Contractor texted and asked me if these are "normal" touch up issues.

[highup]

That's a text I received from a contractor along with these pictures.
It's a new addition and I measured the job 4 months ago. The contractor is new to me, but I think does top notch work.
Why are so many flooring guys hacks? ...I mean this is someone's nice home by the river, not some flipper house.

 

[JPfloor]

Probably doesn’t even own a wall trimmer….

 

[Tile Tom]

Ok, so I'm going out on a limb here. Is that new construction? Or at least new baseboards?

Reason being because I have been in situations where I pulled out a old carpet and installed a thinner one. That exposes what previous installers did. And if they frigged up the baseboards it shows. I've even been blamed for doing it.
Not saying it's the case but could it be a possibility?

 

[C.J.]

Looks like dude needs a new Teflon strip on his wall trimmer. Getting hit with a back charge for painting is one way to make sure you have it on the next job.

 

[highup]

Ok, so I'm going out on a limb here. Is that new construction? Or at least new baseboards?

Reason being because I have been in situations where I pulled out a old carpet and installed a thinner one. That exposes what previous installers did. And if they frigged up the baseboards it shows. I've even been blamed for doing it.
Not saying it's the case but could it be a possibility?

Brand spanking new.

 

[highup]

Looks like dude needs a new Teflon strip on his wall trimmer. Getting hit with a back charge for painting is one way to make sure you have it on the next job.

Trimmer? I don't think he used one. Looks straight through the face to me.

 

[DarisMulkin]

He long knifed it in by the cut mark on the base. Plus he has a bent tooth on his kicker.

 

[zannej]

As a layman, I have no idea what I'm looking at other than the baseboards need to be repainted & it looks like there's some carpet fuzz.

 

[Tile Tom]

Brand spanking new.

So no excuses then.

I think we've all been in a situation where we forgot a wall trimmer/ too lazy to go to the van for one. Anyone worth a shit would just stretch it in, fold it towards yourself and cut from the back then tuck. Never understood why someone would go to town from the front while mangling what's behind it?

So yeah, a back charge is definitely acceptable in this circumstance. A lot of old timers I know always say the same thing, if you want to hurt someone, hit em where it really hurts... The wallet!!

I have been back charged before. Mostly the knuckle head gophers on big new construction jobs. Fudging up the walls bringing in rolls of carpet. You get one warning before it comes out of your check.
If you can't figure it out after one warning then you're clearly incompetent or you work for the painters. Either way your out!

 

[DarisMulkin]

How many times have yyou trimmed a wall where it was just a smidge long and wouldn't tuck right. A little trick for that and it would work for this also is stick the blade of your spreader between the wall and carpet and cut away sliding the spreader as you go.

 

[C.J.]

So those are cut lines and not just a silver streak on the baseboard?

 

[JPfloor]

Looks like a slash and dash…

 

[highup]

He long knifed it in by the cut mark on the base. Plus he has a bent tooth on his kicker.

No, I don't think he vacuumed the floor.

 

[highup]

So those are cut lines and not just a silver streak on the baseboard?

That's what I think happened. It would be easier to paint over if it was just burnished from the metal.

 

[highup]

How many times have yyou trimmed a wall where it was just a smidge long and wouldn't tuck right. A little trick for that and it would work for this also is stick the blade of your spreader between the wall and carpet and cut away sliding the spreader as you go.

I have even trimmed some carpets using that method. I'll stick two or three of my 6-inch and 9-in spreaders one right behind the other and trim straight against them in a similar fashion to the guy that cut up these baseboards. After making a foot and a half of headway just LeapFrog the spreaders continuously down the wall and cut as you go. It makes an extremely clean cut.
When I work with my grandfather he carried three or four pieces of 4-in formica and slipped that behind the wall to trim against once in awhile. I think he also used it along with the wall trimmer to protect baseboards that had been freshly painted.
What bothers me is it you know darn well he saw those cuts in the baseboard as soon as he started using that method. The question is why didn't he stop and use a trimmer or cut it by hand from the back side. I mean that's just nuts continuing around all of the walls using that same method. The carpeted areas were a 16-ft square master bedroom, a 12x16 bedroom a 13x20 bedroom a 14x 18 bedroom and a set of stairs. I'm hoping like hell he didn't do the same thing on the stairs

 

[highup]

So those are cut lines and not just a silver streak on the baseboard?

 

[highup]

I'm going to call the contractor and ask him. It sure looks like cut marks to me.

 

[C.J.]

Maybe dude needs some glasses. I had a helper that thought his work looked acceptable when it didn’t. I also thought he was just dumb and couldn’t read a tape. Turns out he just needed a pair of glasses.

 

[kwfloors]

Another thing that works on the trimmer is the fuzzy side tape from velcro. If it's just a gray line it can usually be cleaned off but if it's cut it needs more work.

 

[highup]

Contractor said it was knifed.