Fixing construction disaster

10 years ago

I hired a sub contractor to do my hardwood stairs, and he did a terrible job, essentially making my stairs a hodgepodge of pieces to make up single planks, and leaving small gaps between the end of a step and the wall.

His suggestion for fixing the gap between the all and the edge of the step is to put on a Skim coat. The gaps on most of the stairs are no more than a few mm.

Is this a decent solution, or his he just cutting corners?

Featured Answer

Sue m

10 years ago

I would add a base to cover the gaps at perimeter walls. In all honesty, floor material will likely expand and contract slightly, and bases do serve a function. Wood or rubber base works.

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Comments (10)

Darzy
10 years ago
Show us a photo to help.
Corey Marsh
Original Author
10 years ago
It's tough to see the gap, but there is one. In the second picture, you can see he tried to fill a gap by using some small strip of wood. It literally looks like a strip of wood paper, and can be pulled up with little effort.
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Darzy
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Not acceptable! Shoddy work. There shouldn't be that much of a gap. Even if the stairs are not "square" a quality carpenter will take notice and cut properly.
Sue m
10 years ago
So you have 2 choices. 1) Tell the contractor to come back, rip up the stair planks, cut a correct template and redo his job. 2) tell the Contractor to cut a quarter round of the same material and install it at the wall intersection.
This is why flooring contractors also install base materials. It's not to make the room look pretty, it's to cover floor gaps. Typical for all wood, VCT and carpet floors.
PRO
Brickwood Builders, Inc.
10 years ago
What is the wall material? How uneven is it? It looks like painted brick. Not sure i have seen anything quite like this on an interior staircase.
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
The job isn't finished without base molding. Which will cover those gaps.
Jillian - Interior design student
10 years ago
Skirt board. Carefully matched caulk. 1/4 round for the top and/or bottom of the staircase, but it is typically not done along the sides on each step.
mom3333
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Imo, he's cutting corners or maybe is incompetent and doesn't even realize how it should look.

Thank you for posting this photo, at this time. At this very moment, my husband is working on our hardwood stairway. He has NEVER done this except the stairs to our basement. We talked about it and decided that he has the ability to think things through, he's done some other woodwork on this house that shows he does have the ability, and as long as it's safe and within code, we'll live with it.

In fact, several times I have commented that at least we're not paying someone else to do it!

He knows enough to notice, and fix mistakes. A few days ago he went for the 2nd time to get lumber for the skirtboard because he made a mistake cutting it the first time.

But, that is not how the conversation, and attitude would be, if we had hired someone to do it. The stairway makes a complete circle going up to the second floor and if MY husband can figure that out, someone who is being paid to do this, should be near perfect.

That's just my opinion.
mom3333
10 years ago
We do have a stairway in the old part of the house, a straight stairway like the photos right above this, unpainted, and there are NO gaps, and no caulk. It's been there 100 years this year.

Again, the person should have told you before he started what his limitations were.