ZVARA CUSTOM WOOD FLOORS

EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS Had water damaged hardwood floors, my insurance company sent a contractor to do the work, that was my mistake, but they were on ANGIES list so I allowed them to do the work. After they were done. my insurance company and I fired them and I went back to the list and got three appraisals. I was most impressed with Peter and so we got started. I have built five houses and have done numerous remodel projects, THIS WAS BY FAR MY BEST EXPERIENCE. Everything was done on time as described and the house remained amazingly clean through out the entire process [ remarkable ]. The people are great and the floor is beautiful. This is where you should start and this is who I would recommend to anyone looking for outstanding workmanship

Peter came out about a month before work started and provided an estimate to sand and finish ~1600sf of old 1917 era wood floors. He was on time and personable. We went ahead and scheduled Zvara to sand and refinish our floors. They refinished three upstairs bedrooms, three closets, and the hallway. Two bedrooms were covered with old tar from linoleum, and one was covered with white paint. The floors came out surprisingly well. The bedroom that was painted still has some white paint embedded in cracks, but that was expected. The stairs leading from the first floor to the second floor were also sanded and refinished. The main floor was oak that had been covered by carpet for years. It came out looking good, too. We knocked one star off of responsiveness, since Zvara did not follow up when the job was finished to let us know when we could enter the house. (The job was probably complete for a day or two before we emailed and asked.) Overall, the floor refinishing job made the house ready enough for us to move in and continue renovations. We are happy with the results.

We did our homework on this job, soliciting four bids from different contractors. Peter met us at the house, walked around with us for half an hour, measuring, asking questions, and telling us about his team's recommended process. A couple days later, Peter delivered a bid by email, and Zvara was the lowest of the four -- which was lucky, since we had basically decided to go with them already based on the in-person meeting. Peter worked with us via email as we refined the bid -- upgrading to riff-and-quarter-sawn white oak, including the stairs, etc. When we were ready, Peter ordered the materials for us and connected us with his son Noah to set up the install date and schedule. We accepted the materials delivery a few weeks later -- after a longer turn-around time than normal due to the requirement for riff-and-quarter-sawn boards -- so it could acclimate in the house. Noah and team showed up on the agreed-upon date and went to work. They managed to remove the old baseboard and carpet and install the unfinished boards throughout the house in just two days. It took them about four more days to sand and finish the floors. At the end of the process, I would scarcely have been able to tell the Zvara crew had been there, save for the stunning new floors installed throughout the house. In fact, I think they left the house cleaner than they found it. We had heard horror stories about the residual off-gassing from the Swedish finish, but as Peter reassured us, the top coat of water-based finish seems to have mitigated that substantially. We were in the house the day after finishing was completed and barely noticed the smell. We couldn't be happier with the floors, and with the experience we had with Zvara. We unreservedly recommend them for any hardwood floor job.

Excellent work, great guys, polite, punctual. The floors look superb, matching perfectly with the existing floors. They were able to work seamlessly around the other remodeling work that was going on. This is the second time we have used Zvara and we will be sending all of our friends their way. The bill came in less than originally quoted and Zvara took care of every detail in the process.

Very pleased with the work Zvara did. Liked that they are a family run business and no subcontractors. Did a good job communicating and setting up the job. Not the cheapest bidder, but worth it in my mind. Crew did a very nice job with all the details, good cleanup and location prep to control dust, etc. Would recommend them to anyone.

I?m unsure how to rate Zvara; I gave them an overall ?B? if for no other reason to draw attention to this review. First let me say that Peter, Noah, and Brady seemed like nice folks, professional, were spot on time for every appointment, and completed the work when they said they would. My wife and I have never had floors refinished before, were unsure of the process, and unsure of what is reasonable to expect as far as results. If you are in the same boat you may find this review of interest. If anything I would say that our experience was a ?failure to manage expectations? by Zvara (but in fairness there may be a fine line between managing expectations and scaring off customers). Prior to getting any bids I envisioned a potential bidder launching into a ?canned spiel? with regard to what the process is, what to expect in terms of cleanup, and any nuances specific to our job. I didn?t get this from any bidders, which seemed awkward to me. When I probed Peter for details he provided them, unlike another highly-rated competitor who seemed reluctant to do so ? I only knew what to ask because I had met with Peter first ? so we decided not to do business with that company. Some details from our experience: 1. Peter had warned that, even with vacuums on the sanders and floor-to-ceiling tarps, you may still see sawdust in other rooms. Be prepared to vacuum floors, furniture, and dust all exposed surfaces. This includes the interiors of floor-mounted cabinetry on floors being refinished (you may wish to cover the contents with towels beforehand). I think what happened was that dust was blown under the tarps, and since the cabinet doors don?t close completely due to the pads that keep them from slamming, a fine layer of dust was blown into the cabinets. This job included flooring in our entry way. Dust was more problematic in the adjacent living room, but I expected this. We have a high vaulted ceiling in the entry way, and I wasn?t expecting Noah and Brady to risk their lives installing floor-to-ceiling tarps. 2. The written proposal made a vague reference to flaws in the refinishing process. In our case this turned out to be areas where there were small, concentric, hairline scratches that were introduced by the sander. For some reason my wife?s brain notices these scratches easily; from her perspective we have more scratches than we started with. Me? I have a much harder time seeing them. Two neighbors didn?t notice any scratches until I pointed them out. A contractor acquaintance thought that the job was acceptable. Noah came back to look at the scratches and declared them well within industry standards. He referred us to the National Wood Flooring Association web site (www.nwfa.org) where you can find local, independent inspectors who would come and ?pass judgment? on the scratches; as members of NWFA Zvara would be bound by their verdict as far as repairs. Peter provided documentation that said that these scratches can occur on flooring perimeters and hard-to-reach areas, which, for the most part, was where they were found. My wife and I decided that these scratches weren?t worth the hassle of pursuing. Just unexpected. Had we known about this possibility in advance we might have asked about other options to mitigate them (lighter color or solid color stain?). 3. Our old floor stain did not have much variation between the grain color and the rest of the wood on a given board (perhaps a solid color stain). Looking at the stain samples on the ?color wheel? that was provided I could see that the grain was really going to stand out on our new floor. I like the new look but my wife was a bit taken aback. If we were to do it again I would take Peter up on his offer to provide larger samples. 4. Odor was bearable after being away for two days and diminishes rapidly, but even a few weeks out I get an occasional whiff. 5. Part of this job included replacing metal heat vents with flush mount oak vents. Nice job, look great, but I wish I had known that they wouldn?t be adjustable. This isn?t a big deal in the kitchen, but in a small bathroom it would be nice to have more control over the heat when the door is closed. So, to summarize, I?m pleased with the new look of our floor, with my wife a bit less so. I wish these companies were more forthcoming on the details, but I guess I understand their hesitance. My goal with this review was not to bash Zvara but provide details for other to inquire about. I have no reason to believe that Zvara?s work was atypical.

The crew arrived right at 8am as promised and within 1 day removed all of the carpeting, subfloor, replaced the subflooring, and installed the majority of the flooring. They finished the intallation the next day. The next week they came back to sand, finish and seal. They promised that part of the job would be finished in 3 days and it was finished in less than 2 1/2. They reinstalled all of the doors and baseboards and I was amazed at the lack of dust (I had heard horror stories of how messy this job can be). The floors are absolutely beautiful and it looks like a brand new house. The crew was extremely professional and courteous. Their craftsmanship is fantastic. I would definitely use them again.

They did a fabulous job. Peter came out and did the estimate. His son, Josh, came and did the work. They were on time, kept the noise down, informed me of everything along the way, worked quickly and efficiently. Within a day and a half the work was complete. There was a misunderstanding about putting 1/4" round along the bottom of the woodwork. It was a possible addition on the proposal. They left without it. When I called later that day, Peter apologized for the misunderstanding and Josh was back in 2 days to add it. Again, the work was done perfectly. I really appreciated their immediately responding and doing whatever it took to get it done. We really appreciated it.

Peter showed up to give us an estimate and he should up exactly on time. Very professional, gave advice and got us a bid very promptly. We took about a week to work with our insurance company who wanted to send out a field appraiser to verify the cost. He came and said that he thought Pete and company submitted a very fair price. Called Peter and told him they had the job, he had his son call and set up the times. Once again they were prompt and did the work very quickly. We had to be out of the house for three days while they did the work and put on the finish. We I came in to see it I could not have happier with how it turned out. This is what the floor should have looked like when we bought the house (new 11 years ago). It is beautiful, smooth, the blinding of the wooden vents to the floor is exceptional. They moved the refrigerator, the stove, the toilet and put it all back, can't tell anything was moved. They left detailed instructions on care of the new finish. This is how work should be done. Fast, reasonable and well done. Wish there were more than 5 stars.

We received a quick estimate appointment and the estimate arrived the next working day. We did have to wait a few weeks for the work to begin due to scheduling, which we expected and acutally was then able to have the work best fit our schedule. On a job this big, it is expected that you would not stay in the house a few days due to fumes. Workers arrived on time, worked diligently, with consideration toward keeping the rest of the house as dust-free as possible by screening off those areas. The refinished floor looked amazingly fresh and updated the look of the home interior. We had a few minor specks stuck in the finish that we noticed a few days after we were back in the house, and Zvara sent someone out to fix those in a day. I would highly recommend this outfit..professional, knowledgeable and great service.

Peter at Zvara Custom Wood Floors promptly returned my initial phone call to set appointment. He arrived on time and listened to my questions/concerns about the process. We talked about finishes. His estimate was fair and I liked his professionalism. Peter's proposal was detailed and thorough as to what exactly would be done along with homeowner instructions for preparations. He was available for questions by phone or email. Noah arrived 8AM as agreed and explained the process again before we left the house. The service takes two days but we elected to stay away an additional day to allow floors to harden. The finish was beautiful and done to our agreement. We noticed hairs and or lint in finish later; which were remedied promptly with a phone call. Service was excellent!

Restored 30 year old oak floors. Estimate was reasonable and all questions were answered. Restorers were professional, quick, and we are very happy with the results. My biggest fear was dust as it was an open area. The team took the time to make sure the area was well sheeted off and I had very little dust to clean up from the sanding.

You cannot tell the difference between where the old floor ends and the new floor begins. They did a great job. Very professional and courteous.

Very well. Did a great job. Professional. Great quality.

Excellent company. Great experience from start to finish. They responded timely to our request for an estimate. The cost was reasonable. Unlike the other companies that did estimates they did not pressure us to have additional unwanted work done. The work was scheduled timely. When we made changes before the project was started they accommodated these cheerfully. They were all courteous, professional and always showed up on time. We are very pleased with our new floors and the match to the existing floors came out even better than we expected. The work was completed in the time frame we were promised and communication was excellent. We would definitely use this company for future projects and recommend them to our friends and family.

When I purchased this house I knew I wanted to replace the carpet in the main living areas with hardwood matching what was already in the kitchen and entryway. After getting bids from three local companies, I went with Zvara Custom Wood Floors. Zvara is a local family owned and operated company. Peter Zvara was both responsive and informative when he came to scope the project. He provided a detailed bid for the work the next day. I initially planned to just extend the floors to the main living area - living, dining, family room. I first added the downstairs office, and after looking at unsatisfying beige carpet options for the upstairs, I decided to do the whole house in hardwood. I asked Peter to work with an aggressive schedule as we were excited to move into the new house. Peter brought in extra people and was able to complete the expanded job on our original schedule. I usually take "family operated" with a grain of salt, but the three people I spoke with during the job besides Peter were Joe and Noah, two of his sons, and Joey, his grandson. They were very hardworking and professional. The floors were installed with a lot of care and precision, and the result is breathtaking. I am beyond impressed by Zvara Custom Wood Floors, and recommend them to anyone in the area looking to put in new hardwoods or refinish existing.

They did a really nice job. It was not messy at all. There was not any dust. They did it faster than they thought they would. It looks gorgeous.

Peter responded quickly to our request for an appointment for a quote, and provided a detailed quote within a few days. Noah and his crew arrived promptly and completed the work estimated on schedule. They sealed off cabinets and kept the workplace clean. They accommodated our request for additional work on the upper level when we discovered more damage than expected to floors under the carpet. Peter kept me informed, and was available for questions, via e-mail and phone throughout the process. We're extremely happy with the finished result. This is a family operated business that has pride in their quality of work.

The team zipped in and redid the old floors, matching them to the new. After inspection, we noticed a few spots that were troublesome to the eye. They quickly squeezed us into their busy calendar and fixed the problem. Very honorable and professional company to work with.

The owner, Peter Zvara was very responsive to my request for a bid and was accomodating to my schedule. He arrived on time, assessed and measured everything appropriately and provided information about what I could expect. He had the bid written up and emailed over to me the very next day which was faster than anyone else. His price was comparable to the other bids I received. I ended up choosing another contractor because they came highly recommended by a friend but I would certainly consider Zvara Custom Wood floors for future work.

Peter came on time and was very professional, we were impressed by his knowledge and helpfulness. His bid was not much higher than the lowest we received, but we were on a limited time frame and chose a dust-free option that was a little more expensive.

They refinished roughly 1000 square feet of hardwood floors. The floors were down to bare wood in several areas. The floors looked new after they finished. They also replaced the flooring under our washer and dryer because of water damage. They installed new flush wood air vents for us as well, it was definitely worth the extra cost because they look great.

I called the company on a Saturday and Peter Zvara was available to come out to give us a quote that same day. We decided to accept their quote within a few days but since summer is a busy season for refinishing floors we had to wait about seven weeks for our turn. On the scheduled day Noah and a coworker arrived on time and got busy taping up plastic sheeting everywhere to protect all the other rooms as well as the kitchen cabinets and counters from sawdust. They carefully moved the refrigerator and range out of the kitchen. They brought in samples of the dozens of stains they can apply and I chose the one I liked. Then they sanded off the old finish, applied the stain and two coats of finish that day. The next morning they returned to sand again and put down the final coat. I asked them if they could patch an area under my range and they cheerfully did so. Later that day they returned to move the range and refrigerator back into place and removed all the plastic sheeting. I was very pleased that the sawdust had not penetrated to the other rooms since I had heard horror stories from other homeowners. The kitchen was neat and tidy and the floors look wonderful.

They did a flawless job. Everything matched very well. We are quite happy with the results and the price. They were very professional. We felt comfortable with their presentation and with what they wanted to charge. We had them in our house when we were not there, we had to vacate the house for a couple of days and we wanted someone that was trustworthy and did not want to worry about them damaging or steeling anything. That is why we selected this business. We felt comfortable with them to do the job. I would use them again.

I contacted Zvara Custom Wood Floors after we had experienced some water damage in our home. I spoke with several companies and nobody could make time for me. Everyone was busy until the end of July. We were sleeping in our kitchen waiting for the repairs to be complete so we were very anxious to get the floors done. Peter Zvara was the only one who took the time to listen to my pitiful story and do something about it. He somehow made time in their busy schedule to fit us in. They arrived on time with twice the crew and went to work immediately. The floors were from the 1940's and had never been finished. They came out looking brand new. They are so beautiful! No one can believe it is the same floor. Thank you Noah and your team. I am happy.