Appreciation post: A client in Boston made me stop using a 3/8 inch joint for everything

I was laying a brick patio for a guy last fall and he asked why I was using such a fat joint. He said it made the whole thing look chunky and the pattern got lost. I argued that a 3/8 inch was standard and strong, but he was right. I switched to a 1/4 inch joint for the rest of the job and the brickwork looked way sharper and more detailed. Has anyone else had a client point out something simple that actually improved your work?

3 comments

3 Comments

dianal9421d ago

Oh man that totally hits home! I was painting trim for years with this thick brush because it was fast, until a homeowner asked if a smaller brush would get into the corners better. Felt so obvious once she said it, the finish is so much cleaner now. Sometimes you just get stuck in your ways and a fresh pair of eyes saves the day.

the_hayden21d ago

Yeah that's a good one. Got stuck using the same caulk gun tip size for sealing gaps around windows. Customer asked if a smaller bead would look less messy. Tried it and he was totally right, way cleaner lines. Easy to miss the small stuff when you're just trying to get the job done fast.

skylerp3120d ago

Man, that reminds me of @the_hayden's caulk story. I used to cut my drywall mud way too thick for patches, thinking it filled better. A painter friend saw it and just said "you're making my job harder." Thinned it out a bit and the finish is way smoother, no more sanding ridges.