Renovations Are Difficult for Everyone – Here’s Why It’s Not Only You

Hi Everyone,

First of all, thank you for so many darling comments on Sunday about the hardwood floors. The final coat of poly went on today.

 

Well, how do the floors look, Laurel?

 

I was afraid you were going to ask me that. ;]

To tell the truth…

Frankly…

In all sincerity…

To be honest…

.

.

.

They’re pretty awful in many respects.

However, I wasn’t going to talk about that, because I figure you’re all tired of my grousing.

 

In the end, I have only myself to blame.

 

The guy who did my floors wasn’t the right one for me. I wanted to try the Pallmann hard wax oil. In hindsight, I should’ve booked someone specializing in hard wax oil finishes. However, there’s only one that I know of, and when I asked him last June, he said he was booked until October. Knowing that Robert’s guy wasn’t going to work out, I should’ve lined someone up months earlier.

What are the problems?

 

Well, the new floor is glaringly new and much lighter, juxtaposed against the 144-year-old floor.

 

 

No attempt was made to get the floors to blend, even though I was told there would be.

 

The correct thing to do would be to take a couple of pieces of the new wood and experiment with some pre-coloring and light antiquing. That’s what should be happening to avoid the obvious repair job.

Incidentally, the so-called “low” VOC is not NO VOC; it’s just lower than the stuff they use to protect the floors that doubles as rocket fuel.

 

The problem is, the toxic stuff (AKA oil-based poly) is beautiful.

 

I have never seen a beautiful water-based poly. However, this formulation is the newest and is supposed to be excellent.

So far, this is a bloody disappointment. Yet, Bona makes a floor polish to go over their water-based two-component polyurethane after it’s fully cured. And, maybe the curing process will help it some. It’s just that the reflection from the windows looks milky instead of luminous.

 

Why weren’t these things addressed, Laurel?

 

They were, but I was shot down. I’m not going to get into it on the blog, and I’m going to assume that they were doing their best and are just not equipped to handle anything but the most mainstream jobs. That’s fine. It’s just that I wasn’t made aware of that and a lot of other things.

 

Now, sometimes one finds a hands-on GC who gets his client’s vision, and has the skills AND EXPERIENCE necessary to make it happen.

 

These folks are exceedingly rare and to be cherished if you have one.

This is a sweeping generalization, and by no means is everyone. However, here’s my take on most contractors and trades in the residential building industry.

Based on 14+ months into this renovation, my take is that most people in the building trades just want to get the job done and cram as many jobs as possible into their 8-hour workday. They don’t want to think, and they definitely don’t want to spend the time it takes to do things optimally.

To make matters worse, we must operate on THEIR schedule and are only one of many jobs they constantly juggle.

 

Early on, one of you lovelies sent me this hilarious cartoon.

 

 

hehehehe!!!

Oh, I see hundreds of you knowingly nodding your head. I know because you’ve already told me your horror stories of rude tradesmen doing an inferior job and who are charging you a fortune for the privilege. That is… When they show up.

Then, I see others shaking their head, not understanding how this is happening to ME.

 

Well, in the eyes of most contractors, I’m no different from anyone else, except possibly more:

 

• fussy
• nitpicking
• particular
• picky
• capricious
• choosy
• discriminating
• discontented
• unhappy
• dissatisfied
• critical
• exacting
• demanding
• finicky
• overly particular
• hard-to-please
• detailed
• perfectionist
• pain in the ass

 

DIFFICULT

 

Fine, they can think about me whatever they like. However, I don’t want my living room floor to resemble a patchwork quilt covered in plastic.

And, for whatever it’s worth, I heap praise on these guys, as much as possible when it’s deserved, which it frequently is.

 

Communication issues are commonplace and a source of immense frustration.

 

My point is that the building industry is fraught with landmines at every turn.

And to be crystal clear, the problems affect ALL OF US.

I mean EVERYONE.

 

Today, I read an interview with Mark D. Sikes in Architectural Digest.

 

I made a meme with Mark’s astute words.

 

 

And so it has gone with my job. While things have gone wrong, the worst have all been fixed.

However, Mark’s point about the people—you’ve seen them on Instagram—who make it appear that EVERYTHING is always perfect is absolutely, positively LYING.

 

Please forgive the blatant cynicism, but often, the more perfect something looks, the more likely it is to be all smoke and mirrors.

 

So, what else is going on with the renovation?

Today, the plumber returned to operate on the bathroom plumbing.

 

Yes, I know. I know!!! This is utterly ridiculous to be happening at this point.

Below, the surgery is complete and the pipes are now centered.

 

 

The patient is resting comfortably and is expected to make a full recovery.

The toilet pipes are hooked up and ready.

But first, the surgeons, Doctors Brendan and Eugene, will come and stitch up the patient and repair the mouldings.

 

Laurel, why wasn’t this done ages ago?

 

*No, no, no… we don’t do that. We don’t go backward. Yes, I’ve kindly requested that the pipes be fixed long before the mouldings went up.

There’s only so much nagging a girl can do!

Next week, we should be getting the new radiator and sink fully installed.

Painting will be resuming shortly.

Things are moving along.

I write these posts to share my experience and help us all understand the beast’s nature. Even with the most conscientious workers, things go wrong. What separates the great people from the ones I’d rather not see again is how they handle it.

 

*It’s a matter of moving forward, problem-solving, and trying not to stay stuck in the past.

 

That’s already happened. It’s over. It can’t be changed.

I think this lesson applies to just about everything life throws at us.

In closing, I am not worried about the living room floor. Overall, the color is pleasing, and there will probably be a large rug and, of course, furniture.

I will find a way to make the floor gleam, (see above) and if I can, I can pass that info on. In the meantime, if you have used Bona Traffic HD or a similar water-based poly, were put off by the plastic look, and used something to make the finish more lustrous, please let us know in the comments.

xo,

 

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