When Wood Flooring Estimates Get Sabotaged by 'Experts'

Leonard Hall Headshot

I went to a referral estimate for a potential client who bought a condo. His wood floors needed some repairs, as well as a refinish to a dark stain.

While measuring, I regularly chat with clients, and this time I asked how it was he was in the situation of moving in the following week with the floor refinish work still to be done. I found out he actually had hired another company only to discover they did not have any insurance and were not allowed to work in the building (surprise!). So that left him high and dry.

I informed him that he could not stay there while the work was going on. He understood that and accepted the frustration of going to a hotel for about 10 days.

The floor had a few places to be repaired, some due to the previous base and quarter round being removed and the wood floor not reaching far enough where the brand-new, freshly painted, square-edge base was installed on the wall. Other repairs were straightforward board replacements because of deep gouging.

For the perimeter issue, I offered two solutions:

1) Remove the base and extend the floor (which was more costly than option #2)

2) Put on a new painted square-profile shoe mold. It still would be a very modern look since he just had new 1x5 S4S base installed and painted (talk about putting the cart before the horse!).

Done with my field measurements, I walk over to the owner and begin explaining what it is I'm going to do and for how much.

Then his handyman butts into the conversation with an offended attitude.

Then his handyman butts into the conversation with an offended attitude. First with, "If you put on that small molding, it will change the clean look of what you wanted on the wall. You shouldn't do that. It won’t look good." To which I replied, "If YOU installed the base, why didn't you mention to the owner that the large gaps along these walls would show up in front of the base? What's the plan for that?" "Caulk," he said.

Then it was his question to me: “You use that dust-free sanding equipment, right?” He says he has a "friend" who can sand the floor with "no dust—totally dust-free" equipment.

This statement came on the heels of me explaining to the owner that there's going to be some nuisance dust remaining after I do my work that will require him doing some wiping and cleaning. I informed him that the best equipment around is not “dust-FREE”—that nuisance dust is to be expected but nothing that should raise concern. We would block off his closets and bath areas where he would be storing his stuff (no wood there).

Here's the main point: This owner came to me as a direct referral from one person, and no fewer than three other people he spoke had highly recommend in our company. Not that I think every time I go to an estimate it's a lock, but I was confident that this guy would've given me the job. After all, referred by four people, in-depth knowledge about wood flooring, capability to do the job on the short notice … What could go wrong?

That darn handyman! Or in some cases, you may have experienced the painter, plumber, best friend, uncle, or the dreaded cousin … people getting involved that have little to no experience but whose advice is treasured more than life itself, it seems. It can be a very disheartening experience.

Turns out that this is a two-bit cheap painting contractor the owner hired to repair the walls.

For this guy to start the argument about his friend being able to do the work without any dust! Holy cow! Who is this guy?

Turns out that this is a two-bit cheap painting contractor the owner hired to repair the walls and put his painted baseboard on the wall (by the way, the miters were horrible!), with wood plank areas not being covered by the very base he is installing! A true "professional.”

Eventually in the conversation, the handyman asks the owner to speak to him in private, and the two walk away. A few minutes later, the owner says he's not going to be ready for this week because the handyman has more to do, and he tells me, “Send me the quote by email. I'll move in Monday and Tuesday. I'll get back to you on Wednesday.”

To me that was code for, “Now I'm going to use the handyman’s ‘friend’ and I don't need you and all your professionalism.”

I'm hope I'm wrong… I'll let you know next week.

Page 1 of 18
Next Page
Resource Book
Looking for a specific product or a company? Wood Floor Business has the only comprehensive database of the industry.
Learn More
Resource Book
Podcasts
All Things Wood Floor, created by Wood Floor Business magazine, talks to interesting wood flooring pros to share knowledge, stories and tips on everything to do with wood flooring, from installation, sanding and finishing to business management.
Learn More
Podcasts