Old timer told me my finish work was 'too perfect'...

I was trimming out a house in Nashville last week and this retired carpenter walks through the build site. He watched me for maybe 10 minutes then said 'you're fighting the wood instead of working with it.' I was so focused on getting zero gaps that I was over-sanding and forcing joints. He showed me how to leave a 1/16th gap and let the paint do the rest... made me feel like an amateur honestly. Anyone else had some old pro make you question your whole approach mid-job?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindag3318d ago

Buddy of mine had an old guy show him that trick too. Felt like an idiot.

riley_wood8418d ago

What was the trick exactly, @lindag33? My buddy's old guy showed him how to use a flathead screwdriver to pop open a stuck paint can lid without bending the rim. Felt like a real fool for not figuring that out on my own after years of prying at them with a putty knife.

lewis.finley18d ago

Don't you hate those moments where you've been doing something the hard way for years? I swear the old timers have a secret manual they never share.