I would not be happy with that. Not sure if pic 2 is a gap they created but why all the caulk? Yikes!

were those old moldings that they painted? or brand new?

those gaps. did she have new floors put int w/the old molding? or did they cut the molding to go over the floors?

if the latter, on that one pic, it's too short and they filled w/caulk.

yes it's a poorly done job.

Nail holes should be filled w/wood filler (I use the white one) then sanded, then primed, fine sand to remove all dust, then paint.

looks like they just wiped the caulk over the hole w/their fingers, didn't even bother to wipe away excess, and painted right over it.

That's why you have all the gunk and debris under the paint.

Lazy. they're lazy.

take a pic from further back so we get some context

Completely agree w you guys. But it helps to have others agree so I can show her it’s just not acceptable. Thank you all. I welcome more critiques as that would help her understand lol.

Beth...everything is new. The flooring and the casing.

Jackowskib...I told them to fix the gap and this was their solution. I thought they’d redo the casing or at least cut a piece that could fit there or something

Are those really new door casings?

Bry911...yes

Oh Lordy if it’s new don’t pay another cent until it’s properly finished. Needs to be sanded and done right. None of the caulk should be bleeding onto the floor. Re-do trim so it meets floor properly. Caulk is not the answer. Sorry for these troubles.

Jackowskib...agreed

Who painted them?

Bry911...this was done by a contractor we hired in SF

Well you have roller marks on the casings, so whoever painted them obviously didn't care about a doing great job.

Bry911...agreed.

those are brand new casings? wow.

wouldn't pay for their mistakes.

they need to be recut so they don't HAVE to fill it in w/caulking! WTH?

all of this is unacceptable, lazy, and just crappy work. please tell them I said this.

They should NOT use caulk to fill nail holes.

That's why they have wood filler. it comes in white. I do all my moldings with it. after filling the holes, you MUST sand it smooth and flush, wipe off all residue, give a quick spray w/a white primer (I use the spray can, it's easier. if you don't, you'll get 'flashing' through the paint) go over again w/a 320 grit, wipe down w/damp cloth and brush to remove all bits of dust, then paint.

(Now you know why they didn't do any of this. it's work. )

Show them my comment. If they dispute what I"m saying, they aren't worth a nickel and have no pride in their workmanship.

What I posted is THE proper way to finish off moldings.

https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/how-to-prepare-wood-trim-for-a-smooth-paint-job/

https://toolsgr.com/filling-nail-holes-in-prefinished-white-trim/

Thank you so much Beth. I will definitely show them your comment. Anyways now my mom has told me she paid for the work today when I wasn’t there even though I told her not to. I don’t know how to help her now...should I help her hire someone else to fix these things or what do you think I should do?

Also Beth, to be fair, they did fill some of the nail holes but idk with what. Could be wood filler but I’m not sure

she's paid in full??? (in cash or check?

(it's not wood filler. I can see the caulk smear) see the red arrows in the pic I attached above? it's caulk.

call them yourself and tell them you're upset that they took advange of your poor mother.

ask the boss to come out and show him all of the errors you want fixed.

Tell them you're prepared to go to town on the yelp section if this isn't fixed.

They probably won't come back since there is no incentive.

what's w/your mom? she doesn't care?

this is shady af. they cut it too short, and rather than fix the mistake, they used an inch of caulk??

you ask who ever is in charge if they think someone that is hired to do a job should be paid for their mistakes, especially when it looks absolutely crappy as this one ^

Ask the guy if he would accept this level of work in his own home, and pay someone for it.

The moron who did this didn't even bother smoothing the caulk, OR making it flush and level w/the molding. it's recessed inward, and is bumpy and rough. Just complete unsat work.

post this pic w/your review.

BTW, here is how the job is supposed to look

Beth, my mom thinks I’m being difficult and obsessive 🙄. Ok I will definitely show him this thread and tell him I don't want to accept this. I already brought this up with him in person and I said I was not ok with it and he said “it’s never going to be perfect, this is acceptable work.” So I wasn't sure.

Acceptable?? what an arrogant piece of work. He knows his work is crappola and is being defensive. the guy has no sense of pride. obviously.

Ask that buffoon if he thinks he should pay for 'acceptable' work if his car is painted in the same manner.

or maybe from his doctor for cancer treatment? or stiches across his face? acceptable?

Ask him why he thinks acceptable is what he settles for, or what his paying customers should settle for. No one is asking for perfect. Tell him you'd accept 'good'.

His are not acceptable. unless they''re free.

show your mom the last 3 pics I posted and show her what actual craftsmanship looks like. it isn't difficult.

I do my own molding and casings and you cant see one nail hole or caulk gloop.

I agree with all the others, that is a horrible job. I cant believe she actually paid them. Thats very sad.

Ok I’ve sent him a respectful text. I told him that in fact the work is not acceptable and that we would need the money to pay the next contractor to fix the work. Will let you all know how it goes.

send him a link to this post. Ask him to read what actual Pro's have written about his work and his lack of integrity.

send him these two pics and ask what he would rather have in his home. seriously. send him an email w/these pictures side by side and ask him if thinks 'acceptable' is just code for "I don't give a rats butt, this is what you get because I'm too lazy to do a good job". And yes, tell Him it's from me.

BTW, are his mitered corners this good looking or did he settle for 'acceptable' there too?

It is really shameful the way the elderly are taken advantage of.

I sure hope they didn't talk your mother into all sorts of other unnecesaary repairs or extended service contracts or replacing perfectly functioning things like furnaces, HVAC units, etc.

Is it time to think about your mother's global intellectual functioning and ability to handle her finances and if she is a target for financial monkey business?

If that was my mom, id be pissed too. Its about a quick buck (definitely overpriced) for this guy. good luck

Thank you Beth. The mitered edges are actually very good. Almost all look like the photo you’ve sent. One or two might not be absolutely perfect, but the walls were crooked and we did not want to redo them (they were originally built many years ago by previous owner). But they look pretty darn good actually! Just concerned about the things I originally showed plus this one more thing I noticed just now. This cut needs to be fixed lol. Right?

Don’t worry loobab and M Riz. I actually made all the architectural drawings myself and dealt with what needed to brought up to code myself. I have a masters degree in interior architecture so I was able to help her with that part :) but this is basically my first project out of school so not a pro at the actual construction part yet!! Thanks for your help you guys. I really appreciate it a lot

Nice job. I guess next time you’ll do the hiring.

Oh my word! My husband redid all our base moldings after watching videos and how -tos. He had never done it before or crown or anything like that. His work is 100 times better than what you paid for! As if your first pics weren’t bad enough, the last one made me gasp out loud.

Rtpaige03...which one? The one I posted in the discussion (the mitered edge) or the last one from the original question?

oh JD, that last picture is just awful. I have no idea what they were trying to accomplish.

Did Helen Keller do the finishing work? good lord! To think that some worker would actually think that is acceptable work is just frightening.

I would love to hear what the new people you hire to come and fix this think!

Beth hahaha...I’m not sure. Some people just don’t see details I guess. Honestly that’s everything that needs to be fixed. Everything else is beautiful. I made them fix many things along the way before too. I will let you all know what happens and show you how it’s fixed. Thank you so much :)

An update: now he claims he will fix it and won’t compensate me to hire someone else (shown in the photo below). He also claims he will only fix the nail holes and the two areas there are huge lines of caulking. I’ll include photos of the stuff he will NOT fix. I’m going to have to hire someone else to fix his mistakes. I’m so angry.

Also patchy paint job in closet won’t get fixed, but that’s the least of my worries.

Actually Beth H, Helen Keller probably had an excellent sense of touch and was very intelligent and responsible and would have done a better job!

well she couldn't have done a worse job!

Why in the world did you say, "Fine. When?"

If that is not what you wanted then you shouldn't have agreed to a settlement.

bry911- I think the mom already paid in full.

@loobab - Why does that matter?

WIth some service providers, once they are paid, they feel like "Who cares?"

It's wrong of course.

@loobab - When someone is paid and how they feel about it has little to do with accepting a settlement. The OP could have gotten someone to fix the problems and then filed a case in small claims court for recovery. Or sent a demand letter and negotiated a partial return. However, the contractor offered a settlement of "fixing the casing and finishing the nail holes. Not anything else." Since the OP has now accepted that, then they really have no other recourse.

Bry911 what you didn’t see or hear was all the arguments I had w him about fixing other stuff. He wasn’t going to change his answer and I was about ready to come to his office and loose it. You have no idea how angry I am and how many things I’ve gotten him to agree to...he didn’t already agree to the nail holes etc that was because I kept bugging him. I did a damn good job don’t pick apart my texts saying what I should’ve done and all that crap. And my boyfriend is a real estate lawyer and does not think small claims court would have worked out very well for various reasons.

Maybe I don't understand, but I think the customer here is the mother, and she paid and doesn't want to make a to-do about all this.

I don't know if the the OP has standing for the legal remedies you are describing.

Although I appreciate what you say as a teaching point for if and when the rest of us get into these pickles ourselves.

That's why I pay by credit card, so I can cancel the payment when I am not satisfied with things.

But I hate to think what will happen when I get older.

That is, even older than I already am.

I did have some work done a million years ago, it was done by a finish carpenter, and it was just gorgeous. But he actually went to college to study his craft.

I don't know if the the OP has standing for the legal remedies you are describing.

The OP is the son and likely has some agency at this point. I understand that the mother doesn't want to make a bid deal out of it, but the trim paint work is terrible and in my opinion it is always wise to leave your options open.

In the end, if the solution isn't acceptable you should always find some way to move the project along without confirming it as acceptable. "Hopefully it will look OK when you finish," will get the same results.

Bry911 I’m the daughter although that’s not really important