I have never written a negative review before, and perhaps in the past if a job wasn't delivered as…read morebest as it could be, I always thought better to then just add insult to injury by writing a negative review, and work out a solution with the business... However, in this case I'm doing it to save someone from making the wrong choice, when there's always other reputable businesses to choose from. So, Run. I'm serious: RUN, don't walk, AWAY from this company. I had not only one, but two separate visits from the owner of this company, Greg Alexander, and then received a very detailed estimate for the work to be done on my Limestone Flooring. Flooring, I will add, that I have regularly maintained for years. So, i'm more than familiar with the process in maintaining it. Although I wasn't thrilled to have the work done over my July 4th weekend, I accepted his fair offer; the promise of a job well done; attention to detail; his "previously positive" Yelp reviews --And that it would be completed in one day. (Because in the past, it has always been a 2 day job --At least a second day to return to seal the stone.) I trusted him. I trusted his word. I trusted he would do the work outlined in an agreed upon bid?!? --I WAS WRONG! July 3rd started with me personally, @7am) removing all the furniture on the flooring, and then waiting for the crew to arrive --They didn't show 'till 10:30am. I even joked that it was going to be a lot of work, or a long day to get it all done in one day; starting at this time. Regardless, the team started masking the recently installed new base boards, and begun to prep the job. I kindly pointed out, as Greg had asked me to do, the different areas that needed attention: A loose tile, missing grout, some etching, and a few holes that were to be filled, etc... (ALL of which was in the bid, and actuality on the document they brought to the job.) They then mentioned to me that all the new baseboards would need to be masked off for protection, and that there were a lot of corners that would need to be done by hand. Again, okay, and yes, that's how it has always been done in the past. --And, again, this wasn't a surprise, and was also discussed with Greg. I began to get the feeling that the guys we're thinking, as I was too, that they might not get this all done in one day... The next thing I know, they are on the phone with Greg and someone else; saying how they were concerned that in order to get the job done "correctly" they would need more time, or that they could split the job, or that Greg could come back the next day (Which is July 4th by the way) and finish, or some other strange scenario. And then I'm suddenly on some surreal conference call with Greg and his "Manager," and it's weirdly being turned back on me, as if I was expecting something that wasn't agreed upon. -Which was utter nonsense, and I called them out on that several times --That's when I could even get a word in on this "impromptu conference call" taking place at my house to discuss a job that had already been estimated not only once, but twice, and had a detailed bid... --Wasting time, frustrating me, not getting the job started, and getting me quite upset. --So unprofessional, it's beyond! What were they trying to do, I wondered? Is this some type of "bait & switch" tactic? It felt like they were literally trying to get me upset, because they wanted to get out of the job --And it quickly became obvious that there was more than just a miscommunication between Greg and his workers, and what needed to be done to make this right. --Which they weren't even trying to do. They could care less that they messed up my holiday weekend, we're being entirely unprofessional, or even trying to find a way to make this "right." (Whatever that was...) Because, again, there was nothing to "make right"?!?!? Just do the job that was discussed, and literally itemized in the bid, in your hand! --And as I said too many times to deaf ears: "Do the work detailed in the bid, and we're good to go..." Nothing more, nothing less... They didn't care. They really didn't care, or took any profession responsibility. They wanted to find a way to walk away, and walk away they did; leaving me with an uncompleted job over a scheduled holiday weekend. I still can't figure out if this was a way to get me to pay more money, or the guys didn't have the time, or just how they operate --But I can tell you it was beyond disrespectful, completely unprofessional, and I would seriously advise you to contact any number of local & reputable floor companies before considering this company. It appeared they had many "previous" good yelp reviews, but apparently many years ago. --Don't be fooled. Here's one from today! Trust me! Lesson Learned -RUN AWAY!

Excellent selection of tile. The selection is very unique and not available at other tile places.read more

Very good service! I had a great experience with A & Grout. They did an excellent job sealing the…read moregrout and tile on my balcony and neatly applied silicone around all the edges. They were very kind, professional, and punctual, arriving right on time. They sealed everything twice, which really showed their attention to detail and care in doing the job properly. I'm very happy with the results and would definitely recommend A &J Grout. Their pricing was fair and they went above and beyond!

A&J is the worst company to work with. They abandoned the work after demanding full payment and…read moreleaving behind trash and damage to the floor, as evidenced by the stains visible in this video. Inferior artistry and both Jesus & Erik are liars. They kept promising to finish the job today, but then it would be pushed back to next week, and another week, and they would make excuses not to show up. They wanted to get 100% payment without completing the job and cleaning up their mess. Watch out for these con artists pretending to be professional tile grout, painters, etc.? Regretful and disappointed in giving these guys a chance for work. To all homeowners or contractors, don't even consider hiring these guys for any work at all. Total waste of time and aggravation.

Jose was very responsive with an accurate quote. Work was completed in a professional a manner…read morewith outstanding results. Highly recommend. Beautiful work!

I've never come close to the results Jose and his team achieved--like night and day. I'd highly…read morerecommend Grout Shapers to revitalize your grungy tile, especially if you want to avoid the time and expense of replacing your countertops. Grout Shapers also came in with the lowest estimate.

We bought a house with a 100 year old Batchelder fireplace that had seen better days. Chipped,…read morecracked, and peeling tiles with uneven grout and a dull finish. We wanted someone who knew how to restore it to its glory not ruin the historical impact. Michael was the perfect choice! He removed the old grout, cleaned the tiles, found a couple of replacement tiles (from a salvage restorer) for the unrepairable cracked ones, regrouted the whole thing and made it shine. He also put us in touch with an artisan who repaired and restored a few of the chipped tiles to match the originals. In the end our fireplace is a gem anchors our home. And we feel great that we've been able to keep this historically significant original feature of our century home. Michael spent about three days on this project and communicated clearly at each step. Is he expensive? Yes. But if you are interested in preserving history and investing in a job well done, he's worth the price.

Wouldn't recommend. Too expensive, The tool he invented was…read morea bit pricey and he used several removing grout in my small kitchen.

Funny name, but great service. My 20 year old limestone counters were pitted, stained and always…read morelooked dirty. They came in, honed/ polished to a high matte finish, sealed cracks and sealed the surface. Limestone is porus and subject to etching from acid foods (lemons!) so a high polish would not last long term. The counters look like new with a very, very even finish. They took care to drape off all my appliances and cabinets, polished for about 5 hours, then cleaned up well. Polishing is wet, messy process but they know what they are doing and didn't leave a mess at all. Super happy with the response and service.

0 stars for Grout Geek…read more I called on Grout Geek and whom I assume was the owner arrived at my place, gave me an estimate for the work to be done, and an appointment time. Everything was great. Well, he totally flaked and was a no show. I did call to try to confirm the appointment and it was sent directly to voicemail--just so not cool. My advice to the Grout Geek: if you don't want to take on a job for whatever reason, have the common decency to let the customer know so they don't sit around waiting for your arrival.

Recently, I bought a house that had very shiny marble kitchen counters. I can't emphasize enough…read morehow much I dislike shiny! NO SHINY in my house. So I set out to research how to have someone "hone" my counters. Bingo! found a local guy who came and did the job for me only to realize marble still etches (stains you can't get out). UGH!! Everytime you use any type of citrus that could spray onto the counters ( think squeezing a little lime into a gin and tonic!) There's just no avoiding it and boy is it irritating! it's an instant stain you will never get out! Long story, but I just happen to see a commercial on TV talking about "Tuff Skin", basically a coating that protects your counters and can't etch! BINGO! and it comes in shiny or "honed"......it's a dream! it never etches and my marble counter looks perfectly new! In addition, it's much cheaper than replacing the counter which I mulled over for months! Also, the company that provides this is the only company in Santa Barbara county licensed to do this and they are incredibly professional, on-time and they will go out of their way to make sure everything is done to perfection. I really couldn't be happier!!

Thank you Skip and Brandee. They did our granite countertops in the kitchen and bathroom plus a…read morefix of a cracked stone in the master bath. I am sorry i don't have before and after but will try to find some older images and update. Here is what you need to know: 1. Skip gives the estimate. He and Brandee are the owners. They are the only ones in the area with the license for the TuffSkin. 2. They used a low dust diamond like abrasive tool to get out the etches often from glasses and citrus. Keep in mind we had a DIFFERENTcompany come out a year before hand and they made a mess, did not get all of the etching out and peeled off our custom tape in their hurry to take down plastic. Low dust, Precision and Attention to Detail. And they got out the etching!! 3. Then they put on the Tuff Skin that can then withstand citrus, many chemicals and heat. It cannot take scratching from moving a computer around or such. We don't know what caused all the scratching. I prefer the scratches to the etching, though and the place looks great!! 4. We had a few speedbumps and Skip handled it like a pro. This is the test of a great business. We are so grateful to Skip, Brandee, his foreman and team for their diligence, care and integrity!. I would recommend them 100% and indeed I have!

Great work, very professional and reliable. Over 20 years experience. Santa Barbara local business.read more

I used this guy twice now. The first time I asked him to come back and make his job look cleaner…read more...I still wasn't too happy. Just used him again hoping he would recall the last time, ...unfortunately same problem, sloppy lines. I should have just cleaned the grout and saved the $325. I won't use him again.