CONSOLINO CEMENT & TILE CO

See pictures ! Only a year after the concrete was poured, the spalling and cracking started. Dario said it was due to salt but I spoke to other cement companies asking why this would happen and they said it has nothing to do with salt. The spalling starts with bad cement and in most cases, spalled concrete is caused by poor finishing and the use of water on the surface to aid in the finishing process. Excess water and over-finishing create a weak surface that can't handle freeze-thaw expansion and contraction. I know that they won't fix it because they state its due to salt which isn't true. My neighbor had his driveway done the same year with another company and his driveway is in perfect condition. Buyer beware !

They did a little less that what I wanted. I've got some cracks, minor cracks, nothing major. After two years in Michigan weather, I guess you have to expect some cracks.

When Dario removed my existing patio, he left debris from the tear out on my driveway and sidewalk to the backyard, which stained the driveway. he tried to blame the contractor that installed the driveway saying the other contractor put wire mesh too close to the surface. This didn't explain how part of the original driveway had the same type of stains, or the fact that 2 of my neighbors had work done by that contractor at the same time and neither one of them have anything wrong with theirs. My driveway and sidewalk were clean until Consoling Cement didn't clean up the debris. The step that leads into the house was not installed properly. it was supposed to be 24" deep by 7' wide. It starts at 24" and narrows to 23" at about 4.5'. There is also starts at 4" thick and goes down to 3" thick losing 5/8 of an inch in the last foot of the step. When I pointed this out Darios response was "I've seen worse, I'm not fixing it." There is another area the he was careless when washing the patio down where he washed with too much pressure and marked the surface of the patio. Again he says there is nothing he can or will do to fix it. Unfortunately I had already paid him when I brought these things up, so I am stuck with a poorly installed patio. After the first rain I found I now have water getting in my sunroom due to the fact that the patio isn't pitched away from it properly. I would definitely NOT recommend using Consoling Cement.

Great! Very professional and considerate of my home and time. I will be hiring again soon for a garage walkway and front porch. Dario, Vince and Kevin did a fantastic job!

Very well. They were professional, timely, and had quality work. From start to finish, it was very easy to work with this team. I would hire them again, without a doubt!

Great guys – all got along well. Seemed to enjoy their job. Did excellent job.

We signed with Dario in October of 2013. We were told it was too cold to lay concrete and we would be first on the list next year to have the work completed. April and May went by and after many calls my husband finally got a hold of Dario and said they had just started to lay concerte and he could do the work In June and set a date and time which was early am. I waited and waited and by 11am I was getting ready to call and cancel, they showed up. No call to say they would be late claiming rain was the reason and his help never showing up. Later I found they had another job down the street. I also found out they had been laying concerte for months. <br /> <br />The work was finished and I was told the concrete would be gray but it is stark white and is still white a year later. The steps after a year are sinking into the ground just like the old ones which is why we had them replaced. Dario refused to let me use coupon offered on Angie's list saying it was already included in the price. Our contract never stated a discount had been added. He simply refund to honor his own coupon. They also dented our siding with one of the steps and they said they would fix the dent and never did. <br />

This is an extremely reputable and professional family business. Dano and his father have been doing this work for years and take all precautions to do it right. They are easy to work with and get in touch with.

Quality of the finished product is poor: there is an area by the shed where water puddles and we have to physically "sweep" the water off, the broom finish is extremely rough (we have friends who had the same finish on their drives and it is not so rough), the concrete along the house is not smooth, it looks like it has been there for 25 years and is cracking off in layers, rather than moving two brickpavers in our landscaping in front they just cemented them in place so if we ever decide to change our landscaping it will look even worse; there are several white "patches" that look like a piece of plywood was placed on top of the concrete and damaged it (they were using pieces of plywood the day they were pouring). The crew left a lot of concrete in the street from cleaning their equipment which upset our neighbors. The concrete was poured on Tuesday, no one came back to check until Friday. Met with owners Dario and Vince to discuss our concerns but they had no real solutions. Dario offered to put some black caulk along the house, that is not the solution. <br />

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They did a good job. Their price was the same as others but they did some things the other companies didn't offer to do. Very good!

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Initially, the guys at Consolino were responsive, scheduled our work as quickly as possible, and completed the work according to schedule. <br /> We stayed off the driveway for nearly a month, as required. We sealed the driveway in late September, after it had cured completely, using the sealer recommended to us by Consolino. And we didn't salt the driveway during the winter (although this was one of the harshest winters in Michigan history.) <br /> One year later, the driveway is a mess. We have a couple of large cracks, and much worse, the surface has "spalled" or peeled away, in small and large spots all over the driveway. Spalling is a common problem in new concrete, usually due to either poor finishing, a missing finishing agent in the concrete, or heavy use of salt. In our case, we followed directions exactly, and are left with a bad looking driveway. <br /> When contacted this spring and summer about the problems, Consolino's main guy, Dario, put it back on us - saying that it must be our fault. Then he said, essentially, "these things just happen sometimes - maybe you had a lot of salt on your tires when you pulled into the driveway." We got ZERO satisfaction from them, and would strongly recommend against doing business with them in the future. <br /> <br /> ------------------------------ <br /> Update: it's been 18 months since Consolino did our driveway, and it continues to deteriorate. It's now in worse shape than the 25 year old driveway we replaced. Clearly defective concrete - a bad batch from the cement factory, or finished "too wet" according to other contractors we have talked with. We got ZERO satisfaction from Consolino. <br /> <br /> ---------------------------- <br /> Response to Dario's comments below: the entire driveway - literally 90% of the surface - is now gone. We following your instructions TO THE LETTER, including sealing the driveway with the required sealant. I can send you photos of the current state of the driveway if you need proof of how bad it's gotten.

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Excellent work and communication during the project. Gave me updates and recaps everyday.

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Consoling was great to work with. They came on time to estimate the job, returned all calls within 24 hours and notified us in advance that we would be delayed by weather. They did a great job pouring the new driveway and patio. They went above expectations by placing all the sod they cut for the new patio in an area of the yard needed grass. There was no construction debris left behind, site was left clean. <br />

Consolino was efficient, professional, knowledgeable and we are well satisfied.  Dario promptly responded to my initial inquiry and gave me a fairly accurate general idea as to when they could start the project and how long it would take to complete.  All was completed promptly once started and we were also given a brochure with information regarding the care and maintenance of our new cement driveway after completion. <br /> I highly recommend Consolino and will hire them again if the need arises. <br />

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Dario and the guys from Consolino just finished our new driveway and porch.  I contacted Consolino a month prior to closing on my house.  Dario was extremely responsive, to that point that he proactively followed up when I didn't get back to him.  I obtained 4 quotes for my driveway (approx. 50' x 10') and new porch.  Consolino's price was very competitive and fair, based on the other quotes I received and extensive research on Angie's List. <br /> The work was completed on time and as promised.  Dario even extended the back portion of the driveway, connecting to the back door, as he realized it would look a lot better than cutting it off where we had previously planned.  He did this all free of charge.  The crew was very professional and polite.  I would gladly make Consolino my first call for any concrete needs in the future. <br />

Consolino Cement & Tile Co were good. I worked with the owner who was usually onsite the whole time, he came here for an estimate, but then work was actually done and he was here too. Consolino Cement & Tile Co were really fast, he always returned my phone calls and really easy to work with.

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I thought the price was average. They were very professional, came out, prompt, and did the job. The quality of their work was good.

The workers had been recommended though Angies List - we received a quote and they began work shortly thereafter.  They proved additional advice regarding power cleaning and care of the cement especially during the first winter.  They cleaned up after they were done and were responsive to subsequent questions. <br />