Got called a hack today on a job by a sub contractor, who's wrong?

[Robinson1]

First of all I'm not sure which forum I should post this in so if this isn't the right place I apologise.

I've been working the last couple weeks on an 1800 sq/ft hardwood floor job. Getting very close to wrapping it up. Started base and trim today.

For the last few days there's been a HVAC contractor on site and today an electrician as well. We are doing out best to stay out of each other's way. Electrician is installing plates and covers and light fixtures so he's in basically every room working.

Around lunch time today the electrician came into the room where I was working and started talking. He seemed nice enough and it became apparent quickly that he was going to talk awhile so I just started back working while we were talking.

About 15 minutes into the conversation I hit an outside corner against a closet that was about 5* out of square. I simply adjusted my miter to 50* and nailed the trim down. Now anyone who has ever done this knows it leaves the toe of the cut a little long where the miter meets. My solution was to simply pull out my pocket knife and trim the toe of the miter.

Electrician sees me do this and gives me a dirty look followed by I can't believe you just did that! Along with a my uncle is a trim carpenter and he woukd never do that.

Seems he thinks I should have pulled both pieces of trim and adjusted the angle by 2 1/2* on both cuts. By doing this I wouldn't have had the long toe to trim.

I will agree that is the correct way. However by doing so it would have made my trim be 1/16" too short resulting in a noticeable crack.

So long story short it kind of hurt my feelings and made me realise that yes I did indeed take a shortcut. However the end result is still a perfectly acceptable trim joint.

So how do you guys feel? If I was working on your house would you be upset?

 

[brownbagg]

as a trademan, you dont do a job of another trade, so you're doing trim, not wiring ceiling fans. the electrician needs to mind his own job

 

[mishkaya]

I seriously doubt most homeowners would even notice.

 

[Notgrownup]

I think he should mind his own damn business

 

[dogdog]

The guy just tipped you some good advise or bad, what's the big deal. He is not doing your job. If you find it hurting your feelings, then just say thanks and move on. He is not reporting to the trim police or anything. Jesus, some people just have soft feeling like a little girl.

 

[RivennHewn]

Go find something to nit-pick him on, then return the favor.

Make sure all the screw heads are aligned on his cover plates.

Two can play this game.

 

[marius_nortje]

After caulk and paint no one will know

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

 

[SH7mi]

You should have told the dude to shut up and stop distracting you.

 

[-Brent-]

Take the gold from what he said and don't sweat the rest. We all have room for improvement in our respective trades, to think otherwise is foolish. No need to be petty and go ***-for-tat, he'll get his eventually. Hopefully then he's humble enough to get something constructive out of it.

While perfection is damn near impossible in the trades, the guys with the highest standards usually turn out the best work.

I have to say I am impressed with the way you shared. I respect that honesty and self-reflection.

 

[Davefr]

Feedback is a gift

 

[6768rogues]

Painted, ok. Stained, not ok.

 

[rlitman]

After caulk and paint no one will know

Assuming this is painted trim. It could be pre-stained.

Anyway, if anyone is a hack, blame the plasterer.

 

[slip knot]

I was always told the difference between an hack and a craftsman was how well the craftsman could hide the flaws.

 

[LMS]

I was always told the difference between an hack and a craftsman was how well the craftsman could hide the flaws.

Or make the flaws a "feature".

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I would accept it as feedback and move on. Everyone has their own method, some methods are better for different circumstances. Don't dwell on it. Like it was said, I don't think most homeowners would notice. If it were my house, I wouldn't care, but I'm not that picky.

 

[WhiskeyRanger]

"I would normally do it the right way, but I'm really in a hurry so I can stop talking to this blowhard electrician we have working on the job."

 

[slodat]

I see both sides on this. To what level is the project. There are projects where this is acceptable and others where it may not be. To me, in general I do the best work I can, within the constraints of a given project.

I would have bit my tongue while thinking of what I’d like to say.

 

[BillK]

Personally I am **** about that type of stuff. I would have wasted as much molding as needed to get it right. That being said I am usually working on my own stuff, not trying to make a living doing it.

 

[RocketScott]

Getting called a hack from someone whose opinion doesn't really matter is like a fart in the wind.

Stinks, but it shouldn't linger long.

*Framer of over 20 years and still nod and smile when someone tells me I'm doing it wrong.

 

[welder4956]

I guess I missed how the fact his uncle is a trim carpenter qualified him to criticize your work. I would not worry about it.

 

[Viper98912]

He's right.

But what's more important is:
1) Is it worth your time (money) to pull off and either re-cut or start new with the other mating trim
2) Do you have a method to blend it together so you can't tell (wood filler )
3) Can you even see it?

For some reason I find that professional contractors specifically like to criticize DIY'ers on their projects, like if they're on some high horse or something. Most of the time a simple "yup you're right, because I make my living with my real job" normally takes care of any additional criticism.

 

[Tejay]

Check to see if all his plugs and switches are plumb and level and that all the cover plate screws are aligned - ( pet peeve) then you can point it out to him

 

[4 FN 27]

As my ol'Man always tod me:

"Wipe one side of your *** and you'll smell like chit, wipe both sides. Do it once and do it right".

Just say'in...

 

[850xpeps]

If your feelings are hurt then you know you shouldn’t have done it lol tell him to eff himself and then learn how to travel around with test pieces for corners to get correct angles before cutting a piece of trim to fit the space. It doesn’t take much longer to do a nice job.

 

[trashmanssd]

I see both sides on this. To what level is the project. There are projects where this is acceptable and others where it may not be. To me, in general I do the best work I can, within the constraints of a given project.

I would have bit my tongue while thinking of what I’d like to say.

Totally agree,

 

[Richard Cranium]

get over it and move on.

 

[PFSard]

How was the appearance when you were done?

 

[Hobbit]

Should have told him his conversation was so stimulating and knowledge filled that you didn't want to go out to the truck for more trim and miss a single word.

 

[JazzBlueRT]

First of all I'm not sure which forum I should post this in so if this isn't the right place I apologise.

I've been working the last couple weeks on an 1800 sq/ft hardwood floor job. Getting very close to wrapping it up. Started base and trim today.

For the last few days there's been a HVAC contractor on site and today an electrician as well. We are doing out best to stay out of each other's way. Electrician is installing plates and covers and light fixtures so he's in basically every room working.

Around lunch time today the electrician came into the room where I was working and started talking. He seemed nice enough and it became apparent quickly that he was going to talk awhile so I just started back working while we were talking.

About 15 minutes into the conversation I hit an outside corner against a closet that was about 5* out of square. I simply adjusted my miter to 50* and nailed the trim down. Now anyone who has ever done this knows it leaves the toe of the cut a little long where the miter meets. My solution was to simply pull out my pocket knife and trim the toe of the miter.

Electrician sees me do this and gives me a dirty look followed by I can't believe you just did that! Along with a my uncle is a trim carpenter and he woukd never do that.

Seems he thinks I should have pulled both pieces of trim and adjusted the angle by 2 1/2* on both cuts. By doing this I wouldn't have had the long toe to trim.

I will agree that is the correct way. However by doing so it would have made my trim be 1/16" too short resulting in a noticeable crack.

So long story short it kind of hurt my feelings and made me realise that yes I did indeed take a shortcut. However the end result is still a perfectly acceptable trim joint.

So how do you guys feel? If I was working on your house would you be upset?

If doing it the pedantically right way would have led to worse results, then you did it the right way.

 

[shelteredV]

Being a builder and running my own jobs with 20 plus guys a day for 17 years, I have come to accept a certain amount of jobsite ********. Banter between trades will always be there, take it for what it's worth, or not. My own crew does the trim, finish, and cabinets on my jobs, so take this from someone that does it alot- split the 5 degrees in half. Just my .02

 

[James E]

My Dad is a doctor. I don't go around telling doctors how to do their jobs.

 

[The Cobbler]

I often work alongside an electrician that's a lot like that. he is very good at telling you how you should do your job, don't dare suggest how he should be doing his.
Other than that, he is a really nice guy, very fair price wise and very thorough

 

[quattro_sinko]

30 year carpenter, mostly custom finish and cabinetry. Paint grade work (like it or not) generally lets stuff like this fly, stain grade (or prestained) not so much. A "kid" I mentored/trained and employed for a while a few years back sent me one of these last year as a "thank you". He thought I'd like it (I set a high mark for quality, efficiency, and precision). He was right. I use it daily for everything.

http://www.starrett.com/metrology/product-detail/505P-7

It will change (for the better) the way you cut miters.

 

[bullnerd]

He's jealous because your actually a talented craftsman and he's just an electrician.

 

[Shootinok]

Take the gold from what he said and don't sweat the rest. We all have room for improvement in our respective trades, to think otherwise is foolish. No need to be petty and go ***-for-tat, he'll get his eventually. Hopefully then he's humble enough to get something constructive out of it.

While perfection is damn near impossible in the trades, the guys with the highest standards usually turn out the best work.

I have to say I am impressed with the way you shared. I respect that honesty and self-reflection.

^^^ This ^^^
Great response

 

[engineer2]

5° is way out of whack for a corner. Usually they are no more than a degree or two. Blame the drywall guys. I usually run around the room first and if any corner looks strange, I check with my Wixey digital protractor and mark it. Only takes a few minutes. Important with stained trim, but with painted trim, caulk hides most sins.

 

[Lelandwelds]

Getting called a hack from someone whose opinion doesn't really matter is like a fart in the wind.

Stinks, but it shouldn't linger long.

I think it is a perfectly acceptable method but I stayed in a Holiday Inn last night.

 

[ez-duzit]

I guess I missed how the fact his uncle is a trim carpenter qualified him to criticize your work...

When your workmanship is so shoddy that even an amateur can spot it, it's time to up your game.

 

[RivennHewn]

This is the most scrutinized shoe mold miter ever, and still no picture of the offense

And nobody has asked the most important question: How much is the house worth?

If it's a trailer in a holler, I'm sure the workmanship is fine. If it's on the street of dreams tour, probably not.

Most shoe mold installed is by apprentice level workers, and a lot of it is not very well executed.

Most people don't know, or care.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

I'd honestly chuck it up to who gives a **** what the dude says/thinks. And that isn't meant to sound mean or **** on ya. If you feel what you did was fine and acceptable. IE: The joint didn't look like *** or it wasn't all marred up then what does it matter? If however when you trimmed it with your pocket knife and it looked like someone hacked it up with a dull butter knife and you thought that was acceptable and walked away then I'd completely agree that's a hack job.

But this isn't my trade by any means. I figure ya'll who do this for a living have to make it look nice and do it in a timely matter. I can make things look nice but it takes me much longer and if I were getting paid to do said job I'd probably lose money because of my slowness.

I know when I did the entire upstairs bedrooms with hardwood flooring it took me a long time but I also racked the wood 100% better than the builder did our kitchen and 100% better than the dudes we paid when we first moved in to do a couple rooms. There is no distinct pattern when I racked the wood where as when I look at the other two I can see how some look like a ladder or a recurring pattern. Annoying to me only because I have done it, prior to me doing it like most people would probably never noticed it.

When scenarios happen like what you described it's best to smile, nod, and then keep going.

-Nigel