He said, "No, this will do the job... it's the best stuff you can buy and has 7,000 psi... so it's really strong!" I was skeptical, but trusted his expertise. Rudy had his helper, Marco, sweep the floor (with our brooms) while he (Rudy) either talked on the phone or texted... CONSTANTLY! Next, a couple of other guys showed up and they began to use a roller to apply a bonding material that looked like milk all over the floor where the leveling compound was to be poured. As I saw the area they were applying the liquid, I asked why they weren't putting it all over the floor and Rudy said it was because they were only leveling 800 sq/ft. I said, "Just for TODAY?", and he said, "No, just 800 sq/ft total". I explained to Rudy that 800 square feet wasn't going to begin to deal with the highs and lows of our existing floor and wanted it to ALL be LEVEL! He said that he would see how far the materials he brought would go, and if necessary, would get more on Monday. I told him that moving the employees and ALL of their office furniture, equipment, etc. was an incredibly inconvenience and, if at all possible, we needed to have this issue addressed over the weekend so that normal work could resume on Monday when the employees arrived. In the meantime, Rudy's guys were rolling the liquid bonding agent over the floor and I asked if they didn't need to CLEAN the floor first... like get up the old glue or at least mop? The mastic/adhesive from the previous floor covering was still there, and covered with dust. However, Rudy and his workers didn't seem to think that a layer of dust and dirt would keep that thin layer of bonding liquid from permeating and allow the leveling compound to attach itself to the adhesive residue. After they were through rolling, they were ready to mix their materials... but they only had one or two buckets and one mixing paddle and drill. I offered that they could use some of our empty buckets if it would make the job go faster, and they could borrow one of my mixing paddles and my DeWalt 1/2" drill. Then, they borrowed a stack of rags/towels, and our wheelbarrow for bringing water into the building. They mixed and poured, mixed and poured, and were "finished" around 2:30 p.m. Rudy seemed to think that now the floor would take tile and said that my "tile guy" would know what to do to get things even, etc. I let him know that I am the "tile guy" and I knew perfectly well that he hadn't LEVELED our floor. He said that he was out of material anyway and couldn't do anything else 'til Monday because the place where he gets the stuff is closed on weekends. I told him that IF he came back on Monday, to make sure it was close to the end of the day so that we wouldn't interfere with business... and I'd be happy to stay with them as long as was necessary to complete the leveling process. After they left, I discovered that my drill that they had borrowed was COVERED in that leveling mix... the cord, handle, and all over the tool! In addition, his guys had just stacked our buckets together - which had leveling compound in/on them... so they all stuck together and could no longer be used. By Monday morning, cracks had begun to appear in the leveling compound... and soon it was breaking throughout the building. It was like the crust on a cobbler: just hollow underneath and coming up in chunks. I called both Rudy and the original contractor and they both came to the facility to look at what I was describing. Sure enough, large patches of material was coming off of the floor... even where there was no foot traffic! We all agreed that this was unacceptable - and I told Rudy that I had taken pictures and would give him copies if it would help him in getting his money back from the cost of these "super-duper" materials. We discussed what would happen next. Rudy said that he'd be back that afternoon to put more of the compound down and I said that wouldn't do. I wanted the floor LEVELED! He said, "Do you know how much material you'd need and what it would take to level this entire floor?!" I said, "Yes... about $5,000 - which is what I agreed to in the first place! What you have done so far is something that I could have done myself - mixing leveling compound in 5 gallon buckets and spreading it out. I paid to have the ENTIRE FLOOR LEVELED." To make a much, MUCH longer story somewhat shorter.... Rudy and his guys showed up later than promised on Friday night, August 6. They used their hammers and my floor scraper to beat out/scrape up the remainder of the previous week's materials, and then they used a laser level to strike chalk lines along the bottoms of the walls so they'd know how high to pour their concrete the next morning. While they were getting rid of the old leveling compound, a friend and I began taping up plastic drop cloths from ceiling to JUST above the chalk lines... in the off-chance that any cement splashed on our newly painted walls. I'm SO GLAD we did! The next morning, Rudy called me at 6 a.m. to say that the concrete truck would be there at 8. I got doughnuts and was at the building by 7:40 a.m.; and Rudy was at the gate waiting. When we got in, his guys borrowed brooms and began sweeping the floor. I, too, got another kind of broom and swept even closer to the walls and in the corners and came up with SEVERAL dustpans full of debris and chunks of the old leveling material. Clearly, they were not concerned with getting EVERYTHING off of the floor. Then, they started to roll that milky bonding agent again and I sort of insisted that THIS time they at least mop the floor... so they borrowed our mop and bucket to clean the floor. Rudy left the faucet dribbling in the shop - so water began pooling and spreading out there for awhile until I discovered it and completely shut it off. We waited and waited for the cement truck. Rudy's guys ate doughnuts, smoked, visited, etc. sitting around in wheelbarrows while waiting. Unbeknownst to me, however, they had dumped all that material from the previous evening's floor demolition in a GIANT pile in the back of the building NEXT TO A HUGE DUMPSTER! When the cement truck finally arrived (close to 11 a.m.), there was LOTS of action and the guys started bringing in the cement by the wheelbarrow and spreading it around quickly. In their haste, they covered up the toilet flanges in BOTH of our small restrooms (thankfully I had set styrofoam cups in the pipe), and they left huge, lava-like globs of unsmoothed cement just oozing into two closets in one of the offices! While his guys worked frantically, Rudy was constantly on his cell phone - either talking OR (primarily) texting. He was oblivious that his guys were not at all 'leveling' - but just spreading concrete willy-nilly EVERYWHERE... with no consideration for where doors/jambs, etc. It was a MESS!! AND... once again, they didn't bring enough material - so they completely eliminated putting concrete in a detached office; but they also ommitted a long hallway. So, now there is a step where before there had not been. In short, I couldn't have been more disappointed. Rudy and his guys not only raised the floor TOO HIGH - shortening our doorways in some places by over two inches(!) - which means that the interior doors will ALL have to be cut, but they were inconsistent with their materials so now we have an unlevel floor in a different way! The floor has waves, dips, ridges, and slopes throughout and there is NO WAY to lay tile on it without a LOT more work... like either using more leveling compount to even out valleys, or by grinding down peaks. The worst part, though, was Rudy's attitude throughout the ENTIRE process. He was beligerant, argumentative, profane, talked over me, DID NOT LISTEN, complained about the amount of work, and constantly reminded me that he "hadn't seen a penny, yet." I reminded HIM that I had paid the contractor who sub-ed him out... so if he had a problem with the money, he should talk to THAT guy - not ME! Rudy's guys left trash inside AND outside the building. Cups, soda cans, cigarette butts, wrappers, etc. AND they got cement EVERYWHERE!! They had it splashed on our brand new ceilings, lights, walls, all over the windows, front doors, sidewalk and ALL OVER the parking lot. I cannot express how disappointed I am.