Rainbow Terrazzo

Dianne A. from San Jose
have been using caulking for years to repair the stairs because I didnt know that someone could truly repair them. Sal assured me this is what he has been doing for years and so did all his clients on Unilocal.I met with him to understand how he was going to approach the job and he did exactly and more to really make the stairs look“NEW”. He cleaned up the mess of all that caulking. He found that i also had more damages in the back of the stairs underneath. I didnt even go to meet him (this is a rental home) I truly believed him. What a fantastic job ! Sal takes great pride in his work. He does what he says he will do. you have no reason not to believe that the work will be done right. He and his staff are professional. My tenants even said he was very nice and considerate so not to disrupt them. The work is so well done you can not tell the stairs are actually 78 years old !. He is honorable and stands behind his work. thank you so much Sal ! Dianne A. from San Jose

I came home one day and noticing someone was repairing my next doors neighbors stairs. I stood there and watched for a while, they were doing a really good job. I immediately got their number because I was looking for some professional to repair my broken terrazzo stairs for a long time. I was so happy with this experience, Sal the owner of the company gave me a great deal and they were very punctual, the stairs looked amazing after 3 days, what a change. Nice people, excellent work, highly recommended.

I can’t say enough good things about Rainbow Terrazzo. I had the front stairs to our building redone by Sal and his crew in September. It’s three flights of terrazzo and it had never been redone. It leaked down into our garage for years. Rainbow completely redid all of the seams, refinished the terrazzo so it looks like new, repaired the dry-​rotted wood underneath in the garage and actually shored up the lower landing with new supports as the old ones were inadequate. All at a very reasonable price. The true test was to wait for the rain and I am happy to say that in the last two rainstorms, my garage underneath is completely dry and the stairs are perfect. If I could give them 6 stars I would.

I just had my old dilapidated stairs redone by Rainbow Terrazzo. They did an amazing job, and made them look like new. They were very reasonable compared to other companies and they also included shoring and securing the stairs, redoing all the cracked concrete underneath the stairs and replacing rotted wood. They are a small family owned business and take pride in their work and it shows. I am extremely happy with the work and highly recommend them,

During the rare rainstorms some months ago, our front steps poured water into our basement. Sal fixed the problem in record time — from looking at the staircase to proposal to job done in 4-​days. He removed the cracked caulking that was causing the leak, refilled with mortar to match, and sealed everything so the entire staircase looks good again. Sal did high quality work at by far the best price compared with all the other quotes that we received. Thank you, Sal!

I couldn’t be happier with the work that Sal and his team did to refinish our terrazzo steps and the front landing. we had a pesky leak on our landing down to our garage. it’s been bothering me for over 3 years. Sal weather-​proofed the entire front landing and all of the steps, refinished the steps, and even fixed a banister with some cracks in it. he does high quality work at really competitive prices. and he’s local to my neighborhood in the City, so I felt good giving him the work. Highly recommend him!

I could not be happier with the work Sal and his team performed. I originally hoped for a repair of my bottom three stairs, which had been horribly «fixed» with concrete. Sal went way way beyond that. He and his wife and nephew: ground away the top layer of staining/​grime on all of my stairs, re-​caulked the sides, painted the caulk to match the stairwell wall colors, re-​terrazzoed the cracked and broken stairs to match the existing pattern, and then re-​sealed the whole staircase. The results are so beautiful. The two landings have a pretty mosaic pattern that was super dingy and stained before, but now sparkle and shine with bright colors. It is like the after painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling following grime cleaning. Sal and team worked 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for three solid days, plus half of a fourth day, tirelessly and cheerfully. All this for an incredible price.

I live in a 100 year old SF home with its original terrazzo stairs. A few years ago the once hairline cracks starting getting bigger and became not only unsightly but dangerous. After speaking with other companies it became quite clear to me that Sal and his crew were the only ones for this job. Sal understands craftsmanship so if you want to RESTORE your stairs this is the team you want. They are punctual, clean, professional and they care about their work. San Francisco is so lucky to have them here to restore its lovely vintage homes.

I don’t write many reviews. And the ones here so far have done a great job of describing Sal and Margot’s (his wife’s) great work. I have contracted Sal for now 15 years for various jobs. He became known in my childhood neighborhood of the Richmond District because of his great terrazzo and general contracting work.
Two things if you’re a potential customer I’d say: 1) he’s always taken each job personally – he spends time to speak to every customer in a way where he would not want to let down his best friend, and 2) he is very positive and creative – he looks for ideas to fix the problem, not ways why it can’t be done. He offers a personal level of service that is above and beyond that you don’t see often anymore, and he’s done it consistently for 15 years I’ve hired him.
On background, it is all about family for him. His two sons were taught by him when they were younger and in the 1990s all of them would come out to work on jobs. Today, his two sons, whom he is very proud of, work in their own contracting businesses. You wouldn’t know if from his face or energy, but Sal has been doing terrazzo for 35 years, and construction for almost 50. He’s a good guy.

Sal refinished and repair my Terrazzo front stair. He did an amazing job and his prices are very reasonable. Instead of trying to sell me new stairs, like the other Terrazzo contractors, Sal came up with a cost effective way to restore my existing Terrazzo. Now the stairs look fantastic! He was always on time, always courteous and always in great spirits. Having worked with dozens of contractors over the years, Sal is one of my favorites, and I would recommend him to anyone.

the reviews really helped a lot and it is exactly like all the other reviews, they are on time, efficient, clean and did a great job. Appreciate it very much and we are also getting them to repaire my mother’s stairs. Keep up the good work !

Sal is the man. Do not waste any time or money (lots) going anywhere else — just stop, go to Sal at Rainbow. The man has been doing terrazzo since the dawn of time. He eats and breathes terrazzo. He will work with you, give you a deal (the best price in town), and the work will speak for itself. Perfect. If you go anywhere else for any kind of terrazzo work — you are a fool. Sal is king.

Sal and team fixed our terrazzo steps, including reinforcing the steps from below. I am very pleased with the job. The work was well done. If you look closely, you can see where the patches were made though it is pretty seamless.
Key points:
— Sal is a fun guy to business with. This is important.
— He stands behind his word. Some work had to be redone to better match the patterns. There were no questions, just a commitment to get it done right. I would have preferred it was done right the first time but appreciate his commitment to satisfaction.
— Best price against the quotes I received.
See the photos for reference.

We recently hired Sal and his team to recaulk our front stairway, which was leaking into our basement. We got 3 bids for the job and his was quite reasonable. He was prompt, accessible, responsive and they did a fine job. It’s clear that they know what they’re doing. We would have no hesitation to use Rainbow Terrazzo again.

Not another simple review of how they are flawless, etc.
Their structure appeared perfect, but I really felt the color of the repaired portions was a bit off. Sal dealt with me patiently and came back several times to work on darkening the shade.
So, not just good price, but attention to customer service. Thumbs up.

Wow. Great work. Friendly, and have to look with a magnifying glass to tell where the seams are of the patch/​restoration he did. He matched the color perfectly (knowing ahead of time what it would look like after the sealer was applied!). Great job. Great work.

Sal is the best. He did work on the stairs and sealed them up and refinished… beautifully I might add. When he did the work I had some concern about the work and sal came out the same day after hours to explain what he had done and why. That is an exceptional work ethic that is not found today.
I would highly recommend Rainbow Terrazzo.

I am really honored to write a review for Rainbow Terrazzo Company.
It never occurred to me that in the city of San Francisco, there were European craftsmen, many years ago, who had brought their specialized expertise with masonry to this country. A large percent of the stairs that were built in San Francisco over 40 years ago are a testament to the amount of work those craftsmen accomplished. Now, most of those craftsmen are gone.
So, here I am with a house that is well over 40 years old, and a set of lovely but worn terrazzo stairs. What do I do? Replace them? Never. I love old craftsmanship and I love those stairs.
Very fortunately for me, there is an individual in San Francisco who inherited the trade and completely understands not only how terrazzo stairs are constructed, but also, how to repair and restore them. A miracle for me. That man is Sal Mayorga.
Before hiring Sal, I contacted a couple of other contractors and neither of them understood terrazzo, how the stairs had been initially constructed, etc., and were totally overwhelmed by what they thought was an insurmountable problem.
When I contacted Sal, he immediately knew what sort of work he needed to do and he explained it all very thoroughly and in detail. He even has a wonderful set of before and after photographs. At my house, there was one step that had cracked at the corner and the piece fell in beneath the staircase. Sal evaluated the work and determined that he could reinforce, repair and restore the entire staircase, so that it would all look the same and be as good as new. He truly delivered on that promise, and more, and for a very reasonable price.
Sal is honest, above-​board and truly enthusiastic about his craft. It took only about a day and a half for the entire job to be completed by his crew (his family helps him). I’m thrilled with the finished product and feel that it has added value to my home. Not only would I recommend him with flying colors, I would also hire him again.

Fellow Unilocaler «G-​Man» writes:
Hi Rich,
Boy, I tell you, that was the best ever Unilocal review from you for Sal. Just an all around good guy. He did come back to check out the work and it turns out that the additional leaks were caused from some cracks in the siding of the house that I didn’t think about. Not only did he help me seal them up, he added another coat on the stairs for free. I need to update my review on him — very impressive! :).
Please reachout to Sal @ Rainbow Terrazzo — he’s a Trusted Local Business! :)

It is rare to come across a true craftsman, one who’s spent his life honing his skill and creating affordable, elegant solutions so extraordinary that he proudly shares his decades of terrazzo repairs and creations when you first meet.
Sal and his Rainbow Terrazo Co. is one of those rare finds.
Having spent his early career learning from the old Italian craftsmen who transformed so many San Francisco facades with their artful use of concrete and aggregate stone, Sal has built and repaired a lifetime’s worth of stairs. By the time we first met a couple weeks ago, large portions of our terrazzo stairs had collapsed into the basement. Much of the surface below was corroded, having been exposed to water and air for so many years.
We were shocked by the very competitive price Rainbow Terrazzo provided — the cost for repairing the many cracks was well below the cost of replacing a single stair. But that was just the beginning.
Did I mention that his bid included replacing many long-​lost tiles on the landing, the voids long filled in with concrete? A complete refinishing and sealing of the entire entryway? Me: «Where do you find tiles to match?» Sal: «Ha ha ha. I already have them — I’ve had them for years.» That’s what 40 years’ experience buys you.
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how he cleaned, resurfaced, and built a concrete supporting wall beneath the existing staircase, ensuring a structurally sound entryway for the next seventy five years.
His professionalism is unparalleled. He came when he said he would come; moved anything that was in his way; thoroughly cleaned up our basement when the job was complete, and put everything back. He and his team were beyond polite, indulging the intense curiosity of our 7 year old son on more than one occasion.
Once you find a craftsman like Sol, you hate to let him go. Alas, there’s only so much terrazzo repair a hundred year old Edwardian can muster.