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I had the wood floors in my house refinished by a “friend ” who is carp, When I asked him, told me he could do it. Since I am a DIYer I said ok that I would help him do the sanding and prep work and he can do the staining and finshing. We agreed on a price and I paid him cash up front(since he was a “friend” and even gave him a 100 buck tip to male sure he did a good job).We went to the store and he told me what to buy and I did. I ripped up the old carpet and help sand the pad adhesive off and sanded the floors he did the final sanding.I left while he did the final sanding and I took the family over to my compadres house for a week in Las Vegas for a week, to stay out of his hair and let him do his job. I bought polo plaz finish which takes 24 hrs to dry before recoat and I wanted 3 coats. Well we came home and noticed some very noticable blemishes on various parts of the floor. I wasnt real happy about it. I called him and told him ,He came over looked at it and agreed it need some rework. Well the time came and I called him to confirm the day and time he was coming over. He said yea this friday. He told me to “get everything ready” I asked what did he need me to get ready( I was going to help him rescreen and refinish the floor). He wanted me to buy the materials for the rework. I said “I already bought the materials once.” He told me ” I only paid for the labor and the deal was that I supposed to buy the materials” I replied “Yes I know but the labor wasnt any good thats why we’re doing it again.” Well He got all upset/angry/ swearing and such I told him would spring for some of the material and He would get the rest. I told him that “This isnt worth loosing your “friendship” over when I agreed to buy some of the material. I stayed up last night and thought about it and called him to cancel the appointment in a nice way. I actually feel I can do a better job then he would of especially when he’s all P.O.’d about doing it in the first place. I mean its just a rescreening and a fresh top coat. Waddya you guys think.
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You've taken step number one. Re-do it yourself.
This may have other, lasting effects. Even if you don't hold it against him, he may feel guilty.
*.. i think no good deed goes unpunished...never hire "friends"... hire pros..... help your friends... but don't hire them... if the pro you want to hire also happens to be a friend.. so much the better..
*Paid him up front plus a tip to do a good job? Tsk. Tsk.
*I can not judge why there are blemishes in the finishing. I would tell you to keep in mind that the problems may not be faulty worksmanship. I noticed that you mentioned the floor was under carpets and padding. I always warn people that about refinishing floor that were carpeted. If you do refinish yourself, please let us know how it comes out.
*Mike He is a Pro. He works as a carp for a living. That is his business.Ira, I think the blemishes were due to how he applied the top coat. It looks like puddleing occured in various places on the floor. When we went to purchase the materials,I suggested that he apply the finish with a roller and brush. He insisted on useing a lambs wool applicator. I think that was the problem. When He was going to come over and do the rework, I again suggested that we use a roller and a brush. He again wanted to use a lambs wool applicator. That combined with him being P.O.'d plus he told me he was rushed for time that day made me think that the job would turn out either the same or worse. Thats when I decided to do it myself.
*Ron:Using a roller may cause bubbles, lots and lots of small bubbles. If you still feel it will work better, test it out on a small, inconspicuous area.
*ron.. i always use the lambs wool..but some like the roller....
*Ron,Are you being a PITA ?
*Luka; No Im trying not to be. Thats why I canciled the appointment with guy in a nice way. Jason; Yea it does but I top it with a brush that smooths it out. I already tried it on a 6'X6' area and it turned out ok. But this is going to be 400 sq ft.
*Ron,Major bummer....no doubt...You'll be buddies no more, so take care of business first. Call him back, have him assist you in completing the job to your satisfaction. After all, you paid for it.....up front. His attiude AFTER the job is done is up to him. Don't feel bad for his reaction to your insisting on a top drawer job. The first order of business is to complete the business at hand. Ya'all can talk and deal with the residual feelings after the work is done. You say he's a pro, huh?...............make 'em prove it.
*It's so much easier fighting with strangers........I gave up a good friend because of a similar misunderstanding.....It's a pride thing and very hard to overcome..........
*>It's so much easier fighting with strangers........This is the secret to life. Ron, you've been hanging around here a while so you should know better. You took a chance with a friend and lost. Now, you know something about your friend that you didn't know before. You paid him, and even gave him a tip. He wasn't doing you a favor, he was making a buck. He didn't stand up on his own and now has hard feelings no matter what you do. Never do business with someone you can't fight with.SHG
*SHG,I refered a lot of people to him and have helped him on some jobs loaned him tools ect. But those days are definately over. I guess its all how We look at things as people huh? I looked at it as a freind who does the work and is a one man shop. Why not let him do it, after all He is (was) a friend and he'll probably do a better job because of our friendship. Him; I see he looks at it as $$$$$ and $$$$$ before anything else. He'll never touch my house again, nor will he get any referals from me. I value my rep very very much and if I refer him to people and he flim flams them then it ruins MY credibility and I wont have that. I do PT woodwork side jobs and such and I wouldnt ruin my rep for anything. Ive been killed of the profit before by repairing /reworking things that people were nit picking the heck out of just to maintain my rep. Its funny also cuz He sure likes to tear up other peoples work. When i would go with him on some jobs , He would point out flaws in other carps/trades peoples work to me. he mentions all the time how he has to fix some other carps mess on some jobs. I guess he is a very good "salesman", good at selling himself cuz he assured me he could do the work. Im the type of person who feels I pay you(trades folks) for your knowledge and skill and treat people good (thus the tip). I also turn them loose and walk away let them do their thing no hawking ect. But this does break my heart. To tell the truth also this was the first contractor i hired for that kind of work. Ill usually do it myself. But Im still wondering which is why I posted this here(besides I trust your opinions) who should of paid for the material for the rework?
*Since he agrees that the work is substandard I believe the rework should be on his dime, not only the labor but whatever additional material is required. After all, he got a tip to assure top notch work - before the fact - and if he has to dip into that for warrantee bucks, so be it. Can't speak to the attitude problems 'cause I wasn't there for the exchange of words.
*Ron...Ron...Ron...Ron...Ron,What are you carping about? And this from some one who's been posting here for a while. All the basic rules of business and contracting go out the window when you do a project. Is that it?You should be banished from Breaktime...ha ha!Just givin' ya a tug there big guy! When I pass thru so cal I'll contact you. Then we'll get with your friend. I'll hold him in a head lock and you kick 'im in da butt!!!Then we'll race up I 15 for some roulette. With a stop at In n Out!!I can fix anything but the crack of dawn or a broken heart.Dan-O
*Ron, you said you provided the finishing product? That is a sticky point--if it didn't go on like products he was used to, and it turned out to be a finicky product, I think you should split the difference in the rework, both labor and material. Next time let him recommend the finish he likes to use, then it's all on his shoulders.
*I started sanding the floor tonight. retop coat tomorrow. The blems looked like runs simular to what you would have in paint but alot bigger. Anyway I'll touch up sand a little bit more tomorrow and then Ill finish the darned floor and be done with it and him. It to me wasnt even the material but the way he reacted all angry and such with some swear words mixed in. Nah I dont need to take that from anyone. But I did learn a valuable lesson out of this thats for sure.
*Ron- Your 'friend' is extremely unprofessional. Even if he WAS angry there are better ways to handle it. I've 'eaten' my share of jobs over the years, and have always worked hard to satisisfy my clients and keep my reputation intact. Sometimes that has meant losing money, but it comes w/the territory. If it were me in his position, paid up front with a nice bonus, left ALONE to complete my work, I would have bent over backwards for you, perhaps even given YOU a bonus like swept your garage or some little thing. It's like in that stupid movie 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure', when Keanu Reeve says "Be excellent to each other!" It a little dumb maybe, but I think it does hold true- certainly in relationships and friendships, but also, I beleive, in business. You start putting the good things out, and it comes back to all in spades. Your 'friend' broke the chain. BOOOOOOOO!
*Ron,Like you said, it's all a matter of perspective. He's rationalizing it in his own mind, saying he did everything the right way so the bad result isn't his fault. I've had this argument, or seen this argument, a hundred times. People say one thing when it is someone else's work, but then cop a completely different attitude when it's their work. Welcome to the club of those who got screwed. It's probably the biggest club in the world. I just got beat by an electrician who was referred to me by a very close friend who raved about him. Because of this referrence, I overpaid the guy and only afterwards figured out that he completely screwed up the switching on a circuit, and of course he won't return my calls because he knew before I did what happened. But at least he's not my buddy, so I plan to make him sweat this one.SHG
*I think you are right to take care of this yourself. You will make it better and any blemishes will be your own. Those are always a little easier to deal with. You call the guy a pro. A carpenter is not a pro floor finisher. Even in our very rural area, floor finishing is a specialty. Thank God we have a good guy to do it. I've refinished floors myself and there is a big difference in my work and a pros. It is not that it is rocket science but it requires patience and care which I lack. It sounds like your friend lacks it too.The tip off should have been his criticism of other work. Most real craftsmen will see the flaws in another job but won't comment. I don't know if this is just an unwritten rule in the trades or if we just don't want to be second guessed ourselves. It arises partly from all those times when we have been told by the owner or boss, "I'm paying you to do it and this is how I want it done." We know that there may be a problem down the road but it is not our call.I am sure that your floor will come out fine. I hope your relationship will return to amiability, at least. It is a small world.
*Ron - Hate to be hard on you, but I think i youshould pay for the materials. And I thinki heshould provide the labor. The reason I say this is that he didn't buy the materials and therefore didn't get a markup on them. If he had done it as a "time and materials" job, I would think he should be required to re-do whatever was necessary.
*Well Im getting ready to final clean the floors now with some mineral spirits and apply the finish(as soon as wifey gets the kiddos out of our house and at her primos house. The materials cost me all of 38 dollars and change. I think what really upset me is the way he talked to me swearing and such. I am a customer rep by profession now and if I ever talked to someone the way he spoke to me in the tone of voice Id be collecting UE in a New York minute. I think Im fairly easy to get along with and I would of definately worked with him on the materials but now its all principal. Theres somethings in my life I just dont need. Ya know that might make a good shed topic.
*Wifeys getting ready to go now so this will be it until I get back from Vegas on monday. Have a great weekend guys. Ill let ya know how the floor turns out.
*Guys,just to let ya'll know the floor came out great. im real happy with it (So is wifey finally).
*Well it's a good thing. I finally got around to reading this thread, and would have realy given some good advice, that would have probably solved the whole problem. I'm glad you got it taken care of before I had to get involved. It would have been messy
*Gunner,I feel like borrowing your chainsaw and chipper and hanging out in front of his house on Sat nite. ya know its funny cuz the guy keeps calling me and talking about little things such as sports ect. But he never mentions the floor.
*So Ron, next time he calls, tell him: "Yeah, the Yankees are looking good. Why don't you eat me, you floor sucking xxxxxxx and hang up the phone. It's subtle but effective.
*lol
*Next time he calls you say "Look I want to make up and be buddies,as a peace offering I'm going to switch out all your recepticals and switches in your house." Then hook them up wrong, make only one receptical in a room work and make it so part of the lights won't turn off and the rest won't come on. When he calls to complain get belegerent, then hang up. In a week call him up and say."what about those knicks?"
*You guys are making me laugh so loud the wife and kids got the Daddys nutso look on there face again. SHGI cut him off short today I hope he gets the hint. He cals me on the way to work at 530AM. I hate to start my day chewing some chinsey, no load, carpet bagging turkey.
*So now he comes home and tells his wife, that jerkoff is so rude, and after all the work I did on his stinkin floors.
*He comes home and tells his wife how hard he works and how his customers love him. he doe do a heck of a business. Hes busy 7 days a week. He only takes a few days off a year. I definately dont want to hear his now infamous "I treat people fair, I got to sleep at night" spiel... Whats going on with that sparky that got you?(no offense gunner):)
*The sparky finally surface, admitted that he screwed up the wiring and that he was dodging me cause he didn't know what to do. Told him about Bill Hartmann's two relay solution, to which he said, "Two relays! Ohhhhhhhhh." Finished the job and split without saying good-bye. All's well that ends well.SHG
*Thats great it worked out for you. Well I for one did learn a lesson and that a good thing.