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A GC in Phoenix told me my 3 day cure time was 'cowardly' and I still think he was wrong
Had a GC walk my job in Phoenix back in April and he stopped dead at a bathroom I'd just set tile in. He asked how long I was waiting before grouting and I said 3 days, and he laughed right in my face. "Three days? I want my guys grouting the next morning, time is money out here." I told him the thinset I use wants 24 hours minimum at 70 degrees and that bathroom was sitting at 58 overnight because the HVAC wasn't running yet. He waved me off and said nobody else on his roster waits, which I know is not true because I've fixed two of those rush jobs for other builders. The one I tore out in Chandler had cracked grout lines inside 6 months. I lost the bid, about $4,100 worth of work, and I slept fine about it. Curious if anybody else has had a GC push them on cure times and how you handled the conversation without torching the relationship.
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elliot_barnes21d ago
Did the GC ever ask what the thinset maker says on the bag, or did he just skip that part? That 58 degree overnight temp is the whole ballgame too, since most thinset specs want 50 to 70 degrees minimum for 24 hours, and cold slows the cure a ton. For what it's worth, you can't really "talk" a guy like that into caring, so next time maybe put the cure window and temps in writing with your bid. He gets to see you're not guessing, and if he still waves you off, that's his cracked grout six months later, not yours.
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