That homeowner in Tulsa who demanded inch-perfect seams

Had a job last month where this lady, Mrs. Kline, pulled out a tape measure while I was laying 12 foot seams and checked every single joint. She pointed at a 1/16 gap and said, "my old installer never left marks." I get picky clients, but she followed me around for 4 hours and even counted my staples. Do you guys use a straightedge on every seam or just trust the knee kicker when customers hover like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

alice_hart20d ago

That Tulsa job sounds like a special kind of hell. I had a similar one in Austin where the homeowner timed me with a stopwatch while I did a living room. The straightedge only comes out for butt joints when I'm doing tile, for carpet I just pull tight and trust the kicker, but with a hover you're gonna second guess yourself and make worse marks than the 1/16 gap she's complaining about. Staples counted, sheesh, my record is a lady who counted the blades in my utility knife and asked me to switch to a fresh one every hour because she read somewhere it cuts cleaner.

james_campbell1220d agoTop Commenter

Some folks just need to feel like they're in charge, even if it makes zero sense.