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!