Vent: A customer called my post spacing 'lazy' and I was mad but he had a point

Guy pointed at my 8-foot panels with full overlap and said it looked like I was trying to save on lumber... turns out he was a retired carpenter who showed me how alternating the overlap pattern adds strength. Now I'm redoing 120 feet of fence this weekend because I can't unsee it. Anyone else had a homeowner teach you something that actually made your work better?

2 comments

2 Comments

cooper.nathan29d ago

Old foreman caught me ripping out a wall once. Showed me how I had the studs facing the wrong way for nailing drywall. Spent the whole weekend flipping them around. But man, that lesson stuck. Still use that trick every time I frame a room.

claire95829d ago

Oh man, that's a rough way to learn but honestly those are the lessons that stick with you forever. @cooper.nathan I gotta say though, I think you might be mixing up the important part a little. It's not really about the studs facing the wrong way for nailing drywall, it's more about making sure your framing is square and plumb so everything lines up later on. The drywall nails will still hold if the stud is a bit crooked, but it'll make your life a nightmare when you start taping and mudding. I've seen guys chase that same thing where they think flipping studs is the magic trick, but really it's just a good foreman teaching you the basics that save time in the long run.

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