Gramer Hardwood Flooring

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Good initial presentation of service with competitive bid.  Generally good references from Angie?s list, particularly for outcome of floor appearance. <br /> After the on-site estimate, Jerry Gramer, owner, provided us with a high level proposal/quote.  In order to address several other concerns, we sent an email to Gramer.  That email was followed up with an extended telephone conversation.  In that call, Gramer was very accommodating, but said that we did not need to write it down because he would do all that we agreed to do. At our insistence, he did send an email briefly outlining the service they would provide. <br /> There were three key items that were influential in our choosing to work with Gramer Hardwoods. First, the price was competitive with other service providers.  Secondly, he told us that because he was using water-based polyurethane, we would not have to be out of our home overnight. (A night off the premises was indicated in the other two bids.)  Lastly, he would move and return all of the furniture in the refinish area.  <br />  The day the work was to begin, the crew was late ? unexpected travel time delays.  Once on site, they appeared to be well organized.    <br /> The crew strategically placed barriers to contain dust.  To their credit, we thought that their dust protection preparation was outstanding and, upon job completion, there was very little residual dust throughout the house. <br /> As they began to move the furniture, the team realized that our furniture was heavier than anticipated. (We have learned lifting furniture does not make one a furniture mover.)  Secondly, none of the furniture was prepared to move properly, such as wrapping drawers, nor did his team use a dolly or lifting straps to assist in moving. Our entertainment center had one door that did not latch well and it opened as they moved it through the front doorway causing the cabinet door to pop off. (One of his crew had experience in furniture repair and was able to restore the cabinet door to near original condition). <br /> After moving all of the furniture into our garage, with no further damage, Gramer told us that he would not return the furniture to <br /> its original location.  He said that he had hurt his back in the move and blamed his crew for being incompetent movers. <br /> Shortly after beginning the sanding operation, they experienced equipment problems with the sander. This delayed the stain application, which delayed the drying time to later in the evening.  He informed us that we could not walk on the <br /> floor since the stain needed to dry overnight. Since all entrances to the house required walking through the work area, we could not get into the house.  This required an overnight hotel stay. <br /> That evening, we went by the house to make sure that Gramer?s team had secured our house.  To our chagrin the back door was unlocked and lights left on in the work area. <br />   <br /> Gramer?s team arrived late the second day on the job.  They needed to purchase materials.  They began applying the next coat of polyurethane.  <br /> Immediately after the final coat of polyurethane was applied by Gramer?s crew, we were informed that Gramer instructed them to get a check from us for the full amount.  At this time, the polyurethane had not dried, the floors could not be walked on, and <br /> appliances were not operational. <br /> The demand for immediate payment by check also came as a surprise.  We expected to be able to see that the work was completed to our satisfaction, and expected to have an option to pay by credit card ? i.e. customary terms.  Gramer?s demand did not include a cost adjustment for resetting the furniture. (It cost us about $300 to have a professional moving company reset it.)  Nor was there a mention of our unexpected hotel expense. <br /> Since Gramer was communicating through his crew, we called him to discuss payment and suggest a cost adjustment for not following through with moving the furniture. Gramer became irate, insulting and threatening.  In an agitated voice, Gramer stated that ?people like you?? (a) were always trying to take advantage, (b) didn?t care that he had hurt his back, and (c) he would blast me on Angie?s List if I posted an unfavorable review.  His response was a surprise.  Nevertheless, we told Gramer that, upon favorable inspection of the job, we would issue payment. A drive across town was required to get to the job site.   Gramer reported that this would delay his crew from a job across town, but the crew would come back at 5 PM to pick up the check.  <br /> We inspected the floor, and found several places that appeared to need additional polyurethane. We were assured that with a little more drying time, it would be fine.  Again, we were assured that the job was complete.   A second walk through the work area found that the stove was not reconnected, stove grates were in the kitchen sink, closet doors were not rehung, and some trash remained to be picked up.  The closet doors were quickly rehung ? backwards - and rehung again.  A crew member responded that he didn?t know anything about reconnecting a stove or lighting a pilot.  He asked, ?What do you suggest??  After some effort, he was successful in making the stove operational.   <br /> We had the crew come back twice to rework an area in the kitchen. We were not satisfied and had we not moved from the property, we would have asked them back again.  <br />   <br /> This review has been delayed due to relocating out of state. <br /> <br />

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The wife came out to give the estimate because supposedly Jerry was too busy. She had no clue what she was doing. She hand measured because he had the laser measure instrument. She thought the floor was oak, she didn’t know that it was maple. She gave us the quote and we booked the time for them to come out and refinish the floor. When she quoted the price, she quoted me right around $4000. When she came back I told her to tell me how much we owed so I could have two checks ready. It ended up being around $3600. When Jerry came, he said with such nice floors his wife should have offered the wooden register vents. He made a point of saying she doesn't know what she is doing. He also had to explain the difference between oil and water based stains because she hadn't done that. He quoted us one price for materials and charged us more because he had to go somewhere else to get the materials and they cost more. They didn’t clean up after themselves, leaving us to clean up the entire mess. My son taped areas that needed redone, Jerry came back and took the tape up without doing anything. We retaped the spots and when they came back to finish up, my son actually pointed out the tape and Jerry yelled at my son saying he didn't need his help. At one point he started screaming at me because I wanted him to fix what wasn’t finished. He did sand the spots that needed done but he sanded one spot in the kitchen so much that it left a dent in the floor. I would say about half of this floor still needs redone. There are spots on the floor that are still rough and don't have stain on them. He did a horrible job putting the toe strips up and didn't stain them so they don't match. I think he realized his wife had underbid the job and therefore he didn't do as good of a job as he should have. The last day he was here to finish up, his only question was when he would be receiving his money.

I called Gramer Harwood Flooring (Jerry) on January 21, 2014 to inquire about an estimate for refinishing the hardwood flooring in my main living space, approximately 600 square feet. Jerry seemed very knowledgeable about his trade and asked me to send pictures, which I did on 1/22/14, along with very detailed measurements, including door openings.  I obtained another quote for the work and  after some back and forth, we agreed for Jerry to start on  Wednesday 1/29/14. <br /> When he arrived, we discussed the job, how long we needed to be prepared to stay off the floors (4 days), as well as trash that would be generated (it was my trash day, so the cans were out). I explained to Jerry that all of my trash has to fit in the can provided by the city, that I cannot put extra bags on the curb.  He said it wouldn't be a problem, that he would remove all trash.  Later that morning, he texted me a picture of one of the areas of concern all cleaned up and my response was "Awesome! I am so excited to see them done."  I came home that night to several bags of trash on my porch.  <br /> On Thursday, he got a late start, but did let me know, which I appreciated.  Thursday is when the problems really started,..Jerry called to inform me that my walnut plugs were coming out of the floor when he "cut it," indicating 39 had already come loose but that he needed to cut the middles 2 more times.   He worked on Friday and through the weekend, battling the plugs coming out, indicating that they were not properly installed. I was completely understanding and was not concerned about the extra time the job was taking, I just wanted it done right. <br /> Unfortunately, I had to bother Jerry on Sunday evening to ask if I could walk on the floors to get paperwork , which he suggested against. Jerry left no indication as to when he would be back. I texted him Monday morning, 2/3/14 at 11:18am to see if he was planning on finishing that day and he indicated yes at 11:54am.  At 11:57 am, I explained that I had the plumber coming the next day and since they were going to already be here that I was going to have some work done which would require them walking on the refinished floors.  At 11:58 he responded "Ok will need a check today," to which I replied (12:01 pm) "what time and how much...my checkbook is in the bedroom (which I couldn't get to on refinished floors).  He texted me at 2:31 to say he was on his way and ask what time I would be there.  I asked him how long he would be there as I was really unable to leave work at that time.  He said 45 minutes.  After some confusing text messages, I texted him the following:" I need a total amount and I need to know how long you will be there, or where I can deliver a check to.  At this point I'll have to go to the bank to get the check.  I didn't know you were coming to finish up and I didn't think to grab my checkbook this morning."  His response was "How many feet?" to which I replied ?I don?t have it right now, I thought you were going to confirm the square footage and shoe moulding? and he replied ?I can when I get over there.?  He texted again to say that he cannot get the pegs anywhere else and that he wanted to know when he could do the final coat as he would have to get more pegs before then. I suggested that I would gladly go get them as it was not that far from my work, however, I did tell him that I couldn?t make it before they closed on Monday, but would go the following morning.  He apparently left at that point, leaving his heavy equipment in one of the bathrooms that I had told him was having work completed in.  <br /> On Tuesday morning I had to move his equipment so the plumber would have access. I went and got the plugs he needed and drove them back home before going in to work, assuming that he was going to finish the job.  I texted him at 8:39 am indicating where to find them.  He wasn?t able to come on Tuesday, but did come back on Wednesday to finish the job.  I repeatedly ask him for a detailed invoice as there had been confusion and no real confirmation regarding the exact square footage and the additional cost for the plug replacement.  He texted me on Wednesday afternoon with the following: ?528 square feet grand total $1708? and ?will send on (sp) invoice when I get home,? then followed up with ?I will send invoice tonight if the check is there tomorrow I will come over to do the final coat around 4.?  This is the timeframe where the EXTREME unprofessionalism occurred!  My mom came home from work at about 3:30 and according to her, Jerry threw a temper tantrum about a check not being there, not getting a deposit, etc.  cursing and ultimately loading up his machinery and leaving.  At 2:09 am, upon getting home from work, I texted Jerry regarding his behavior and making the payment.  At 6:45 am, he texted me back, continuing his verbal assault about the invoice, check, trash.  I will gladly share the detail of this text message exchange if desired.  Finally, after several texts back and forth it was agreed that Jerry would come on Monday, 2/10/14 to finish the job.  On Monday morning, I left a check for Jerry, but did remind him again that I wanted an invoice.  He took the check, but left no invoice.  Finally, 13 days later my floors were supposedly completed and most of the trash was removed (we had a snow/icestorm and some was buried). I did finally get an email with work performed, but not what I would call a detailed invoice on 2/12/14.  <br /> On 2/15/14, when I was actually able to get on the floors and inspect them, I emailed Jerry that I was unhappy with the plugs, that they were above the floor, below the floor and unsanded.  He called me within a half hour to discuss, was very explanatory about why they looked like that, but too technical for me? basically he indicated that he couldn?t do anything about them at which point I asked if I got on my hands and knees and sanded the ones above the floor would he come and recoat them?  He did respond yes. After thinking more about it, I decided that 1) I shouldn?t have to try to fix his mess and 2) if I did try and further damaged  the floors I would have no recourse.  On 4/2/14, I emailed Jerry again about the plugs and ask for a written response.  I haven?t heard from him since. I want my floors fixed properly or my money back so that I can hire someone else. <br /> <br />

It took us a while to get connected and then a little longer to get scheduled.  They were a little soft on arrival time.  But once they got here and got started, they did a very thorough, careful, professional job - the floors look amazing, and they left the rooms very clean and tidy each day that they were here. <br />

They didn't meet the standards that I expected based on the Angie's List reviews.  They underestimated the time and labor required.   When they moved furniture in order to refinish the floor, they dinged walls and scratched furniture.   I had to point out particular areas that were not done well.   One area where they replaced a few boards at a threshold is a significantly different color than the rest of the floor as well as being about 1/4 inch lower than the others.

Responsive and courteous workers. Job was done on schedule and at a  <br /> reasonable price. They made very old floors look like new. Highly recommended. <br />

After taking an early retirement at age 57 my wife and I decided to start purchasing distressed houses and fixing them up for resale. This hobby would keep us busy, help to revitalize forgotten homes and provide us with additional positive cash flow. <br /> <br />Our latest purchase required all of the original yellow pine floors to be sanded and stained including the kitchen & bathroom. <br />We researched Angie's list for an experienced floor company to perform the work within our budget. We reached out to 3 companies, 2 responded and we ultimately chose Jerry at Gramer Hardwood Flooring, and we are glad we did. <br /> <br />Jerry and his team were quick, clean & most of all, artist. The end result was beyond our expectations.  <br />This old forgotten house will now be the showpiece of the neighborhood and a great "HOME" for its new family. <br />I will be using Jerry for our next investment. <br /> <br />

It went great!  He was <em>very </em>knowledgeable and taught me quite a bit about the different coatings.  He was very considerate, polite, and cleaned up well!   It was clear that he went out of his way for us, and I definitely intend on using him in the future.  I wish I had used him earlier. The price was very reasonable, especially in terms of the quality of the end result.

<p>Our hardwood floors are beautiful.</p> <p>We contacted Jerry in late November. He came, took measurements and promptly emailed a quote. The price was very reasonable.  With the holidays approaching we did not get back with him until late January.  Jerry was able to start work within two weeks. They arrived on time and ready to start work.  The wood floors are original to the house and appx. 60 years old.  For recent years the floors had been waxed with a paste wax and polished with an electric buffer so the wax was very worn into the wood.   Jerry and his crew had to sand every bit of the wood service to remove all the old wax before any finishing could be done.  Jerry was great to work with and helped me select a stain color that I love.  He was able to put several stain samples on the floor and left them dry overnight so that my husband and I could select the color.  All the toe strips were replaced with new wood, stained to match. </p> <p>We had the LR, DR, Entry, 3 bedrooms, hallways and closets all done at one time.  This meant everything in our house was stored in the back room and in the basement.  We were living out of one basement room for the week.  Jerry did everything he could to keep the dust down by sealing off the remaining rooms.  I am going to be honest this is a messy dirty job.  Expect dust everywhere.  NO FAULT of Gramer, it's just the type of work being done.  We really appreciated how quickly they were able to finish (even with 3 days of sanding).</p> <p>Did I mention the floor are beautiful.  They are so smooth. The stain is even and the toe strips match so well.  </p> <p>Jerry was great to work with. Very professional and so knowledgeable about the floor types and different woods.  Always friendly and cheerful.  We have a small dog and he would always come in and play with my barking dog until he calmed down.  Most people get very irritated with a little hyper dog, but Jerry embraced him and waited till the dog would calm down before starting work. This meant a lot to me and that he wasn't there just to do a job and get paid.  </p> <p>I will definitely recommend this company.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><br /></p> <br />

This is mixed review.  I bought this as an Angies Deal for $99 for 100 sq ft of floor refinishing for my son and his wife as a Christmas gift.  When my son called to set up the appointment, the owner said he wasn't honoring those deals because he would be losing too much money and said to request a refund.  When my son informed me of his conversation I called the owner and reminded him we had spoken before I purchased this deal and he had no problem doing the job.  After further conversations, he agreed to honor the deal and came out to do the floor.  My son and daughter-in-law are very pleased with the finished product, but there were a few glitches along the way.  It was necessary to complete the project in stages. He came out and completed the first phase and then gave them a day and time that he would return to complete the project.  My son didn't hear from him so he called to confirm the appointment at which time the owner wouldn't commit to that day and time to complete the job.  He then called my son back and said he would be there as scheduled.   The end product is beautiful, but I would definitely discuss and confirm all aspects of the project before signing a contract.

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We had several quotes for the floors and Jerry was the best value. Jerry and his partner performed work and gave us the three choices of stain on both types of our flooring. The quality of the work was excellent and we have recommended Jerry to several other people. Jerry was knowledgeable about his craft. We will use him for our future needs. He even finished extra steps for us that we had not talked about with him.

Let me start by saying you should read this entire review before you make a decision based on it. There were definitely some very positive things about this vendor and some things that could have gone better. That said, we would use them again as the quality and price of their service was excellent and they were more flexible with being willing to install new baseboard where other providers would not. <br /> We had Jerry Gramer and his partner out to give us an estimate shortly before Thanksgiving. Jerry seemed very knowledgeable about flooring. He has the right equipment and the fact that he is trusted by JP Flooring and McSwain as a hardwood subcontractor lends credibility to his work. These guys are not sales guys coming in and smooth talking you into buying their services, they are the guys that actually do the work. The communication was a little rough. We later found that some of the things we discussed were either misunderstood or forgotten, but in the end the project was completed to our specifications. There was never a written/signed proposal. Communication was prompt, but by short text messages similar to texts you may get from your teenager. <br /> We were going to be out of town for a few days before Christmas so we scheduled them to come and sand while we were still in town and then we would leave for the polyurethane work so we weren?t around for the smelly part. We understood initially that it would take them a couple of days to sand the floors and we were leaving on Wednesday to go out of town, so we scheduled them to come on Monday. When they showed up on Monday morning they told us it would only take them a couple of hours to sand the floors, so we decided they would come back Wednesday morning to do the sanding. We would leave midday before the polyurethane work. <br /> We got a call Wednesday morning that he had a more important job that had to be completed on Wednesday morning for a builder and so they wouldn?t be able to come until later on Wednesday. We agreed to let them do all of the work while we were out of town. I told him I would leave a check for half of the total and give him the other half after we got back, but he refused to do the work without full payment and reassured me about the Angie?s List ratings. He said when we got back if we weren?t 100% happy he would be back first thing Monday morning to make it right. We left a check for the full amount and went out of town. I am honestly not sure when they were at the house and when they were not. It seemed they maybe didn?t come until Thursday instead of Wednesday night, but they may have come for a short time on Wednesday. I know they were still at the house after midnight on Saturday night because they were texting us questions around 12:30AM Sunday morning. This was fine because we were up and not in the house, but the schedule did not go according to plan. <br /> When we got home the floors themselves looked great, but we were not very happy with the state of the house. The baseboard that he agreed to cut and install was only partially completed. The reducers between the hardwood and the kitchen and upstairs bathrooms were not installed. The shoe strip was cut too long around the register vents so they wouldn?t fit back in. And the house was very dirty. I expected a lot of dust, but there were garbage bags left in the garage. The front porch was covered in sawdust including the doormat. <br /> I called Jerry when we got back and expressed our concerns over the work that was incomplete. He reassured me that they would come back and fix it, but said it wouldn?t be until he had another job in my neighborhood. It took almost four weeks before they came back. There was a two day delay because of the arctic vortex and his van wouldn?t start, which is understandable, but the rest of the 3+ weeks was just unavailability. When they came back to finish the work they were at the house for about 5 hours but everything looked good when they left. <br /> So it sounds bad? and it was frustrating. Why would I use them again? The floors look awesome. The quality is excellent. The price was significantly less than the next closest estimate AND they did our baseboards for us, which the other guys wouldn?t do. Their biggest problem, and I told Jerry this, is that he needs a scheduler that will set a realistic schedule and hold him to it. He consistently overbooks himself so he is working late into the night trying to get one more job done that he doesn?t have time for. <br /> Virtually all of our concerns could be resolved by him setting and keeping a realistic schedule. I believe the only reason they didn't finish the baseboards, clean up adequately, install the reducers, etc, was because it was 1AM Sunday morning and they were tired. I understand, I would be too. With a little better planning this review would be almost straight A?s. <br /> If you are flexible and willing to deal with some unexpected scheduling issues then Gramer could be a good fit for your flooring job. <br />

The work was performed professionally and promptly.  The floors look beautiful. He was helpful with stain selection and obviously takes great pride in his work. I will definitely refer friends and use him again in the future. <br />

Jerry did an excellent job and was very professional. He showed up on time and was very detail oriented. I would definitely recommend Gramer Flooring and already have to many of my friends. <br />

Gramer was able to work my job into their schedule sooner than any other contractor I contacted, and at a lower price. I initially intended to have only three rooms refinished, not including closets. However, they were able to work with me on pricing to add the closets and a very large additional room. I was also able to have previous damage to one of the floors repaired with new boards for much less than I expected. Gramer was a pleasure to work with and worked hard to make sure I got what i wanted at a very reasonable price. The experience was much more personal than what I experienced with other contractors I had contacted. <br /> As to the results - I was amazed at how the floors turned out. The wood is 50 years old and after the refinishing, it looks like brand new hardwood. I chose to keep the wood natural and have the sanded and coated with urethane (no staining). After sanding and finishing, the red oak is fresh and bright and the urethane has given it a brilliant shine. So far, everyone who has seen them has been very impressed and can't believe they are the original floors. Gramer also fixed some of the threshold pieces in one room that had issues from the previous owner, and did extra work to fill in gaps. To cap it off, after the floors were refinished, a family member scratched the living room floor while doing work in the house. Jerry stayed to fix the scratches free of charge, even though he was only there to finish the toe strips. I know this kept him on site when he could have simply gone home for the day. It was much appreciated. <br /> Unfortunately, I am still working on the house, and it is too dark to take pictures that will do these floors justice. I will try to update with photos when I am able. All in all, this was an excellent experience, and I would not hesitate to call Gramer for any future flooring work. <br />

Jerry refinished the floors at our new home and refinished the floors at old home in preparation for sale. We are very happy repeat customers. See previous review. Jerry is honest, polite and professional. We recommended him to other Angie's List members who have called us for referrals & given his contact information to our family over the holidays.  <br /> <br />

Felt deceived by deal of $99 for $500 worth of work. Gramer told me that value is the price a high end flooring company would charge, and he would deduct the $99 form the overall quote. Did not want to go through with this deal as it would still cost me hundreds of dollars.

The floors look great - we never thought they could look as nice as they do after they were refinished! Gramer Hardwood Floors did and excellent job - would use again and refer to family/friends. <br />

The floors look great. They scheduled and came to do the service while we were out of town. It took them four days to do all of the sanding and refinishing. Jerry Gramer the owner was at the house over seeing the work and the main person working on the project which was good. My only little disappointment was we did not know the baseboards were not included so we had to bring in a painter afterwards to have the baseboards done.

Jerry, was on time when he said he would be there and he is a tremendous worker.  He walked me through every step of the process and broke it down for me to understand.  He did everything he said he was going to do and more.  Also giving me advice on other items around the house that he said could become a problem.  It was a great experience to use him.  He came to me on referral by my brother actually and he did not disappoint. <br />

They were very professional and showed up on time.