Grace in Toronto

We had to renovate a 15-year old condo kitchen and bathroom. After calling many companies, we quickly chose Maxspace Stone to install Caesarstone countertop for kitchen and bath due to the following reasons: Price: the least expensive in Toronto! Service: the best from the 1st inquiry till the completion. Although our purchase was very small, Luna answered all my questions with great patience and respect. I first asked about Caesarstone Misty Carrara but told Luna it's over our budget. She suggested Caesarstone Ice Snow as a less expensive option. They offered at least 5 different colors which are very affordable. Special service: Before installation, Luna called me because the sink I chose was too small. She chose a bigger sink but did not charge extra! Showroom + Sample: Very few companies offered samples of Caesarstone, but the lady in the showroom generously gave me many free samples (thinner version) to bring home. They also have 8 x 11 slabs which make it easier for you to imagine than 4 x 4 which most companies have. I wish more companies in Toronto can be like MaxSpace. It's truly a 10-star experience!

The water pressure of the new townhouse is too small. We asked a famous company, Mr.X, from HomeStars and paid $79 for the plumber's diagnosis of the problem. However, he did not want to fix anything on the same day. Since he already came, we asked him to put silicone on the backsplash plus putting the shower rod back on the wall. He quoted $198+tax! The reason given for the high cost of applying silicone is that he is a plumber and doesn't routinely install silicone. Then we found KMK Plumbing. Plumber Moe was much more sincere and patiently looked for the root of the problem. Unlike Mr.X, he was willing to fix everything right away. He removed the water saving device from 3 faucets and installed a new shower head. He was also willing to put silicone on bathroom backsplash and tile edges. When I asked him to redo the kitchen silicone, he said it's in good condition so I can save the money. However, he noticed an area missed by the builder and put silicone in that spot. We highly recommend Moe, because he has a sincere desire to want to help you and solve your problem and is willing to fix it right away professionally.

We asked Aida to do a one-time major cleaning for an 1 bedroom plus den condo of an elderly man. Aida's team did a much better job than the previous company. Their cleaning is more thorough and they were able to get rid of the urine odor! We would certainly ask her again!

Project: White Glacier marble tiles 3 X 6, Herringbone style, Grout colour: Mapei Keracolor unsanded Frost #U77 After calling many companies, we felt TileStars can be trusted because 1) Dmitri took the time to respond to my initial call (it's only 18 sq. feet), and gave us a quote which is reasonable, and 2) When I asked if the price includes sealing the tiles, he said "Of course, before and after (grouting)! It's marble!" Another famous company quoted a much cheaper price, but when I mentioned sealing the tiles, the response was, "Seal?? What do you mean?" Work: Sasha and Bashan did a great job and created the grout lines which are narrower than I expected! The result is very beautiful. Sasha also patiently and professionally answered all my questions and cleaned up afterward. Service: We kept changing the date of the 2nd visit to seal the tiles. Dmitri was very accommodating and came on the exact day and time we needed him to come in such a short notice! He even installed the Quartz backsplash in the bathroom without charging extra! Conclusion: We would certainly ask TileStars and Sasha to install our next marble backsplash, and have recommended TileStars to a neighbour who saw our kitchen. p.s. if you choose Glacier White marble, you may want to wait at least a week before the 2nd seal to reduce the "picture framing" effect.