Five Star Finishes

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Cristhian Mejia abandoned the project without finishing the job. He used shoddy materials and provided shoddy workmanship. He demonstrated a lack of knowledge of basics like not knowing to allow green wood to dry properly before painting it, and not knowing that you can?t paint over oil paint with latex or vice versa. He agreed to use kiln dried wood to replace decking on my front porch, but used greenwood which he painted right away without allowing it to dry. The latex paint didn?t dry. He then attempted to sand the wood which wasn?t possible because it couldn?t cure. He then painted over the latex paint with oil, which resulted in another layer of paint that would not cure, before finally adding another layer of latex. Wood has now warped and paint is peeling away to the bare wood.

The project is a disaster. He was supposed to replace porch steps which he tried to sand. He abandoned them. Additionally he was supposed to replace rotten wood in several areas. He used wood filler instead without adequately preparing the wood. It is already rotting. Finally, he painted over oil paint on the back porch with latex. When it didn?t cure, he attempted to sand it. The porch is now a patchwork of brown and green paint. He abandoned the job.

As a result he agreed to refund the cost of $5,200. He gave me a written admission of sub par labour and materials. He said his insurance company would be paying me. A month later he claimed he had submitted the claim. Soon after he communicated he wasn?t sure the insurance company would pay the claim but would agree to pay the $3,200 immediately. I agreed. Over the last several months Cristhian has told me no less than a dozen times that he was coming to deliver the check. He has never shown up. Excuses have ranged from personal illness to sick children, to coronavirus, to missing a flight. Most recently he was supposed to come to the house yesterday, August 27, 2020. He didn?t show up again and won?t respond to texts or calls.

I?m now forced to take him to court. I?ve never dealt with a contractor who lies so easily and who stole money from me. This project started in March. It?s now late August. It?s been nearly six months since he gave me the original estimate. He was supposed to pressure wash the house as well. His pressure washer has been in my garage for four months. He never began the job. The pressure washing was so he could do additional painting, which I was going to pay him in addition to the original job. I?m disgusted.

Please contact me before you agree to contracting Five Star Finishes or any project involving Cristhian Mejia. I now suspect he is uninsured. I?ll be happy to provide you with photos of his work.

Ben Engram
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