Hardwood Floor Specialist LLC

The job went very well and I was extremely pleased with the results. As I mentioned earlier, this is a floor contractor I have worked with a number of times so I expected great results and I got them. The owner of the company is very reliable and cares a great deal about the quality of the finished product and about my overall satisfaction with his service. The floors turned out very beautifully and the job was completed on the exact schedule promised by the floor contractor. I highly recommend this floor contractor.

I called the company after looking over the reviews. I got a return phone call from Sergei within a reasonable time. I got the immediate impression that I he didn't want the job. Instead of coming out to look at the floors, he said it would be about $3,000. I told him I'd get back to him, but I didn't and won't. How can he give an estimate for floors he hasn't even seen? Nobody else did -- they all wanted to see what they would be getting into. If he didn't want my business, he could have just said he is booked and not giving estimates.

In searching for a contractor I looked for someone who takes pride in a job well-done, pays attention to details, doesn't take short-cuts, keeps me informed about the entire installation process; is professional, on-schedule and organized; employs skilled workers; and is respectful of my time and property. I found all of these qualities in Sergey and his crew. I rated Sergey's price as excellent, not because his price was competitive with other contractors (his was actually quite a bit higher), but because of the value received for the job performed. For example, others proposed the use of quarter-round trim as a finish where new flooring would butt up against existing railing trim, railing posts and fireplace stone; Sergey removed and replaced the railing trim, and cut away slightly under posts and stone so the wood flooring would slide under. The result is a beautiful new floor that looks original to the house - I couldn't be more pleased. With most every job, there are unexpected surprises and we had one - a short supporting floor beam higher than the to-be-finished wood floor level - which to me seemed impossible to solve. Sergey studied out the problem for a couple of days, came up with a sound solution and the result is a perfectly level floor. Sergey was flexible and helpful when I decided last-minute to replace a good portion of the old baseboards with new ones which I wanted to cut and stain myself in order to save some expense. He gave me good hints and support on the best way to go about it, even though in the beginning I think he doubted my ability. I appreciated that he was willing to work with me. At the beginning of the project, Sergey advised me to remove all items (pictures, plants, knick-knacks) from walls and high shelves because there is no way of completely containing the dust from the tear-out, and he was right. However, they made every possible effort to control the fall-out with plastic sheeting barriors, and at the end of each day's work they vacuumed up as much dust and debris as possible. Having been forewarned about the dust and expecting the worst, I was impressed with how neat and careful the crew was. Upon completion of the project, kitchen cabinets and counters, railings, shelves, window sills, etc, were dusted clean. Very nice! Last of all there is Sergey. I would describe him as an old-world craftsman. It is important to him that his name be associated with quality work and he is willing to go the extra mile to achieve that end. He is not shy about telling you of his standards. He is talkative and open. I found him to be charming and a delight to work with. I would not even consider another contractor if or when I decide to have more hardwood floors installed.

I highly recommend Sergey to anyone with a hardwood flooring project. He is a punctual, conscientious, detail-oriented, hard-working, communicative and likable contractor. I could add many other nice adjectives, but basically, Sergey cares deeply about the quality of his work and this is evident in his final results. He does not cut corners and maintains super-high standards. My project was slightly more challenging because most of the flooring that had to be refinished was secured with top nails. The number of nails that Sergey and his team had to hammer down in order to sand the floors easily surpassed 100,000. In addition, applying dark stain to hardwood can be tricky. Despite these challenges, Sergey delivered a lovely, ebony-stained, water-based top-coated, refinished hardwood floor in 5 days. He stayed on schedule by working over 12 hours on some days. I was delighted with the results and am still admiring them nearly a month later. I would not hesitate to use Sergey (Hardwood Flooring Specialist) again on any future project. Thank you, Sergey!!

We first worked with Hardwood Floor Specialist (Sergey) in 2010 when we bought a house to add to our residential rental real estate portfolio. It was a 1950s house in disrepair and we hired this business to refinish the oak floors. He removed old linoleum that had covered a part of the hardwood floor and repaired vintage wood floor registers prior to doing the refinishing. He did a great job, so we decided to keep him as our primary provider for hardwood floor refinishing and repair for all of our properties. Sergey takes great pride in his work and does a quality job. His is a small family run business and is quite responsive to our needs. We first spotted his truck when he was refinishing the floors of a neighbor's vintage farm house. Our neighbors were pleased with his work. After getting a bid from Sergey and several other contractors, we chose Sergey because he seemed to have more expertise than the other companies. We made the right choice. He started and finished the job right on schedule and we were quite pleased with the results. Later, we hired him to refinish the pine floors of a 1940s house of ours. He was able to replace a section of the floor that had been cut out by a previous owner and made a nice match. I appreciated his ability to "read" the history of the flooring, letting us know what had probably occurred prior and what we could expect in the future. Yesterday, we called him to help us fix a threshold between the living room wood floor and the kitchen vinyl floor in that house. We learned from him the right way to do it and then he did it for us on the spot, complimentary to the previous work we did with him! Sergey is one of a kind; he has passion for his work and is quite enthusiastic. He communicates clearly and then follows through on what he says he will do. He also takes the necessary precautions to work safely, cleanly and effectively. We appreciate that.

Arrived earlier than planned. Notified me via text 10 minutes before he arrived to my door. Sergey was different from the reviews. At times, I couldn't understand his accent and repeating himself louder didn't help me understand nor feel comfortable. At one point, I asked for a yes or no answer, and he seemed annoyed. His quote was $2,100 more expensive than other 2 bids. His measurements where over by more than 137sq ft. (34% off from other bids). No, I will not be calling him back.

Sergey did a great job. There were a few complications with the floor when he started but he was very professional and we worked out all the issues. In the end the floor turned out beautifully. We're very happy with the quality of the work.

I can't say enough good things about my experience with Sergey, the Hardwood Floor Specialist! Even though his (informal) bid came in a little high, I'd seen examples of his work here on Angie's List, and I'm a firm believer that when it comes to quality, you get what you pay for. Most importantly, he made a free on-site estimate the same day I called (between jobs), and was available almost immediately to start after another (sub-standard) contractor left me in the lurch. The interesting thing about this job was that it was labor-only, meaning that Sergey had to trust that I had purchased the correct flooring to extend the laminate already installed in my kitchen and entryway into the hallway and living room. Well, it turns out that I didn't (the exact same model number turned out to be subtly different, 2 years later) and the v-groove style flooring had to be installed "backwards", as the existing flooring was flush with the side of the house opposite of where it should start; Sergey had to get really creative and show his experience to make everything fit neatly and beautifully. Luckily for me, at no time did this obstacle, as frustrating as it must have been, make Sergey waver in his commitment to finish the job on time and at the agreed cost, which he did! Upon demonstrating how he was able to cleanly fit a sliver of a laminate in between the two existing finished wood posts on my banister at the bottom of the stairs, Sergey exclaimed, gesturing to his handiwork, "Look! Professional!". I can't think of a better description myself. BOTTOM LINE: If you're a DIY-er with a good idea of what you need and a lot of ability to help make decisions, maybe your job is a little below Sergey's pay grade. But, if you're like me, and you need a first-rate professional to smooth out the rough edges of your knowledge, with expertise to spare in the art and science of "making it work", I think the Hardwood Floor Specialist is your man.

My husband looked through Angie's List and chose two different wood floor refinishing companies to come and give us estimates. Although Sergey's estimate was higher than the other, we chose him to do the work because he was more detail-oriented than the other. He pulled out the vents to see how much wood was available to be sanded. He also knelt down and felt under the tub in one of the bathrooms, finding damage on the floor, and recommending that we remove the tub to get the best results. He also put two coats of finish under the refrigerator before putting the refrigerator back (the other gentleman was only going to put one). When he actually came to do the work, he used a dustless system that left very little mess. He and his worker cleaned up after themselves everyday. He was very accommodating about having my daughter and I in the house during the work as well (we spent most of our time down in the basement, which was not involved in the refinishing job). The whole process took about 5 days from start to finish. The results are beautiful!!! We have been having other work done in our home since this job was finished at the end of November, and we have gotten several unsolicited comments from contractors and other workers in the home-building business about what a great finish we have on our floor.

We had a delightful experience and our floors look better than we ever imagined. Sergey rebuilt a section of crumbling boards, including a missing section of the subfloor -- and he was fast, responsive and great to work with. We're so glad we found Sergey to work on this tricky project -- thank you!

Sergey installed about 1000 square feet of stranded bamboo covering the entire first floor of our home. It took 5 full days. Sergey was here every morning at 7:30am and left about 5:30pm every night.Other than a quick lunch break, he basically worked non-stop on the installation. His installation involved steps that were not even addressed with the other flooring companies we obtained estimates from. He put in many additional floor nails, dealt with a "squeaky" spot, and made sure the floor was sanded and level before installing. He "fixed" some of my existing trim pieces in the kitchen at no charge; and put in the more expensive smaller diameter finish trim around our fireplace, again at no additional charge.. His meticulous attention to detail in laying out the floor and working around the central stairwell was amazing! He and his assistant, David, were constantly brooming and cleaning while they were working. By the end of the 5 days I realized that Sergey talents and professionalism labeled him not just an Expert, but a true "old world" craftsman! From the handmade vent covers which he inlaid flush into the flooring as he installed; to the lack of "transition" pieces that everyone else uses where hardwood and linoleum floors meet up in doorways. I didn't even think it was possible to NOT use transition pieces! And yet, the bathroom floor and hardwood floor meet up level and flush. Amazing! Sergey's work trailer shows many awards earned through Angie's List. We certainly understand why! Thank you, Sergey, for our beautiful hardwood floors. I know we will enjoy them for a lifetime!

They were extremely friendly, very flexible with our wishes and some changes made, and did a fantastic job.

Chris and his helper were very prompt, courteous, careful, clean, and most of all, did a great job installing our floors. We are very pleased with the final results! I would certainly hire Chris again.

I cannot say enough about my positive and successful experience with this contractor. He was always on time and did exactly what he said he would do. He is Russian and has a little bit of an accent but he explained everything in detail so that I would be confident and informed throughout the process. His final bill was exactly what he quoted me and I think he even took care of some small things which came up and were not part of the original estimate which I really appreciated. Regarding his skills I think he is probably among the best in this area but he is very down to earth and probably charges a little less than some of the bigger companies which have higher overheads, etc. I am not sure the photos I include here in this review will do justice to how they turned out but they really turned out perfect. I think the price was very fair especially once I saw how hard this contractor worked. And finally the floors in my house are so beautiful and I know they will be something to enjoy for a very very long time.

Although I went with another contractor, I really liked Sergey. He is very knowledgeable. His estimate was middle-of-the road.

Sergey's work was performed exactly as he described. Sergey and his co-worker, Eugene, were always on time and worked hard to complete the initial tear-out and installation and final sanding and finishing . They were respectful of my home and always made sure to clean up at the end of each work day. Sergey is truly a craftsman that understands what it takes to make the finished product as near-perfect as possible. When issues arose during installation, as is typical when dealing with a 20-year old home, Sergey would always know how to address them with an eye towards perfection. When the project was completed and my wife and I entered our home for the first time to see the finished product we were amazed at how beautiful our floors looked and it was impossible to tell where the old floors ended and the new floors started. We don't think we could have chosen a better contractor for this portion of our remodel project and would highly recommend Hardwood Floor Specialist LLC to those considering hardwood floor refinishing and/or installation.

After contacting Sergey, he promptly set up an appointment on site with me to review the scope of work. He let me know that the existing linoleum which was in very poor shape from years of abuse would be difficult to remove, but could be done, and that the oak flooring below would be able to be refinished to match the rest of the floors in the other rooms that were also going to be refinished. He did a thorough walk through and let me know of any issues that he might be faced with during the refinishing of the floors. The fact that the floors were top nailed required additional labor and areas where there was irreparable damage would probably need to be replaced. He assured me that after he was finished, I would be very happy with the floors. He did a take off of the floors, and let me know when he would be able to do the work and the amount of time he thought it would take to complete the job. He sent me a contract to review the same day he visited with me on site. Because I live in a different city, about 165 miles away from the site, Sergey kept in touch with me by phone to let me know how the job was progressing and any issues that he encountered so that I would be in the loop. When I stopped by the house after he had completed his work I opened the door and just as he had predicted, I was blown away by how nice the floors, especially the kitchen, turned out. What was once a mess of a floor in the kitchen matched the rest of the rooms beautifully and gave that space a new and fresh look; one that had been missing for 45 years! I was very impressed and pleased with not only how the floors turned out, but by how clean and tidy he and his workers left the house. Count me as a very satisfied client; I would definitely recommend Sergey to refinish your floors any day of the week. He was on time, on schedule, on budget and the results were stunning.

Sergey is the owner of Hardwood Floor Specialist, LLC, and he?s great at what he does. As you might read in some of these other reviews, he takes his flooring work very seriously. If you are looking for a high-quality flooring job we think you will be happy with Sergey?s work. In our experience, he was fairly easy to work with. Sergey was willing to accommodate almost all requests and offered to do additional tasks that came up during our job (e.g., removing some stonework prior to laying the flooring, removing excess materials and garbage, etc.). He also pointed out and corrected areas that resulted from installing the hardwood floors such as lowering door frames and correcting closets for additional costs. However, he definitely has a view of what he wants to do as part of his services and what he doesn?t want to do. Convincing him otherwise can be a challenge but he will explain his decisions. In addition, we often found it easier for my husband to ask him to do things as opposed to me. He seemed more comfortable talking to my husband. Although the hardwood floors are incredible throughout, the baseboard work is less consistent. Sergey's young protégé did a very nice job on our baseboards upstairs and was very careful with his surroundings (e.g., if the compressor cord ran around a corner, he placed a protective barrier between the cord and wall). The baseboards downstairs had larger nail indentions and bigger spaces between the baseboards to caulk. If you choose to work with Sergey, you will get a hard worker who cares about the job he?s doing. He will also work with you to maximize your budget, which we really appreciated. He gave us a number of suggestions on how to do things in order to stretch our renovation budget. Thanks, Sergey!

The overall process was smooth and exactly on schedule. It is necessary to allow the installed wood planks to cure and acclimate to the new surroundings before they can be sanded and finished in place, so we had to plan a period of time to allow for this process. Sergey warned us in advance and gave us a very realistic schedule of how long it would take, when and where in the house he would be working, how we'd need to adjust our activities and how to treat the floors during the actual process, etc. He was precise, accurate, punctual and always available to answer questions. For a project like this, you will need to plan ahead, and plan your activities and occupation of the house; ultimately it's worth it because you will end up with beautiful floors !!

I cannot recommend Hardwood Floor Specialist more highly. Sergey impressed me with a real understanding of how to best showcase our original 1920's top nailed hardwood floors in preparation for selling our home. Other gentlemen bidding the job counseled us to stain the floors darker to hide some areas of damage and achieve better uniformity. Sergey strongly counseled us to leave our floors natural and not do a darker stain because folks in these pockets of older homes in NE Portland (we live in Irvington) appreciate the authenticity/patina. Sergey's advice rang true to me & we selected him for the job. Sergey's bid was highest, but when asked, he agreed to match a lower price bid and we were thrilled. We're so happy that we went with Hardwood Floor Specialist, the floors look great! Honestly, I had a good "gut feeling" about selecting Sergey and he proved to be outstanding every step of the process, from estimate through completion: he showed up exactly when he said he would, kept me updated on progress, and completed the job on time. I have already referred him to my realtor and would not hesitate to recommend him again.

They did an outstanding job! We decided to tear up our old oak floor ourselves to save some money. Sergey spent some time with us explaining the easiest way to do it. Sergey and his employees were very friendly. They showed up on time and in two days our floor was finished. We ended up selecting a strand woven bamboo for our new floor. It looks fantastic and after a month and a half it has held up nicely against our dogs and our 2 year old. I was very impressed with Sergey's attention to detail and I would gladly use Hardwood Floor Specialists again.

We highly recommend Sergey and his team. Sergey and his crew are very professional. Sergey was very honest with us regarding our existing floors. We originally contacted him about re-finishing. He is very knowledgeable about flooring products. He showed us that our existing floors could possibly have one re-finish and that we might not like the results. He helped us select a product that will last many years. We live in a multi story condo building. Sergey was very careful getting his equipment in and out of the building. They always kept things cleaned up. They protected out deck where they cut the flooring. They left my home clean up every day. The dust was minimal for a project this size. The project took 6 days total. We moved most of our belongings into a storage pod, but had some items remain in the house. Sergey was very organized and planned the installation so it was easy to move our remaining things around. They salvaged out existing base boards. The new product is thicker than our previous flooring. Sergey was very attentive to this. One area of concern was our front door threshold and it looks beautiful!!!!! We are so pleased with our new floors! Thank you Sergey and Edward!

After initial free visit and estimate, Sergey begins by taking a piece of existing flooring to exactly match the type of wood and grain. He is able to do this by examining the back piece of an existing plank and researching the type via a "fingerprint" identity on the back of the wood. Who knew? New flooring was installed (he took away old carpeting) and left to rest and acclimate for about 2 weeks. The second phase of project started and finished on time (Mon - Fri 5 days), and only consisted of my staying in a hotel for 1 evening! He tries his best to save money for the homeowner and is a true gentleman in every sense of the word. Pets during this process: our two cats were boarded for 5 days to make it easier on everyone involved. Sergey is a true artist...step back and let him do his job. He will work with you every step of the way and took time to show me 5 samples of stain on actual (spare) pieces of my flooring. He is a perfectionist and passionate about this work. I suspect the project costs a little more then many "run of the mill" discount companies. However, if you want quality through and through call Sergey! Everything is upfront, honest, put in writing and approved and signed off along the way. Pictures show a beautiful floor but don't do it justice as appear much lighter in photographs than in person. Anyway, the project went beautifully!

Sergey came on time, worked hard, and performed as expected. He really knows floors. He has very high standards. I am completely satisfied, respect his work, and recommend him very strongly. The cost was exactly as estimated.

Sergey and his team were excellent. He was very open and honest with me during the bid, and once we agreed on a price, he immediately went to work and pulled up the carpet in order to allow enough time for the sub-floor to dry as much as possible. He gave me lots of great suggestions for what to do with the new baseboards. Sergey and his team worked over 8 hours each day, and were very detail oriented and efficient. He explained all steps of the process, and asked my opinion on how I wanted various aspects to be done. He went the extra mile and made some special bamboo transition strips for me, and I am extremely pleased with how the job turned out. Take a look at the photos, the new floors are beautiful! I would definitely hire Sergey and Hardwood Floor Specialists again, and will recommend them to anyone I know looking to have new wood floors installed.