You may remember a blog post I wrote a few weeks ago about the refinishing of the floors in my new very old house in Litchfield County, Connecticut.
The work is finished, and I am thrilled with the results…
LIVING ROOM -BEFORE
LIVIING ROOM -AFTER
The 1835 Greek Revival house I was purchasing had most of its original wide plank floors, but the color was bland and the finish underwhelming: I knew they could look great but I needed to find someone who knew how to handle these antique boards.
I asked my real estate broker Stacey Matthews who she might recommend. Her initial response was that this was not an easy question, but she would speak to another client who had just refinished his floors and was thrilled with the work of his finisher.
Stacey forwarded the contact information for Ed Wilkes, but I was warned that Ed was a bit of a ‘mad scientist’ but that he KNEW floors.
In our initial walk-through of the house his passion for wood floors and the breadth of his experience, and for the possibilities of my antique floors was palpable. Ed was engaging and ready to start immediately: he provided samples for discussion and was very flexible about making adjustments.
I gave Ed keys and he got started on repairs, replacements (as needed) and sanding immediately. He kept me abreast of all developments, sending me multiple texts per day – including snap shots.
His desire to please was fantastic: the finished floors exceeded my expectations in every way.
DINING ROOM – AFTER
I did not solicit competitive pricing because I knew that I had found my guy. With the importance of the floors as the very first step in making my new very old home someplace special, I went ahead – and I am very glad that I did!
I have come to learn that Ed Wilkes has done many floor finishing projects for the distinguished architectural firms of Ike Kligerman Barkley, Shope Reno Wharton, Francis Fleetwood and John B. Murray in places across the United States, and I now fully understand why.
Ed Wilkes is definitively old school, and is “working” on his first website for his company Floorworks after 30 years in business.
Here is Ed’s contact information:
(203) 438-5117
(203) 512-5897 Cell
edward.wilkes@snet.net
More updates on my new very old house to follow!
This is a fabulous opportunity for me to watch you go through your process. AMAZING floors.
Anne
Anne, I am still just beginning to get to know and understand my new very old house – rest assured there are many design adventures ahead! I hope to show it and share it with you in person someday soon! XX Glenn
Your floors are beautiful and the color is perfect. Ed Wilkes did a great job, but that certainly does not surprise me if he does work for John B. Murray Architects. John really knows what he is doing and uses excellent people on his projects. When I was with my old interior design firm I worked on several projects with John and his team, including his own townhouse.
I feel very fortunate to have been referred to Ed. I look forward to doing much more work with him in the future.
By all measures, John B. Murray takes the craft and passion of residential architecture very seriously – so by six degrees of separation theory I am now MUCH closer to JBM – one day I hope to close the circle by meeting him! Glenn
Great blog post Glenn, so generous of you to share Ed’s contact information with the design community.
Can’t wait to see more of your posts about the house as you move through the process of revamping it!
I am happy to share such a special resource. Ed’s combination of passion, knowledge and skill is unusual, and I would like to support his continued success.
Owning this house and property is a dream come true which allows for a different kind of engagement than creating a project for a client; it is a process that requires a steep learning curve.
Can’t wait to see what more you will do with this room. Off to a great start1
Glenn these floors are beautiful.
OMG! Absolutely exquisite floors! I need this guy! Thanks so much for sharing this Glenn and for the contact info. x, Laurel
Laurel, if you do call hi lease let him knowhowypu found him. Glenn
absolutely! I’m in two minds. The flooring guy really screwed up on this job and he’ll make good on it, but…Of course, the GC is in England now. Need to wait for him to get back.