Taping Excellence

I called Taping Excellence, looking for someone to skim coat and repair the drywall in 3 bathrooms where I had removed the bathroom mirrors and fixtures. I didn't anticipate the tears and mess the glue from the mirrors would cause. I attempted to repair myself but I just could not finish. I just didn't have the finishing touch of a professional. Sebastian, the owner of Taping Excellence spoke to me the same day I called and agreed to repair and finish the job. I had sent him pics. He was so booked, but he took time out on the weekend to come for several hours. He was so knowledgeable, and truly a person that really wants to help. He came on a Sunday and completed the work. He did an excellent job. He created a level 5 finish. He also gave me tips on what primer to use. I really appreciated his work ethic, his manner and his time. Thank you so much Sebastian. You had so many 10 out 10 star reviews for your company online, and you truly deserve all of them! - Haleema

I normally am not one to go online and write reviews (though I frequently use them for a variety of purchases), but this is one case where I feel that Sebastian and Ed of Taping Excellence earned the effort on my part, and that others should benefit from the service they provide.

Just to give a bit of background, I recently purchased a home in the east end of Toronto that was a total, take-it-back-to-the studs renovation. My wife and I have done 3 of these before, and when I say "we have done", I mean it was our blood, sweat and tears that went into the homes. We aren't professional flippers or anything like that, but we just have particular tastes and preferences and it makes sense to buy a fixer and use our skills to make it our own. Admittedly, this was our most ambitious project so far, as we now have a 1.5 year old, so living through renos was not an option. With an aggressive 7.5 week timeline, we knew things would be tight. About two weeks into the project, and multiple major, unforeseen setbacks, we decided that some of the work had to be outsourced. Now, I'm a competent (if amateur) installer of drywall, and while I may need a few extra skim coats and sanding adventures, the final product is definitely passable. However, in getting to know my neighbours I saw the magic that Sebastian did on their similarly aged home (over 100 years). It was amazing. If you've never owned an older home, then you need to realize that it isn't just that things aren't square (they often aren't in new homes either): older homes have settled in funny ways (some joists higher than others, creating a wave effect) and have often been "renovated" multiple times. When I saw what Sebastian could do next door, I knew that I would call in the experts.

When I called Sebastian, he was incredibly friendly and arranged for a time to come by and give a free estimate. I explained that I was on a tight budget (aren't we all) and wanted to do some of the work myself to cut costs. We went through the house, top to bottom, and he explained which drywall could be saved (most of the ceilings upstairs) and ways that I could trade my sweat for dollars off the cost. Did I mention that the walls were POPCORN?!? You know, the stuff that is typically on ceilings? Well, he gave me a price and I dutifully got a couple of competitive quotes to be sure - his work was great, but I didn't want to get hosed. Well, the number he gave was in the ballpark with the others; not the lowest, but not the highest - but since I had seen an example of his workmanship, I went with him.

As I mentioned, I was on a tight timeline, and Sebastian gave me a drop-dead start date that had to be met in order to meet that timeline (I had hardwood installers coming in just days before the mandatory move-in). All I had to do was get the drywall up on the walls and he would do the rest. Well, about a week before that date, I knew I wasn't going to make it. I had a few more setbacks (plumbing delays) and the friends I had arranged to help hang the board had to bail on the new day. I was desperate. What did Sebastian do? He arranged for his partner, Ed, to come in and help with the hanging of the drywall, and then came by himself as well so that I could focus on other aspects of the reno.

I'm running out of room with the review, so I can't go into every way that they helped me out with this reno. Suffice it to say, Sebastian and Ed don't just provide a service, they provide solutions. I'd rather spend the few lines I have left to talk about their quality of character. Not only are they skilled at their profession (expected), but they are just great guys who genuinely care about their clients. They go above and beyond to make sure that the job is done right. Don't even bother thinking about someone else: go with Taping Excellence.

Our experience with Taping Excellence was great. The work was done exactly as communicated, on time and with suggestions on how to make things a little better than I had first drawn out.

Sebastian saved our basement project by coming in and not only fixing what the previous workers left behind, but also finishing the rest of the project. Excellent communication and planning. He truly cares about his work and has an "old-school" customer approach and work-ethic. I'd hire him again and recommend him. He's not the cheapest and he's not the most expensive, but he provides honest, good work. He answers all questions and provides advice where he can and direction to appropriate resources when he can't. His integrity and accountability is fantastic.

Sebastian was amazing from start to finish! On the first day he said he was going to be there at 10am. He showed up at 9:30am. Wow.. Somebody that values other peoples time! His work included correcting a really bad plastering job by the previous owner and plastering a new wall. He gave me a price that was very fair and completed the job on the day he promised. Overall, very impressed. Will recommend Sebastian to anyone I know that needs drywall and/or plastering done.

I recently hired Taping Excellence for our kitchen renovation and dealt with Sebastian. He was extremely professional, courteous and knowledgeable. From the initial quote to the end of the job he was readily available and prompt to respond to any questions we had. Communication was seamless via email or phone.

The work that was completed on time at an affordable price and he was accommodating with our other trades we had coming in to complete our renovation. His workmanship is exceptional and has a great attention to detail.

This was one of our 1st times using a professional trade to complete work in our house and overall it was a great experience.

Great job Taping Excellence!

Sebastian and his assistant completed the dry walling of my basement ceiling using 5/8" drywall (a lot heavier). He was on time, and accommodating to my requests. The quality of the job was professional, and he also gave me good advice for additional work later on. Overall everything went smoothly. Will call him again and I highly recommend his services.

I would definitely recommend Sebastian to anyone who needs mudding and taping done. He was always punctual and very friendly, both with myself and my young children. He was very thorough in explaining what he was going to do each time he came and even helped us put up the last couple of pieces of drywall so that he could start the taping early. He always made sure to leave as little mess behind as possible.

Sebastian was extremely friendly and professional during all of our interactions, and completed the job earlier than he had initially anticipated. Clean up was done before he left and the end result was fabulous. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Taping Excellence to anyone.

Sebastian was amazing through the whole process. He was always on time, very polite and did a fantastic job. We would definetly recommend Taping Excellence to our friends/family.