LEE BARNEY'S TILE

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It was for bathroom tiles. He was quick and on time. He was knowledgeable and he gave me a fair bid.

I contacted Lee Barney. He suggested tile vendors. I picked out the tile at Dal-Tile who was very helpful. Lee and company did a fantiastic job on the tile work. The job required ceramic tile and a double row accent piece. Instead of just slapping the double row accent piece on the wall, he and his brother designed a way to give it a novel look. They are very creative and know what they are doing.

Lee Barney Tile has my highest praise and recommendation for the work done at my home. We selected them to do the work based on a review we saw here at Angie's List. We asked them to finish a job that we had started, when we discovered that we were in over our heads. I selected the tile and designed an intricate pattern which included a focal point panel to be installed on the main wall of the tub/shower surround. The panel involved 4" tiles set on point, with 1" dots at every other joint; the panel was bordered with three rows of decorative liner/listello. We did the preliminary work on the substructure with cement backerboard, including taping and cementing the seams/corners, etc. Cutting the tile was a long process, but we were able to do it ourselves, including sanding the cut edges. But when it came to putting it on the wall...that is when we gave up. Gravity got the better of us. We learned that there is a real art and craftsmanship involved in tile setting. That's when we turned to the Barneys. This is a family business with three generations of tile setting experience and it shows. I wish we had found them before we started the project. Lee's son, Clifton, did the work on our job. Their preference, in this type of job, is to "float" cement onto the walls, rather than using backerboard, enabling them to literally make the walls perfectly square and plumb. Although we had already installed backerboard, Clifton covered it with several layers of thinset to smooth out any uneven areas and to square things up to near perfection. Clifton is an absolute master at detail. I watched him as he worked. He was constantly using a level and tapping tiles a little this way and that way to be certain every joint lined up beautifully. He had to re-cut several of the tiles we had previously cut to make them fit more perfectly, which we appreciated. He was willing to take the time necessary to do two-tone grout work (at our request) which further enhanced the beauty of the finished product. Throughout the process he consulted with me often as to my preferences and what my expectations were. He was very easy to talk with and has excellent communication skills, and a very artistic eye. He offered suggestions and options when I was not sure about some aspect of the project. I simply cannot say enough about his work and about him as a contractor. When he and his father initially came to give us a bid, they were both dressed in clean work clothes and well groomed. On the job, Clifton came dressed appropriately and professionally each day for the work he was doing (fresh clean clothes, no offensive tee-shirts, etc.), something that I truly appreciate. Clifton was always very personable, and very respectful....no crude language. The job was bid on an hourly basis, rather than square footage, because of the intricacies of the work; nevertheless, before beginning the job, they confirmed a "not-to-exceed" amount that was acceptable to us, and they were true to their bid, even when the work exceeded the hours they had anticipated spending on it. We were not charged for the additional hours. We had to wait 6 weeks for them to do the work because they were booked that far in advance. That, in itself, is a ringning endorsement of their skill, workmanship, and integrity, especially at this time when it seems so many folks are out of work. They were well worth the wait!! Once he started the job, Clifton was on-site every day, all day long, until it was done. He did not run back and forth between our job and other jobs juggling work. He devoted his entire time and effort to our project from start to finish until it was done. He was always extremely prompt and courteous. We could not be happier with the results, and would definitely use them again. We do not hesitate to recommend them to friends, family and co-workers. Outstanding work....very fair and competitive price.

Remodel wasn't super speedy, but as some of the tile was custom, hand made it took some time to order and was beyond his control. Also, the trim tile once in did not meet Lee's exacting standards and he removed it and did it again. The quality of the work is exceptional. I've used Lee's company for several remodels over the years and am always overjoyed with the results. I've had kitchens, bath rooms and sun rooms done and will continue to utilize him whenever possible. Though their specialty is custom tile work, Lee is a general contractor and can coordinate full remodels with ease. He's terrific to work with and listens to what you want and will add helpful suggestions along the way. He's always friendly and professional and accomodating to my remodeling ideas even though he thinks some of them are kind of crazy.