I posted a bad review recently and would like to update it. Araceli contacted me immediately after the post and within a few days returned my deposit. I believe she is an honorable business woman and probably does great work (they were recommended to me by Tim Samuelson, the retired cultural historian of Chicago), but I no longer had the time to navigate their business practices. It seems these may be trying times for the office of Peter's Wood Refinishing and I am sympathetic to that but Araceli, if you are reading this, people have a lot of understanding if you will just communicate with them. read more

I'm sure the work is good (they came recommended) but if you actually want anything done to your home I'd suggest looking elsewhere - I've been waiting almost three weeks for a quote. Was told I'd get one about two weeks ago and haven't heard back since, and I certainly won't beg anyone to take my money. Based on other reviews it seems like they need some additional admin support. read more

Pass on this business... Araceli came in for an estimate and we have not heard since. Called once to inquire about the proposal and she said she will text immediately after hanging up for us to resend info. and to double check info. in order to send a proposal. Never did receive that 'text'...a testament to their integrity and giving customers the runaround... Read their many NEGATIVE Reviews and was glad we did not get to experience more than NOT receiving a proposal ! Shoddy workmanship and Not returning calls to remedy or refund $$$$ is not what we want in hiring any business. read more

What a great job! And great experience with Peter and his team!! Our front door has hand carvings we wanted to preserve- previous owner had applied several coats of paint over the previous 40 years. It was not an easy job - and it was onsite. The team took their time and did it correctly and it turned out beautifully- : ). Highly recommend Peter's Wood Refinishing . Thank you! read more

Peter's Wood Refinishing - Exterior Door - Refinishing Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Do not hire this company. Peter's Wood Refinishing is completely unprofessional, dishonest, and unreliable. I hired them back in June to re-stain my front door and replace a broken glass panel. Before the project started, it was clearly discussed and written in the contract that they would complete both parts of the job. They finished the staining (which was sloppy and uneven in areas they said they would fix later), but they never replaced the glass -- and they never came back. From June through now (almost November), I have been the one to initiate every follow-up. Each time, they gave me excuses and false promises that the glass replacement was scheduled or on the way. They lied repeatedly about when it would be done, and now they have stopped responding altogether. I even sent one final message recently asking for an update, and they simply ignored it. To make matters worse, they ripped a large section of paint off my wall during the work. When I pointed it out, they hid behind their contract claiming they weren't liable -- even though the damage was far beyond what their agreement described. It was careless and negligent. It's now been five months, and my project is still incomplete. This company does not honor their word, they do not follow through, and they do not care about their customers. If you're considering hiring Peter's Wood Refinishing, don't. They will take your money, make excuses, and leave your job unfinished. There are plenty of other companies that will treat you honestly and professionally -- this one will not. read more

The work depends on the level of care and time the team of guys put in to the work. This is the second time we have used them. the quote around $6,000+ was not worth the work done. Wood was left unstripped, unstained, and incomplete. The were areas of wood on the trim left unstained--I was told by Araceli--just have the painter who is coming fix it. I paid to have all the trim stripped not done as sloppy as it was or to have the painter paint over wood trim that I was told would all be stripped done. Not paint left on it causing it to not take the stain the workers just applied over paint that hadnt been removed. They came back to "fix it," and they applied what looks like a brown paint over some of the area where it wasn't stained. It was rushed through. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY. OVERPRICED FOR THE SLOPPY--lack of attention to detail--work they do. If you are to ask questions they will be met with excuses, passive aggressiveness, and condescension. As soon as Araceli was paid in full. She stopped replying to my mesages and photos explaining how the work was not done up to the level that it was explained it would be. Do better Peters and Araceli--for everyone else. Look elsewhere. This place will take your money, and leave with you unfinished work. read more

This company is the worst. Believe me, they refinished some casement windows for a Church mind you and never came back to repair the windows they messed up on. They are only concerned with getting your money. You will be gambling with this company. read more

Professional and excellent job! The table was done exactly what I had requested. The work was done beautifully. Very pleased

I've done business with this company before and it went very well. So I decided to use them again. I wanted my doors redone and they said that they could do it. That was April. Now here we are in September with no completed doors nor did we get the door back. They have avoided our emails and calls nor have they returned any calls or emails. They have over 1000.00 dollars plus of our money and show no sign of refunding it. After speaking with them recently and promised to refund our money the next day we haven't heard from them again. Now they won't answer the phone or return our calls. Please don't do business with this company because they aren't trustworthy. They're also very unprofessional in the way they do business. I will be reporting them to the BBB as well. Looks like we're going to court! read more

I can't say enough good things about Peter and his whole crew. The work itself is phenomenal, and the coordination with delivery, pickup, or onsite scheduling was very easy. We ended up having more work done than expected, largely because of how pleased we were with the whole process. Very fair pricing and an overall great value. read more

See all

Fantastic job on the entryway door. 135 years old and you made it look fantastic. Thanks to all the crew at peters wood refinishing. read more

See all

We are so lucky to have found Peter's! We hired them to refinish 8 very old wood doors with about 100 years of peeling paint on them, and the end product is absolutely gorgeous! They also stripped all the paint off of the hardware. They took all the doors off the frames for us, took them to their shop, and re-installed which was all included in their fee. We highly recommend these guys, their service throughout was fantastic. read more

See all

We had am 18 year old wooden dining room table which we had bought new at Room and Board. Over the years, it had been scratched, scorched and otherwise abused. Peter's gave us a reasonable quote, pretty much the same as 3 or 4 other quotes that we had gotten. The work they did was outstanding--it looks new, if not better than new. The wood grain is clear and the finish is beautiful. All of the damage has been removed. The legs and extension boards were also refinished to match the top of the table, even though they were not damaged and looks perfect. Ready to go for another 18 years. We will definitely use Peter's again. read more

I reached out to Peter about restoring a very old, broken down backgammon board that had a great back story. I came close to discarding but I am so glad to have found Peter! He did such an incredible job restoring and bring this back to life! His craftsmanship was just beautiful! read more

Follow-up: Peter came out and repaired the door. Extremely disappointing. Have been waiting patiently for more than 3 months. I keep getting told that next Saturday they will come and fix the door (the door needs repair but is working). A few times they have called back 3-4 days after they should have been here, apologizing for not showing up and explaining that they are busy BUT in 2 more weeks they WILL come by. They have never once called to let us know that they were not going to show up on the day they had promised. Initially I was trying to be understanding but this is beyond any reasonable treatment of a customer! read more

I hired Peter's Wood refinishing to refinish some old doors, stain a newly installed staircase, refinish old floors, and to install new hardwood floors. All of the work done was outstanding and we could not be more pleased. The team also communicates really well and they clean up perfectly afterwards. I highly recommend them and I will always go to them if I ever need this type of work done again. read more

After calling several companies for estimates, I decided to go with Peter's because of the reasonable price and the customer service. Aracelli took time at my home to explain the process, show pictures and even gave me ideas! The quality of the work was professional in time and service. I would definitely do business with them again. read more

See all

Peter's Wood Refinishing did a FANTASTIC job on my book shelf/case!!! After they finished, the book shelf matches my bedroom set perfectly, which is exactly what I requested. When I called, the owner, Araceli, came over to my apartment within a day or two to get a first hand look at my furniture. After calling one of Peter's competitors, they said they were too busy to come by despite admitting that their shop was right around the corner from where I live. Instead, they requested that I send a picture and measurements, and then, the price that they quoted was outrageous. Peter's price for getting the work done was very competitive, and the results are nothing short of amazing. Everyone that I spoke to at Peter's is FRIENDLY, right down to the pickup and delivery men. All I can add is that you will not be disappointed with Peter's if you go with them for your furniture refinishing and/or restoration needs! read more

I am so Amazed! with the work Pete Refinishing can accomplish. They took my front door that has been through Chicago winters for 80 years. They transformed it to a new door. I highly recommend calling and meeting with The team there . I Worked with Aracely and Francesca who are professionals and know there stuff. I plan to have my interior doors refinished. Call them you will not be disappointed. read more

See all

I had 3 vintage doors stripped and refinished by Peter's Wood. The doors were covered in 100 years of thick, ugly, cracking paint. the end result was unbelievably gorgeous. Peter brought out the beauty of the natural tortoiseshell patterns in the wood and the staining and treatment were high quality. He charged $200 per door including pick-up and delivery and hauling the doors up and down 3 flights of steep back porch stairs. In addition to the high-quality work Peter does, his customer service is excellent. I was on a very specific timeframe and everything was delivered as promised on the schedule I requested. The guys showed up on time. The girls in the office - Aracely, Francesca and others are all so smart and polite. They are more professional than most corporate executive assistants. They called me before I could call them with status updates and on pick-up and delivery days to say the guys were on their way. They knew all the details of my job. Such a pleasure to deal with. The only small glitch was that on the day my doors were delivered, 4 members of Peter's crew arrived and started to install 2 of the doors upside down and backwards with the mirrors and doorknobs on the wrong side. However they had tools with them and quickly corrected things and I was completely satisfied. The doors are so good-looking, I'm probably going to have Peter re-do some other doors for me which have been stripped and refinished already but do not look as nice as the ones Peter stripped. Hire with confidence. read more

Peter's Wood Refinishing - Door stripped of paint and stained. - Refinishing Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had ordered a door and it came with nicks, scratches and dents from the Milliken Door Company. It wasn't even wrapped. I had Peter's Refinishing pick it up and they sanded it, refinished it and put a satin coat on it and it looks beautiful! They worked with me and we arranged everything by phone. They were s nice and professional. I am very happy with their service and with my door. read more

Excellent customer service and work from the initial email to the final product! We had changed locks on our front door this Spring and needed to have the door scraped and refinished and the former location of the locks repaired. Peter's came out and provided a thorough estimate, understanding the job that needed to be done, and the work done was simply fantastic. Highly recommend without hesitation! read more

Peter's did a great job on 2 original doors/sidelights for my circa 1910 condo building. The doors hadn't been touched in many, many years, and were badly in need of not only refinishing, but carpentry repair too. They look amazing now! Price was very fair. Everyone was great to deal with and very communicative. Any reviewers who say otherwise must not be calling the right phone number. read more

Peter's Wood Refinishing - After Peter's Wood Refinishing - Refinishing Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Unprofessional! I had communicated several times with Peter's Wood Refinishing and confirmed the date of 9/27 to refinish our garage door. This was the date they reached out to me about late Aug. that had opened up - which I confirmed worked for us & they responded it was booked. 9/27 has already passed - no one showed up to do the work & the company still hasn't reached out. Stay Away!!! read more

I had Peteers pick up and refinish two doors for me- They originally told me it would take a week-so I had the door hardware expedited. When I brought the door hardware in- they told me the door would not be finished on time- it was supposed to be done the following sat after they picked it up. Now- they told me it will be finished Tuesday- Tuesday came- the door still is not finished- It was not finished until the following Sat- so the job took douible the time to finish- When they reinstalled the doors- I was working- So I inspected them when they left- I was shocked to find that one of the doors was horribly finished! Trim they replaced was split- glass that was suposed to be replaced was not!! I called Peters Door Refinishing- they said they would come out and take the door- finish it and bring it back the same day- I told the owners wife that it did me no good to get the door back the same day if it was not repaired correctly! THey brought the door back with new problems! Old trim that was supposed to be replaced was not- New trim had gouges in it!! The door hinge pins did not seat properly- the old trim they re installed- ionsted of replacing- did not seat together properly- so there were gaps where the trim corners mated. I disputed the charge with my credit card company- DO NOT USE PETERS WOOD REFINISHING! TERRIBLE QUALITY WORK!! read more

Peters Wood Refinishing is amazing. I purchased a vintage dresser and hired Peters to fully refinish it, after consulting with several other refinishing shops in the city. Peters went out of their way to meet me at the shop on a Saturday (normally closed) so I could drop it off and subsequently emailed me with various stain samples. It took just two weeks to finish and they delivered it today- it doesn't even look like the same dresser. I am so thankful for the professionalism and care they exhibited throughout the process. I'd highly recommend using them- Araceli (owner) is very sweet and responsive! Also- their price was 1/3 of what most places in the city quoted me! read more

Peter's Wood Refinishing - Incredible work! So happy! - Refinishing Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I have no idea how these guys don't have 5 stars. I looked for a stain refinisher after my kitchen was started by a painter and it was obvious he wouldn't be able to do the job. I literally had interviewed 10 candidates and I trusted these guys to do the job. Yet I was still worried as their website doesn't have anything close as extensive as my job. In the end I couldn't have been happier with their work. They were amazing through the whole process. Not only was Peter hands on but his employees were meticulous and never complained. If you are on the fence, go with these guys. You will be happy you did! read more

We just had our front door refinished by Peter's (Carlos did the work) and I couldn't be happier with the job and their process. It was a 3-day job, and I can tell that they take a great deal of pride in their work, that's evident by the final product. Carlos was always timely, professional and personable. Coordinating the job and details with Aracely was also very easy and convenient. I'd highly recommend Peter's Wood Refinishing and work with them again! read more

We needed to refinish our 2 front lobby doors (including frames). The building is from 1914 and the doors are original. Peter's Wood Refinishing did a GREAT job. The doors look like new. It was great to work with them. read more

See all

I'm with Tom A. and James L. "worst contractor ever". My apologies for the length of this review, but if you are seriously considering using this company it will benefit you to read this. My boyfriend and I rescued an old bookshelf that my dad had made 30 years ago, in great condition but stained a very 80s color. We sanded the bookshelf down ourselves but when it came time to stain it, and the only place we had to work was in our back yard, we decided to seek professional help. Peter said it would take 2 weeks and $375. We thought this was a bit over priced because we had literally stripped the whole bookshelf and only needed staining, but with the good (old) reviews on yelp we thought we were getting a good company to do the work. We dropped off the bookshelf on 8/18/12 then did not hear anything from Peter's until we called them on 9/12/12, when they were already 2 weeks over schedule. This was a sign of how it would always be, we had to call them, they never reached out to us on their own. We were told that they had gotten behind and needed more time. We called them 3 more times before they finally said they had finished the job and were ready to drop off the bookshelf. They were supposed to drop it off on 10/11/12, 6 weeks over schedule, but then called at the last minute to say they were behind schedule again and would have to come the following day, when I would be at work. My boyfriend took delivery on 10/12/12 and gave them the check for the balance of the job. Upon viewing the bookshelf when I got home I discovered the following issues: 1. It was orange (not the color we had picked for the stain) 2. It smelled like they had just stained it hours before. The fumes were so bad that we both got headaches and had to move the bookshelf out of the apartment. 3. There were dents and cracks all over the bookshelf. I promptly stopped payment on the check and called them to give them an opportunity to fix these issues. They agreed to restain the bookshelf and came to pick it up on 10/24/12. We made it very clear what color stain that we wanted, that we would not tolerate a fuming bookshelf, and that we wanted them to sand out the dents as best that they could. This time they gave us the opportunity to come and see the stain color before they completely finished staining the bookshelf. They dropped off the bookshelf on 11/7/12 with new dents, but we were so fed up with them that we accepted delivery. Imagine my surprise and frustration when I discovered the next day that they had not refinished the top of the bookshelf. I had no way to see this when they brought it in, because they carried the 6' tall bookshelf in upright. I was livid and called them demanding that they finish the piece, and they tried to feed me some story about how they don't normally finish the tops of large pieces like our bookshelf. However, they had finished it initially with the orange stain. I demanded that they finish the top of the bookshelf or give our money back. They agreed to finish the top. We dropped off the bookshelf on 11/17/12 because every time they delivered they put new dents and dings on it. They scheduled a time for us to pick up the bookshelf on 11/24/12, the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I was concerned about the pick up being so close to Thanksgiving, but they assured me someone would be there. Then I received a call on 11/24/12 telling me that no one was at their workshop and we would not be able to pick up the bookshelf that day. We finally picked up the bookshelf on 12/5/12, 4 months after we dropped it off originally. At the workshop we noticed multiple new dents and demanded that they touch them up before we left. I have never known a company to behave so unprofessionally. What's worse, they acted as if we were to blame every time that we had a problem with their craftsmanship. They did not treat our bookshelf with respect even though I had told them the story that my father had made it over 30 years ago. I wish that I could give them 0 stars, because that is what they deserve, and I'm currently in the process of reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!! read more

Araceli and the team at Peter's Wood Refinishing have done some incredible work for us! They refinished our 130 year old hardwood floors, staircase and handrail and also installed a brand new maple staircase into our duplex down. The team is quick and the work is top notch and fairly priced. Can't recommend enough! read more

I worked with Peter's on restoration to vintage wood trim and doors that were damaged by my cats and dog. From appraisal to completion they were a pleasure to work with. Very fair quote and high-quality work. 5-star recommendation! read more

Very satisfactory experience overall having my front door refinished. Request for estimate was promptly addressed and work was completed professionally and on schedule. One thing I really appreciated was the constant communication, updates, follow ups etc. by the team. The crew was on time, courteous and kept the job site clean at the end of each day. It will help if you are bilingual (English/Spanish) Had a couple of hiccups with a visible joint in the new cove molding above the door and discoloration on the threshold due to the type of wood. The latter was addressed once the weather improved and now looks phenomenal. Overall, I would recommend the company and the team. read more

Peter's did a fantastic job revealing the beauty of 3 interior doors in our historic Chicago bungalow! The price was fair, communication was timely & straight forward. They picked up, dropped off & rehung the doors hassle free. The finished product is simply excellent. We'll be using Peter's for upcoming projects! read more

These guys/gals were awesome. Super reasonable price, great communication, and they made my 100 years old door look brand new. Very patient very professional. Thanks Guys!!! read more

Peter's Wood Refinishing - Refinishing Services Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Everything about working with Peter's Wood Refinishing was great. We had them strip the painted wood trim in 1 room. Communications before during and after were smooth, clear, and thorough. They removed the door and took it to their shop for stripping and did the rest without removing the woodwork. They estimated 4 working days, but finished in 2. Even with the chemicals and sanding, the house remained clean and odor free. And their work was truly perfect, and their prices fair. Thank you Peter, Araceli, Francesca, Oscar, and Fernando (?)!!! read more

I recently bought a home built in 1890's and needed to restore some of the painted wood trims. They did an excellent job of not only removing the layers of paint, but also the tricky task of staining 3 different types of wood to look uniform in color. I highly recommend them and wouldn't go to anyone else for this kind of work. read more

Superb communication, service and attention to detail. Repaired a 130 year old mantel in three pieces. Put back together like new and installed. Refinished a number of other antiques very very well. Wish we were not leaving the area. Would use them again. Highly recommend read more

no response after attempting to receive a quote for 2 months including me following--up and their reply that they will quote me. But it should not take 2 mos. Ridiculously unprofessional. read more

I don't lightly throw around the words "worst I've ever had," but PWR is the worst contractor I've ever had. Job cost a fortune, was way over time, didn't look great, and they left my house a bit messy. Honestly, I could have done better myself, but clearly others have had better experiences, but I've **never had worse** work done on anything, ever. Two stars because, technically, they did it, at least. read more