Surface Wash & Restoration

The team was professional, precise, thorough, and they did an incredible job restoring our deck to its original beauty. It looks brand new! We are so pleased with the results!

After they did an epoxy job last fall, we agreed to have them restore our decks in spring 2011; Scott promised to fix various epoxy issues then, as opposed to immediately. I asked him to visit in early spring to show me the products he used and a sample of the color he planned on mixing for us. Not only did he not have a sample, he showed me a bunch of standard stain colors and told me he'd mixed it for other clients. He showed me none of the other products he intended using. The job started at noon on June 6 and ended around 6 pm on June 7. During the course of the work, the following occurred: two shrubs damaged from being sprayed on (no protection) four fish mysteriously died (no protection over the water or waterfalls) excessive amounts of stain overspray on decorative white limestone chips under decks and other surfaces, such as air-conditioning cover, lannon boulders, flat pavers, metal stair light fixture covers, wall brick and concrete doorway entrances. This stain has proven very hard to remove. in their haste to be done with the job, they left a stain-soaked drop cloth coiled around the bottom of a staircase just under the deck. Yet they do not appear to have laid any drop cloths under the deck to protect the limestone or other surfaces. On the last day, temperatures got over 90 degrees, but they still applied the stain (which manufacturer's directions forbid) which then bundled and bunched up in many places, looking unsightly and showing brush/roller marks. When I looked at the finished color I was shocked at its deepness, and noted that to Scott right away. He laughed and said well it matched my spa cover (which was originally for a previous spa), and anyway, it would fade with time (it hasn't). None of the 33 light fixture covers were removed, so stain is all over them in parts, and there are noticeable bald spaces where they could not get close enough; simply removing and replacing was expected. In the numerous slats between every deck board, is a combination of stain drips and splatters and bare wood. Throughout the entire surface, both horizontal and vertical, there is evidence of shoddy and uneven stain application, that has been noticeable to all our guests. There are bare spots (unstained wood) all over the deck surfaces and to a lesser degree the rails. In removing some moss from brick above the deck surfaces and elsewhere, no care was taken to protect the Merrimac decorative stone below, so dirt and debris was washed under them, a situation now virtually impossible to fix. In power washing some deck furniture that was off to the side, Scott forgot about it and rushed it in the last few minutes of the first day, leaving the entire undersides to be done by hand by me. The manufacturer's directions state stain should not be applied when rain is expected within 12 hours. We had a huge downpour within seven hours of the stain application and I contacted Scott's wife to see if that was a problem. She said it was not. I also asked if the excessive puddling I was experiencing was normal. She said she'd ask him, but she never communicated with me further about that. Meantime, I paid the invoice in full, trusting that everything would be handled, and waiting for the weather to clear before being able to examine the deck in detail. When I did so the next weekend (since it rained every day) I was appalled at the quality of the job. I e-mailed them that we had issues and I expected to hear (Scott had said he'd be back in July to take care of the epoxy issues and spray some mold preventative on the brick out back). July came and went and I had also left a telephone message. We checked the decks weekly for signs of fading, but nothing. Our entire property is very nature-oriented, with toned down colors abounding. These decks stand out like a sore thumb, and I would never have approved a color so differentiated from the rest. During the summer, we had occasion to have various professionals at our property, and we asked one of them to give his professional opinion. He did so, after which I submitted a letter to Scott and his wife. They claimed it was the first they were hearing that we were unhappy with the work, and asked if they could come look at it. I agreed and we met on August 19. The product rep was invited and came, but I asunder the impression that was so he could instruct us on how best to remove the product so we could redo it. Instead, he acted clearly as if he was representing the contractor, making statements as to their working relationship (and Scott confirmed as how he has known the business owners for years, it being small community). I felt that the product rep was sneering at me; he made numerous comments, such as, "this is a lovely deck." I told him he could break it down and take it to his house then if he felt that way. He took photographs from the proper angles so you could not see the mistakes; yet I have 57 close-ups that show it in all its glory. Both the product rep and Scott tried to convince me the decks had paled over the summer and perhaps I should wait until spring to decide what to do next; Scott said he would do just the touch-ups where needed, but hesitated about the time frame, stating that he had a big "to-do list" list . I responded that I felt he should be putting my job and problems at the very top of any to-do list. I also asked him to look at the epoxy issues in both our garage and our barn bay - I told him that all the overspray was not removable this summer when a friend and I were restraining the garage door areas. Scott confirmed that after the epoxy is dry it is very hard to remove. He left that day, with none of the epoxy issues done either. I told him that my husband and I would discuss what happened at this meeting over the weekend and get back to him. The following Tuesday I wrote him saying that we retained our position that the deck application was substandard and the color never approved and unacceptable, and requested monetary compensation for me to have the deck redone. At that point, his wife made one final offer for Scott to do a few touch ups, and after I refused, told me not to contact them again, that their lawyer would be contacting me, but she refused to give the lawyer's name when I asked for it. Now I am out all of this money and have no money to hire another contractor to do over the work; I am in the process of getting bids, which of course will come to way more than the original bid because of the having to undo what was done improperly. This contractor makes a big deal about how much he cares about his clients and what a nice job he does, but seriously, now having him here for two jobs, one in each of his avowed "specialties," we are unconvinced. We are sorry we ever used Angie's List to find this person, we are so regretful of having met him...we are saddened, angry and disappointed at how we have been treated and how our home has been disrespected, and that is an understatement. We trusted the list, we trusted Surface Wash and Restoration and we are now miserable and haven't the funds to put it all right and back to the way it was.

The work went well - it was very expeditious. He was reliable and very much on time but a little messy. He was there when he called and said that he was going to be there. However, I would have wanted them to keep the place neat and be a little bit tidier and not get material on the baseboard. I would use them again in the future if necessary.

Scott the owner showed up for an estimate on time and went through the entire process with me. His quote was very competitive and reasonable. We set a date to start the floors, and he showed up exactly when he said he would. All went as planned with no problem. He and his workers were very professional and extremely clean. I would definitely use them again.

They came and gave me an estimate over a month ago. During the estimate everything was explained to me in great detail. When they came to do the work it was done in two parts. They came first to do the cleaning of the deck and concrete then to stain and seal. My deck should have been sealed 3 years ago. It was a mess I am amazed at what they were able to do with it. It looks brand new again. It looked brand new right after they cleaned it. Then once they put they stain on it I was just amazed at how beautiful it looked! I wish I had taken before and after photos to post on here. Their work is amazing! They also cleaned and sealed our concrete they were able to get stains off our concrete i never thought would come off! I am very pleased with their work and you can't beat their price. I had my deck and concrete done for the price other places were going to charge me to do my deck alone. They do fantastic work. Highly recommended!