Creative Concrete Floors

My mother always told me that if you didn’t have anything good to say, it was best to keep your mouth shut. After months of thinking on this, I have decided to go ahead with this bad review. I don’t think it’s ok to let other people go through the same thing we experienced.
Dustin was recommended to us by Modern Crete because our kitchen floor project was not big enough. Although, he had one very bad review on Unilocal, the references he gave me were good. He had a very charming personality, so although from the start there were some tell-​tell signs that should have given me pause, we figured he was just having a bad month. He initially told us the job would only take 3 days. The whole thing ended up taking a month, granted some of the delays were due to weather conditions, but most of it seem to be an endless list of Murphy’s law happenings — He had issues with another projects, he didn’t have a helper, he didn’t hear his alarm clock, he could not work for a few days because he had run out of money and could not buy materials until his bank cleared up some misunderstanding (I had just given him a check for $ 600), sometimes he simply would not show up and would not call or take my calls. I don’t know if you have ever lived in a house covered in dust and with no kitchen for a month, but it was not very fun!
When we thought we were done, I noticed he had tracked leaves in the kitchen and they were trapped underneath the sealer. Dustin was very nice about it, apologized for the entire process and re-​sanded and sealed the floors. All that was left was cut the floor’s edges with an exacto knife, scrape off the bits of cement that were stuck to the wood and the wall and clean up, but he told me his daughter was sick and he would have to come back the next day to finish. But could he have his last check because he needed to pay his helper. I was so happy to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, that I gave him the check gladly. The next day, he never came or called. When I called him, he told me he was now sick. After a month of not having a kitchen, I decided to pay the people that came to do the shoe molding to do a couple of hours of extra work and wrap up Dustin’s work. At this point I thought, well, the process was a messy, but we are done and it looks great.
About a month later, I called Dustin because I noticed that when I spilled water, it was getting absorbed by the micro-​cement. I have a micro-​cement bathroom in Spain, so I knew this should not happen. I started using a towel by the floor of the stove because I was worried that if grease spilled, it would get permanently absorbed into the floor. He said he was very busy, but that as soon as he had extra time, he would give it a second coat of sealer. A couple of months passed and I texted him, a few weeks later I called and he apologized said he would call me the next week and not to worry, he would make it right. Soon I also noticed that the sealer was chipping off in the area by the kitchen stools, even though we had used rubber pads. Also, micro-​cement started cracking in the same area where we had had issues before where after 6 years two of our one foot tiles had cracked due to the house settling. His quote was to include fixing the crack on the floor, but when I questioned him about the fact that he had gotten it done in just a few minutes and that the person that had given me an earlier bid had told me that it had to dry overnight, he said not to worry; he had done this many times. I made him promise that he would come back and fix it if there was an issue a year later. Well, I didn’t have to wait a year, 3 months later there is a 25 foot diagonal crack on the cement. It has now been about 8 months since he did the work.
When he stopped replying to my texts and calls, I decided to get in touch with Modern Crete to see if something had happened. They explained that they were no longer referring business to Dustin because he was unreliable. I just filled a Consumer Complaint Form, in hopes that I might get this issue resolved.
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They were very knowledgable and professional. My metallic epoxy floors came out absolutely beautiful, better than expected. Worth every penny. They did not try and up sell or B.S. me. The quote I was given is what I paid :).

We wanted our floors waxed, and Dustin was recommended by another concrete floor maintenance person. He showed up and gave us a very expensive bid, but said that it would last for another 10 years, so I went for it. He showed up hours late and spent about 4 man hours on the job (we had moved furniture and cleaned the floor ourselves). We immediately pointed out two places where he spilled wax stain, and he said that he would contact the vendor to determine how to resolve it. Within 2 days you could see EVERY paw pad mark from our dogs. It also made a horrible squeaking sound when you walked across the floor. I tried to contact him multiple times, but he ignored my calls. We never got the stains resolved. Several months later it looks like it was never waxed. The worst is that I recommended him to one of my neighbors after reviewing competitive bids, but before the work was done, and they had the same problems.

Dustin was recommended by another floor place located in South Austin that said Hutto was a little too far for him to travel. Dustin showed up gave a reasonable quote and could start the job within a few days. Said the job should be a one day but could go into a second day. He started on 11.3.14. We had some concern about the coming rain late on Tuesday and he ensured us it should not be an issue as it had time to dry by then. Late Monday he said the stain was not reacting as quick as it should and he would return on Tuesday to finish. I stayed home on Tuesday as again I had concerns about the rain up to 4 inch called for later that day. He did not show up until close to 10 am after I sent text asking if we were still doing it that day at around 9:30. I talk to him about some of the spray that got onto our stone fire place and how he was going to remove it. He said he could sand it out. He had already put the acid down but could not seal it because of light rain that started around 11 am. Had he started at 8 am it may have been completed and he stated it only needed 2 hours to dry. So three days later on 11.8.14 he came back again not showing up until very late in the day and the patio had turned black, original color was to be walnut brown. We talked options at this time and he suggested a thin overlay of concrete to start with a new canvas and to than use a dye not acid. We agreed to try this approach and he would return on Monday to put down the overlay. Monday 11.10.14 he did not show up until 3 pm. At this point it was clear to me we were not his top priority as for the days I was home he could not get there until late in the afternoon and even talked about other jobs. He put down the overlay but was not able to cover up the part under the hardy plank but above the concrete. He called it the pinning, this was still black. He was going to return on 11.11.14 to stain and seal. I started texting him on 11.11.14 at around 1030 AM to see if we were going to finish this job and again not until around 2:30 did he show up. The spray on the stone work had not be cleaned up it was windy and I ask how he was going to protect my house from overspray. He did not have a plan other than a small piece of cardboard his helper John could hold. I then helped by suggesting a big piece of plywood from a lot next door that was trash. He did not have the right tip for his sprayer and had to go to get one. It was a long ways off and took a very long time. He did let us know it would take a while. John stayed worked on the stone did a good job getting most of it off but one area is really bad and ruined for good now. When he returned he stained and sealed it in a short period of time in the dark for the most part using the light on the patio. The next morning it looked really, really bad (see photo above). At this point we lost all trust in him and the work he could perform and have asked him to stop working on our patio. His claim was that it just needed more sealant or stain and he could get it done. Again we said no we did not want him working on our patio anymore. I did research online and with other companies and will try to fix the mess myself. He still wanted us to pay 82% of his quoted price. We refused during texts back a fourth at one point he stated he would file a mechanics lean on our house. As I told him very clear he could file what he wanted I would sue for misrepresentation and I was not trying to fight and was willing to pay him for his cost of product but not labor as he has ruined our patio. I would than try to find someone to fix his mistake and in the end I hoped to get it done for a few hundred over my original quote. I really did not feel I should have to pay a dime for what we got and would not recommend him to anyone as I feel he did not really know what he was doing or just had to much going on to focus on our job. I give him credit for trying to fix the first problem but then not working on Sunday and not showing up until late each day really showed us where we stood in his projects.

Dustin installed a gorgeous floor in my bedroom. The color is rich and full, and workmanship is expert. Dustin made sure to have me review each step, so I was happy. He also gave me great hints for caring for my floor. I love my new floor and hope you will choose to install a stained cement floor with Dustin and his team.

Was referred to Dustin, and am so thankful I was. Not only did he manage to transform my patio exactly the way I wanted, he did it with patience, diligence, and hard work. He was priced very reasonably and was extremely knowledgeable regarding everything concrete. I would highly recommend Dustin for your concrete needs.

Dustin and his crew are professional, patient and accommodating. They did a fantastic job matching the color my wife wanted and the floor came out amazing. Very reasonable prices. Dustin was consistently available to us to help resolve whatever question arose during the process.
Would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a finished concrete floor.

My husband and I searched for several weeks for a contractor to stain 3 bedrooms in our new home. The big companies wouldn’t come out for a smaller job, and I couldn’t find a reputable contractor. A larger concrete staining company, Modern Crete, recommended Dustin Graham for the job. Dustin answered all of my questions over the phone, and was very patient. I had no idea what the process entailed and was pretty nervous. He ended up starting the job just a few short days later, much earlier than we expected. He brought one other worker with him, and they worked from around 9AM-​5PM or so. One small critique is that they told us they would be done in one day, but didn’t finsh for about 2 ½ days. Still, I know our house is older and it took more work than expected. I also appreciated that they did it the right way instead of just rushing through it. I knew that Dustin wanted to do a good job and wanted us to be happy with the results.
One thing I will say is not to be nervous when you see the floors half way through. I was very nervous at times seeing the unfinished floors, but it looked SO much different once it was done. We are actually extremely happy with how the floors turned out. They are a bit different than expected, but so, so pretty. Our floors have some big cracks in the foundation, but to us, it just adds to the charm of the house.
Dustin worked with us on pricing, too, and was much more affordable than some of the other companies and contractors. He gives you the options, but also lets you know what is the most affordable. We were very grateful to have another option– and ended up paying about what we would to have tile put down. The floors are very strong, but we have to treat them like a wood floor and still be very careful. The only other small complaint I have is that the clean-​up wasn’t as good as it could have been. I found myself having to touch up paint in the rooms in several places where the stain had gone, which was time consuming. That was the most frustrating part, but really it’s not too big of a deal.
Ultimately, I would recommend Dustin and his team for staining the concrete in your home. They worked really hard and did a great job.