M & K Ultimate Flooring review: Incompetent workmanship

Michael “Buddy” Todd—Owner and Operator of
M&K Ultimate Flooring—General Contracting Services

I recently hired Mike Todd to undertake several home renovation projects. The projects included refinishing the hardwood floors throughout my home, performing various remodeling tasks, and applying epoxy paint to my garage floor.

The floor refinishing project was carried out during the cold winter months of December and January. Mr. Todd said he would have a contract for me to sign and asked for a deposit to purchase supplies. He offered to hang a large plastic sheet from the ceiling to prevent wood dust from settling upon my kitchen area. When he arrived, Mr. Todd had no contract for me to sign and hung no plastic sheet as promised. In preparation, Mike and his assistant carried all my furniture to the basement. They sanded and repaired my floors before staining and sealing them. Afterwards, they carried my furniture upstairs and applied felt discs to the underside of the furniture legs. The finished job is beautiful and I’m proud to show my neighbors his fine work.
However, all the baseboards were scuffed due to Mike’s careless use of a floor sander. Six months ago, Mike promised to repaint the damaged baseboards but has never mentioned it again. Upon completion of the job, I promptly paid Mr. Todd his fee. He never paid me for the repair expense.

Next, Mr. Todd helped in building walls (framing & drywall) throughout my basement. Mike gave me valuable advice on how to go about planning my project and saving on costs. He was happy to take on this project at a discount because finding work was so difficult. Mr. Todd claimed to have years of industry experience but unfortunately, was only minimally familiar with routine building procedures. Mr. Todd assisted a journeyman builder with the framing, but Mike’s building skills are apprentice level at best. This fact became clear as he attempted to cut and hang drywall panels. The panels were poorly fitted together; the electrical box cut-outs were widely out of alignment. Due to large gaps, several panels he hung had to be replaced, and many screws were not fully embedded. Through careful measuring and attention to detail, the drywall installation mistakes were easily avoidable. Mike did not offer to correct the mistakes himself; he chose, instead, to allow the grown-ups to make the repairs for him. Correcting the mistakes was costly in terms of additional labor and materials. The repairs required approximately eight man-hours to complete. Mr. Todd’s low hourly wages suddenly became quite expensive. While on the clock, he often excused himself to accept long phone calls from associates. Happily, Mr. Todd is skilled in applying joint compound and sanding as needed. I was pleased with his performance on this task.

Finally, Mr. Todd went on to paint my garage floor, assuring me repeatedly he had successfully applied epoxy paint many times in the past. This project required the skills of an experienced professional as it was somewhat complex. First, a concrete floor must be tested for signs of hydrostatic water pressure. Strangely, Mike was not concerned about water seeping up through the floor. Next, he thoroughly cleaned the concrete floor using a power scrubber, industrial cleaning solution and then twice rinsed it clean. At this point, one must apply muriatic acid to etch the surface in preparation for painting. Strangely, Mike did not bother to acid etch the concrete. Once the floor has been etched, a primer must be applied to the floor. Strangely, Mr. Todd did not bother to apply primer paint to the floor. The recommended drying time period is 24 hours before painting. Instead, just four hours after rinsing, he applied the first coat of epoxy paint to the floor. Afterwards he applied two more coats of epoxy paint, allowing each coat to dry before adding the next. The last coat of epoxy paint, supplied by the homeowner, was difficult to spread as it became quite sticky. But by using the wrong size roller nap, he applied the paint much too thick. In several places, this final coat had areas of pooling due to improper application or lack of paint “feathering”. Once he’d completed the paint job, I promptly paid Mr. Todd his fee.

Mike repeatedly assured me that his methods were sound and the paint job would turn out fine. In carrying out the paint job, Mr. Todd made all the decisions. The risk of failure, however, was all on me, his client. The painted garage floor is a disaster. Once the floor became wet, the paint began peeling away throughout. As time went on, the peeling became worse. My research revealed Mr. Todd had ignored five critical paint label warnings & instructions. He failed his obligation to tell me that he intended to ignore the label instructions. Because I put my trust in him, I had no idea the project was at great risk. Mike deliberately failed in his duty to inform his client. I feel that this was sleazy and underhanded. Once Mr. Todd became aware of the paint failure, he ignored my pleas to correct the problem. Despite the overwhelming evidence of his bad judgment, he insisted the paint failure wasn't his fault. To dodge responsibility for his actions, Mr. Todd is clinging to lame excuses just to save face. He appears to be in major denial. He still refuses to return my phone calls or offer a full refund.

At a time when he needed work to support his family, I hired Mr. Todd because I was eager to help him succeed. I often coached Mr. Todd on ways to build his business and provide for his family and employees. I prefer to conduct business on a handshake. As such, Mike’s word was good enough for me when I agreed to hire him. I’ll take a man at his word because a man is only as good as his word. Sadly, I’m still waiting for Mr. Todd to “man-up” and make good on his promise that he’d deliver professional service. Where is his courage? Where is his integrity?

Once a project was completed, I promptly paid Mike for his service. Sadly, Mr. Todd has not yet paid me for any of his careless mistakes. When the big problems arise, Mike heads straight for the exit. In an industry that demands accountability, Mike has vanished. Clearly, his misguided, reckless behavior will ruin his reputation throughout the St. Louis area and beyond. With Mike at the wheel, he is clearly running stop signs and driving his company straight towards disaster. He is like a slow-motion train wreck. As word spreads on the internet about his poor judgment and despicable behavior, I predict his company will crash and burn. And when it does, Mr. Todd will bring shame and dishonor upon his family name and company employees. They have put their trust in him; their jobs and prosperity depend on Mike’s sound leadership skills. But when the jobs dry up, they will suffer the most pain and misery. Is there any other likely outcome? I pity the fool that depends on Mike Todd to keep his word. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend him to scrape up dog ### in your back yard.