Client told me my scribe lines looked like 'a kid with a crayon'

Last month I was trimming out a living room in Portland and a homeowner pointed out my pencil marks were way too dark and sloppy. He was a retired cabinet maker (of course) and said I should use a 0.5mm mechanical pencil instead of a standard #2. I switched that afternoon and started using a light touch, sanding off lines after test fits. Has anyone else had a client or coworker call out a small habit that actually made you better at the basics?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese_patel19d agoProlific Poster

Wait, a retired cabinet maker actually called you out on your scribe lines sounding like a kid's drawing? lol That's brutal but honestly kind of hilarious. I had a builder once tell me my nail set was too big and I was making craters in the trim instead of setting nails. Felt like a total hack for a week but switched to a smaller one and it made a huge difference. People love to throw shade at the little things, but sometimes they're right even if it stings. Your pencil switch sounds smart, I might try that light touch trick myself.

alice80818d ago

My buddy runs a painting crew and once had an old lady stop him mid-job to say his blue tape was too wide and he was wasting material. She walked him to her garage and handed him a roll of the skinny frogtape she'd bought herself. He was embarrassed but switched and found it actually helped him cut cleaner lines around her window casings. Still bugs him when he thinks about it but he uses that tape for everything now. Funny how the picky clients sometimes hand you the best tips.