I cant take this anymore. I’ve had a on again off again worker for awhile who honestly, if I could find another part time person would’ve been gone long ago.
This time though i’m not a happy guy. A month ago we started a relatively large job. We were almost finished upstairs and had to go to another job. The HO was fine with this. This week I had an extra helper so I sent “Joe” back to the first job to finish up the trim painting.
“Joe” told me this should take 2 days. First day, I leave him on site and he leaves 1.5 hrs after I do. No call to me or the HO.
Bottom line I paid him for about 30 hrs and today when I went to check on “the finished job” it looked like he painted the trim with a hockey stick!
The HO was not happy. I’m not happy. Not only do I now have to fix this mess, I still need a new helper.
I think i’m just going to start subbing out everything.
BTW any one know how to get paint off a brand new hard wood floor?
Replies
Latex or oil?
Latex I would start with water and scrapping and wiping. Also goof-off and Liftoff makes some products.
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
Whatever, if the paint is fresh and the wood finish a fair amount older, getting to it right away, before the paint fully cures, will make it easier.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
The paint is fresh and the floor finish is literally about 48 hrs older than the paint.
The fresh wood finish could be good or bad. At least the oils in the finish will keep the paint from penetrating very far. It may just flake off, if you're lucky.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
Just as likely that the floor is a waterborne product with no oils
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I cant remember what my floor guy said he was gonna use on this job. He occasionally will still use "glitza" but I think this was a poly job.
Its latex. I'm a little concerned about using Goof Off on a fresh floor. I called my hardwood guy to find out what kind of finsih he used on this job. I'm waiting on his call.
With "fresh" latex I have had good results with water and rubbing.But first something to break the surface really, really, helps. A finger nail or a plastic scraper.The inside is still curing and breaking the surface helps..
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A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
I hope so. Most of this paint is from either no tape on the floor or a poor job of applying the tape. All the way around the room the line looks terrrible.
Four days and half the trim still needs a second coat and half the cut in on the walls is a mess.
The hide of a fresh skinned helper will get the paint off, with proper rubbing pressure of course.
i've heard that the hyde from the backside worked best,unless it has all been chewed off by a predator. larry
hand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
Acetone will soften latex paint. There are commercial paint spatter removers, too.
So - what are you going to do with the "helper" ???
You mean after he kills him/
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Well, looks like he has to go.
The problem still remains that I need to find someone else. I certainly know that he can absolutely not be left alone. Seems he needs his hand held.
Normally he does nice paint work, but couple this with the fact that I had to bail him out of jail three weeks ago, I think i'm about done with him.
Sounds like you like pain, this person is still around?! I wouldn't keep a relative under your circumstanses; GET RID OF THE LOSER!
Not at all. The reason he's still around is simply because I dont have enough work to keep someone on 52/40 and (surprise surprise) he's always available when I call and doesnt care if I dont have any work.
You post started with negatives; leaves the job early, bad work, have to bail out of jail, and needs supervision. Hate to say it, but you can pick up a better part time worker on the corner. Your call. Luck.
Thanks for the advice. I just need to find a replacement. I talked to him today, and he said he'd be in tomorrow for free to fix it. We'll see.
I'm just looking for someone that shows up, can be taught, doesnt steal my tools, and calls when they cant come in.
"Normally he does nice paint work, but couple this with the fact that I had to bail him out of jail three weeks ago, I think i'm about done with him."
My late uncle was a paint contractor all his life; he died many years ago. I lived with his family during most of my youth and I can't tell you how many times he put up with that kind of crap over and over again. In my humble opinion, it was because he spent way too much time looking for people who were good painters instead of looking for painters who were good people.
Let the other crews shop for talent. I think you'll find that you'll profit more by shopping for character. Skills can be taught, character can't. And don't assume that the only good painters are 20-50 year old males. Stereotypes can cause an employer to overlook a valuable segment of the labor pool (i.e. young people, females, retirees, etc.)
Good luck.
MichaelNew knowledge is priceless.
Used knowledge is even more valuable.
"Let the other crews shop for talent. I think you'll find that you'll profit more by shopping for character. Skills can be taught, character can't. And don't assume that the only good painters are 20-50 year old males. Stereotypes can cause an employer to overlook a valuable segment of the labor pool (i.e. young people, females, retirees, etc.)"
Very well put Michael; too bad is more than a sentence as IMO, it deserves to be a BT Quotable!
Only dead fish swim with the stream. Author Unknown
(i.e. young people, females, retirees, etc.)"
Yea, I've been trying to convince our shop that we should be looking at 18 - 24 year old latino girls for the finish room, damn, I'm nothing if not progressive!
Doug
I'm trying to convince DW we need a French HS exchange student!
Forrest - dreamin'
You'll get a gay guy with earrings and a Mohawk.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
"Not that there's anything wrong with that".
J. D. ReynoldsHome Improvements
well if it weren't for your age limit, I'da had a new job...DANG...missed out again.
;-)
Only dead fish swim with the stream. Author Unknown
well if it weren't for your age limit
Oh yeah, right, like you could not carry it off <g>
(O the chickas enjado . . . <g>)Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
I asked one of my acquaintances who always seems to have an awesome crew just how he picked such good workers. His answer surprised me - he said that he learned from his dad that most people can't tell squat about a candidate for a job during the interview. He said "I'm not very good at picking really good people - but I'm damn good at getting rid of the bad or marginal ones and keeping the good ones. That simple strategy builds a pretty good crew pretty fast.You do your best at hiring good people, but that often isn't good enough. So he put his pride (and fear) aside, and hires the "best" candidate that applies, and then QUICKLY lets the ones go that don't work our for what ever reason. No hesitation, no hand wringing, just lets them go and hires another. He says that, following that practice has also been the secret to building a really good crew for himself. And the crew helps, cause they always tell the new guy that the boss really doesn't tolerate slackers, goof-offs and hard-cases, and that he has a well deserved reputation of clearing out the deadwood, and toxic wood, fast. Good luck - it's not an easy path to follow, but it does work.Mike DP.S. In my experience, once you've decided to fire someone, don't get talked out of it - that just makes you a patsy, and it doubles your pain.
Edited 7/23/2007 9:57 pm ET by Mike_D
My only problem becomes a catch 22. I'm not busy enough to hire a full time employee. Right now i've probably got about 2 mos lined up and winters coming. As it turns out I usually dont run a guy 40 hrs cause I use a fair amount of subs.
On alot of my jobs we do demo, inwall prep and finish work. Thats it. I have a good drywall guy, plumber, and tile guy. We mainly do bathrooms so that really doesnt leave alot for an employee.
Honestly I could probably do most myself but i'm not big on the thought of doing demo myself cause i'm missing a disc in my back. I can work but thats alot of plaster to move.
Around here, we have debris haulers that also do demolition. They are fast, clean and relatively inexpensive.
Make some calls. Your customers will really enjoy having that part of the project completed in a day.Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington
Good idea, but we do complete demo in one day.
OK
you can pay you (your missing disc) and an employee or a demo company.
Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington
Not saying its a bad idea. One of my business goals is to pretty much simply be a GC. I'm just saying that right now were not too with demo.
I have a 1 ton extended chevy so I also "save the customer money" by using it as a dumpster. We usually get things cleaned up by 2 then its a nice leisurely drive to the dump.
$1000 in one day not a bad demo.
from what you're saying this is the perfect employee for you. You can't give him a full time job. he doesn't mind if you send him home for lack of work. Whenever you call he jumps at the opportunity to work.
i'm really not sure what your gripe is. it sounds to me like you have low standards for your employees, so why does it surprise you that they work at sub-standard levels?
Every day is a gift, that's why it's called the present.
Uh, no I dont have low standards for my people.
I dont see why I should bring on and spend alot of time training someone who I may not be able to sustain only to have him go somewhere else after "breaking him in".
I will say this for the guy. I had a talk with him yesterday and he came in for free today to fix his mistakes.
Does this solve the problem? Nope, Its not acceptable to me to find myself in a situation of apoligizing to a client because something was missed or done wrong.
I intend to find someone else when I can, but i'm not gonna shoot myself in the foot either. I like working with this guy, we get along well, I just need to realize what his limitations are for now.
i dont know what is up with painting but i cant get anyone to pay attention, It looks easy but seems all my men just make a mess, everybody sez they can do it and you would think so but in my career this has caused many proplems for me,
As I said before he's not a bad painter (better than me actually) but he totally screwed me on this.
The bigger problem is he really lost my trust on this. If he really spent the time he told me on this job than he spent ALOT of time screwing off, cause he sure wasnt painting.
Some people are essentially incapable of working unsupervised -- they simply need to have someone watching them, otherwise they feel at loose ends.
So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable Creature, since it enables one to find or make a Reason for everything one has a mind to do. --Benjamin Franklin
I dont know if thats the problem or not, but this was not represenative of his usual work.
Dont get me wrong, he's by no means a superstar painter but this was terrrible.
Cant wait to hear what he has to say tomorrow.
Let's see, can't trust him, have to hold his hand on job sites, and you bailed him out of jail? Sounds like you don't need to wait to hear what he say's, but let him know he is gone. When you have to do this it only means more money out of your pocket.
Pretty simple, make money or spend more on him?
Nailer
"BTW any one know how to get paint off a brand new hard wood floor?"
Very sharp wood chisel... 1/4"... then 1200 grit wet or dry sandpaper to polish.
Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government."
-- George Washington
Alcohol will pull latex off a freshly urethaned floor with out damaging the urethane.
Been there done that.
Hire a good painter who can prove they carry Workers comp and general liability and don't look back.
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"You cannot work hard enough to make up for a sloppy estimate."
I guess I have a pretty cool floor guy. I told him what happened and today he went over and cleaned the floor for me for nothing.
That wasn't free if you wanna keep him.Troy Sprout
"A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should also have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a status of independence from any who might attempt to abuse them, which would include their own government." -- George Washington