Thanks, That seems the easiest to me too and I am fine with that. I'll ask for them to do it.

If that wasnt stipulated in the contract, they may upcharge for new caulking.

installing quarter rounds will definitely be an upcharge.

Installing quarter rounds would definitely be an upcharge. Threatening with a bad review unless they do what you want is kind of extortionate and could get you into legal trouble with law enforcement never mind a lawsuit.

changing caulk isnt a big deal, i would do it with no upcharge unless i knew deep down that the customer was taking advantage.

If you had definitely let them know ahead of time about the painting, then they should really take care of this one way or the other for no charge. The caveat of course would be that the method of addressing is really up to them, whether that be removing the caulk, adding stops, using a special primer/paint that WILL stick, etc... My suggestion to approach the situation would be to let them know what happened, and let them suggest a remedy... Its kind of a dumb mistake really. I always use a paintable caulk on the interior because you never know when someone may want to paint down the road whether they specifically request it or not.

Master To put in an honest review that says they used unpaintable caulk when I let them know I would be painting trim is not extortion. It is honest. I would not do a one star ridiculous review, just that I was dissatisfied and whether it was remedied or not.

It's not threatening, it is letting them know I will be unhappy with that part of the work. It is fair warning. They knew upfront that I checked other reviews, so it only stands to reason I would put a review good or bad once work is done. Almost every review I ever offer is excellent. I tend to give really great reviews when I'm happy.

My only comment on that would be to withhold judgement until they address it for better or worse. How a company handles adversity is more of a test than when everything goes right IMO.

The just called and will recaulk. Owner very nice about it, no issues. :)

That's great news.Silicone or an unpaintable caulk should have not been used there. I would not use it on the outside either.

Good to hear they are going to fix it. Stuff does go wrong from time to time and how you handle it is where the real professionals shine.

Man, I don't know if the method to fix is always up to them. For example, caulking over that caulk isn't a fix because it's not going to stick long term. Also, when a contractor uses the wrong caulk, I think it makes perfect sense for the customer to question if the contractor knows what he is doing. If you are in the biz, you should know which caulk is paintable and which isn't shouldn't you?

Agreed...you should. I think that they need to cut that caulking loose and lay down a new bead. It should peel back pretty easily given the newness of that sealant.

@ paintguy, I'd agree that the mistake should not have been made, however, everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Maybe there was a new guy on the crew that was trying to be ambitious but used the wrong caulk, who knows. That said, unless specified contractually, the methods used to achieve the final product as advertised and paid for are at the discretion of the contractor, provided that they do not step outside the boundaries of industry standard practices. I'd strongly agree that some discussion between contractor and homeowner would be advisable here to determine to pros and cons of each approach, however most times the contractor does have the "right to cure" at his or her discretion when it comes to methods... The best case scenario of course is when both the contractor and homeowner agree on the best solution to fix an issue, which in my experience actually happens more often than not when dealing with a reputable company.... Now if you paid this guy cash under the table and he was pounding PBR's while he installed your windows on a Sunday, that all goes out the window!

But did they pay cash upfront or at time of installation?

I'm not going to leave the fix up to the contractor if they have demonstrated through using the wrong materials that they don't know what they are doing. I think they forfeit their 'right to cure' after they screw up. I know some customers will take the 'you screwed it up, you fix it' approach and that is fine, but again if the contractor has demonstrated that he's not aware of the correct industry standards, then a customer certainly has the right to say 'you're an idiot, I'm going on Google to determine the correct way to caulk a window'. I realize this is a minor issue, but what if this was a 50 window job? What if we leave the fix up to the contractor and he sprays some BIN on the caulk, gets it to stick for 6 months and then that paint starts lifting away everywhere?

I agree with ya paintguy, don't think you need to google if one should use silicone on the painted interior trim though. Maybe if the woodwork is stained and right against the window with a thin proper looking bead. I do not like silicone on the exterior either and would use in only special circumstances. The last sub I that used clear silicone on the exterior was last time that I used him.

Todd is on a joking streak folks. Must be cold up North.

No reason that the caulking can't be removed in most scenarios and especially given the proximity to the installation.

While the error is not the best indication of installer skill, you have to give him (the installation company) the opportunity to correct their mistake.

I can't speak for the rest of contractors here, but I know that I have made a mistake from time to time.

I guess my position comes from being a painter forever and being aware that contractors in general (even the good ones) don't know squat about caulk or primers. Most of them think Alex Plus is the good stuff. So, asking a contractor to fix this when he is coming from that foundation might be a mistake.

Paintguy, not trying to be argumentative, but I'm not sure that you are understanding the "right to cure". You would need to screw something up in order for a cure to be necessary, no? ... I'll just reiterate that the best case for all is open dialog between contractor and homeowner to address any issues. I was merely pointing out the actual legalities of the situation for reference.... Regarding caulk choices, I don't think anyone using Alex plus would be around for long, lol. My biggest challenge is making sure that they don't try and use quad on the interior.