Dumb question about baseboard in new home construction...come all wood workers!

[leeland]

OK I have to admit I have no idea on this question and wanted to get some advice...

We are building a new home...it has darker wood trim throughout the home.

The wood work was finished this past week and my wife and I went through the home to check it all out...

I do not have pictures at the moment but the spots where they nailed and then put nail puddy over the holes is clearly visible...a shade off of the wood...so it looks pretty obvious.

Dumb question time since my wife asked me and I didn't know...

Is that how it is supposed to be? I was under the assumption that they fill the holes...it dries and they 'touch it up' to hide those holes...

Any info is appreciated.


ALSO...what would you do on this one...

Our door going out to the garage (Steel Door) was gel stained to match the wood...looks great...however my wife within 5 seconds of checking the door out noticed a nice sized dent in the door on the top of it (about the size of a half dollar).

She wants it replaced...and I am dreading the argument with the contractor...

I am guessing the door is between 500 and 1000 bucks and the gel staining isn't cheap either as it apparently was a PITA from what I was told by the stainer...
Lee

 

[skyking]

You'll never hide the nails completely, but it sounds like they did not try too hard to match the putty.
Dent is a dent, not what you were looking for in a new door.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

If the depressions left from the nailer are that noticeable that they needed to be filled with putty then the guy doing the nailing didn't know what he was doing. iow, the brad nailer wasn't properly adjusted. When it's done right the putty shouldn't even be necessary.

Since it's a steel door the contractor can simply fill the dent with the equivalent of bondo, sand it, and gel stain it for a fix. The entire door does not need to be replaced. Make them do it and make them do it right. Don't be afraid to be a hardass to a contractor. They're used to it.

 

[leeland]

If the depressions left from the nailer are that noticeable that they needed to be filled with putty then the guy doing the nailing didn't know what he was doing. iow, the brad nailer wasn't properly adjusted. When it's done right the putty shouldn't even be necessary.

Since it's a steel door the contractor can simply fill the dent with the equivalent of bondo, sand it, and gel stain it for a fix. The entire door does not need to be replaced. Make them do it and make them do it right. Don't be afraid to be a hardass to a contractor. They're used to it.

I did not know they could do such a thing on a steel door...it is a good recommendation...I will bring that up in the conversation...thanks a ton for the comment.

You'll never hide the nails completely, but it sounds like they did not try too hard to match the putty.
Dent is a dent, not what you were looking for in a new door.

And I would agree that no...the puddy wasn't matched very well as it is lighter than the wood and sticks out pretty bad...and I guess I will see what can be done with it.

 

[ebaycj]

come all wood workers!

Really?

 

[iGas]

If the depressions left from the nailer are that noticeable that they needed to be filled with putty then the guy doing the nailing didn't know what he was doing. iow, the brad nailer wasn't properly adjusted. When it's done right the putty shouldn't even be necessary.

Since it's a steel door the contractor can simply fill the dent with the equivalent of bondo, sand it, and gel stain it for a fix. The entire door does not need to be replaced. Make them do it and make them do it right. Don't be afraid to be a hardass to a contractor. They're used to it.

They can replace the dented panel as well.

I would get the contractor to fix it because the wife would never let you live it down.

As for the nail holes, it is a minor thing, and you will never be able to match the filler to wood completely.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

They can replace the dented panel as well.

I would get the contractor to fix it because the wife would never let you live it down.

As for the nail holes, it is a minor thing, and you will never be able to match the filler to wood completely.

At first I thought he was talking about the garage door too, but after re-reading it he was talking about a door going out to the garage. Typically those don't have individual panels that can be replaced.

 

[Wreckage]

Don't be afraid to be a hardass to a contractor. They're used to it.

Plus it's the only way to get s*** done. You are the customer, it's your money, make em work for it.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Plus it's the only way to get s*** done. You are the customer, it's your money, make em work for it.

Exactly. Look at every little thing and make a detailed, written list, then politely discuss every issue on that list with the contractor. It's commonly called a "punch list." Make sure everything on that punch list gets done.

Believe me, these guys expect it and no matter how tough you think you are being they've met people 10X as bad. If you are polite, reasonable, and make it clear that you want things done right, a decent contractor will go out of their way to do the work properly. However, if you don't put up any resistance most contractors won't hesitate to fuck you over with shoddy work, given the opportunity.

 

[etrigan420]

We just had our home built last year and noticed those same "filler spots".

They do it lazily, and smear it around the actual nail hole.

Just wipe off the excess with a damp sponge and you shouldn't even notice they're there, at least...if they matched the colors even close you wont notice...

They also had to replace our front door due to a dent, and 3 of our cabinet doors were dinged up inside.

Not sure what company you're going with, but ours was *very* good about fixing things that we showed concerns about...

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[iGas]

Exactly. Look at every little thing and make a detailed, written list, then politely discuss every issue on that list with the contractor. It's commonly called a "punch list." Make sure everything on that punch list gets done.

Believe me, these guys expect it and no matter how tough you think you are being they've met people 10X as bad. If you are polite, reasonable, and make it clear that you want things done right, a decent contractor will go out of their way to do the work properly. However, if you don't put up any resistance most contractors won't hesitate to fuck you over with shoddy work, given the opportunity.

I lean something new everyday.

It call "deficiency list" up here.

Make a list and have a pad of sticky notes to mark out the deficient area that need attention.

 

[Strk]

There isn't really much you can do to the door. That's also one of the big problems with steel doors. What style is the door?

 

[paperfist]

Exactly. Look at every little thing and make a detailed, written list, then politely discuss every issue on that list with the contractor. It's commonly called a "punch list." Make sure everything on that punch list gets done.

Believe me, these guys expect it and no matter how tough you think you are being they've met people 10X as bad. If you are polite, reasonable, and make it clear that you want things done right, a decent contractor will go out of their way to do the work properly. However, if you don't put up any resistance most contractors won't hesitate to fuck you over with shoddy work, given the opportunity.

Haha with the punch list comes the dreaded change orders!

The big problem with the steel door is it's going to get dented up even more when you occupy the space. It's just the nature of the beast. I would add some kick plates to both sides of the door as those are the first parts to dent.

 

[leeland]

I got a chance to go out to the house and take a couple of pictures of the trim for visual reference...

Some are very obvious...others not so much...

(Sorry if some of the pictures are crappy...the camera I had on me is a POS)
http://picasaweb.google.com/talktolee/WoodTrimExamples?feat=email#

As for the door to expand on the type...I messed up. It is a fiberglass door with wood grain after looking at it closer.

I had asked a couple other contractors who where there just now their opinion on the size of the dent and they both said it was large enough to make a stink.

The end result would be a replacement of the entire door and having it re-stained.

As for dents / nicks / scratches happening I totally know that as we move in etc...things are going to be dinged and damaged...but we haven't even gotten into the house yet and their are scratches and things that need to be addressed.

I don't foresee an issue with the contractor...those types of conversations are never any fun for me though...

 

[Codewiz]

Honestly, those nail holes look like shit. Do they really think that looks good.

 

[amdskip]

They very much so need to address those nail holes. The filler looks to be stainable so it should look fairly close.

 

[feralkid]

They very much so need to address those nail holes. The filler looks to be stainable so it should look fairly close.

That's what I would try as well.

But, wow...dark mahogany/cherry trim with light oak/pine filler?

Horrible, this job is.

 

[vi edit]

+1 on on the trim nailing looking like ass. Wow. Did they seriously think that was acceptable? Since it appears to a very uniform stain it'll be hard to make it look good. :\

There's no grain to it to help hide flaws. I'd be scared to see how well that stuff wears a few years down the road. What's the wood type under the stain?

 

[Sluggo]

The painter did a poor job of mixing up the color putty. It's a bit of an art, and takes quite a while to get it correct, but it does make a huge difference in how your woodwork looks. Most painters will have lots of jars of the stuff on hand and mix and match little bits of a few of them to get a good match.

http://www.colorputty.com/

The issue now is that the painters have already put lacquer (the clear coat) over it and the stuff is now sealed. The easiest fix will be to mix up a bit of brushable lacquer, or similar clear coat and tint it with some wood stain or universal tint and very lightly brush over the nail holes with an artist's brush. Get that done now and by the time you move in the initial glossiness of the repair should have toned down and the repair should be barely noticeable. The harder fix would be to physically remove the old putty, replace it and try to fix the clear coat.

All of that assumes it isn't pre-finished wood.

 

[Wreckage]

I think the rule is you should not be able to see the nail holes from a few feet away. Those you could probably see from the space shuttle.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Nail holes:

Your problem is that the trim was installed pre-finished, so there is no finish coating on the filler putty. Solution = a colored marker, a tiny paint brush (airbrush is even better), and someone that knows what they are doing so they do not make it worse. There are several ways to make it worse doing this simple but time consuming task. The installers should either do it or hire someone to do it, because it should have been included. Also, it looks like a tricky color/finish match. The key is to go a little darker if anything.

Door:

Door is probably a fiberglass/wood, or all wood door. If you are staining it, dents the size you are talking are unacceptable. You can not stain a steel door unless it is wood or fiberglass clad. Fiberglass doors for stain look like shit. You will get in an argument with the contractor, but hopefully you are holding his money. Since they already stained it, they can't take it back.

 

[darkewaffle]

Call Carl.

 

[runzwithsizorz]

FYI, in most areas the door leading from residence, to garage HAS to be fire rated, and self closing, it varies, such as SC does not require self closing, check your codes. Also, you payed for a new door, get a new door!! If you went to take delivery on a new car, and there was a dent in it, would you just let them bondo it, and touch up the paint?
Never let the builder pressure you into closing, with the promise that he will come back, and take care of problems when you find them. FIND THEM NOW! My wife went around the house with little pieces of orange masking tape, LOL. You should have had your own inspector pre-drywall, but get one for final walk though, trust me, it's money well spent. I work in the trades, but he found several things I'd missed.
P.S. the guys that did your molding suck.

 

[paperfist]

How do you dent a fiberglass door? You could chip it, but denting it I've never seen before.

 

[vi edit]

Can you get a pick of the door? If it's not terrible I'd almost use that as leverage for another issue that might be harder to mitigate...or an add in upgrade that's more of a labor cost than material. You can figure that the staining costs are around $350-$500 + new door, for whatever that material cost was.

So if there's other things like crown, built ins, having your blinds installed, ect that you can get the builder to do you might get more for your $$ than having a non dented door. But that's just up to what you can live with.