A client in Austin told me to just paint over water stains

I was fixing a big oak table for a guy, maybe three months back. The top had these bad white rings from wet glasses. He stood there and said, 'Just slap a coat of paint on it, it's faster.' I told him that's a bad fix. The moisture is still in the wood, and paint will trap it. You have to sand it down, maybe use oxalic acid, then seal it right. He got a bit mad, said I was trying to run up the bill. I did it my way, and when he saw the table with the grain clear and the stains gone, he shut up. But it stuck with me how many people think a finish is just a cover-up, not part of the repair. Has anyone else had to talk a client out of a quick, bad fix?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessalewis26d ago

Ever tried to paint over a sneeze?

simonp4722d ago

Yeah, and then you try to fix it and just end up with this weird, muddy patch where the colors went all wrong. It's like the ghost of the sneeze is haunting the painting forever. I had one that looked fine until it dried, then it was just this sad, crusty little island in the middle of a sky. Learned to just step away and let it dry completely before even trying to save it.

the_tyler26d agoTop Commenter

Ugh, it always leaves a weird bumpy texture. Ruined a whole canvas that way once.