The week I ruined a $600 job with a single bad measurement

Two months ago I had a kitchen cabinet install in a new build over in Oakville. Everything was going smooth until I cut the crown molding for the upper cabinets. I measured twice like always but somehow still cut the first piece 3/4 inch too short. Spent the next 3 days trying to fix it with fillers and repainting trim to make it look seamless. The homeowner noticed the gap and asked me about it straight up. I had to be honest and eat the cost of redoing that whole section out of my own pocket. Still think it's better to admit a mistake than try to hide it with caulk. What do you guys do when a bad cut messes up the whole flow of a job?

3 comments

3 Comments

eva_thompson17d ago

You said "measured twice like always" but then still cut it wrong, that's not really measuring twice in my book. Real measuring twice means actually checking the tape against the wall and then against the wood again, not just looking at the numbers once and calling it good. I learned that lesson the hard way too, now I run my tape along the cut line and hold it up to the space before I even touch the saw.

uma_taylor4717d ago

5 foot 2? I'd have been triple checking that one for sure.

miles_young5917d ago

see I gotta disagree with @eva_thompson a little here, even if her method is solid. the thing nobody's talking about is how wood expands and contracts. I cut a deck board dead nuts perfect one time in the morning, went to install it that afternoon after it sat in the sun, and it was almost a quarter inch too short. temperature and humidity mess with your numbers just as much as bad measuring does. so you can triple check all you want but if that board shrinks or swells between cutting and installing you're screwed anyway.