# Dumbest thing an employee (or u) have done on a job



## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

It is time to spill. And none of this "dog/cat/ocelot ran through/knocked over gallons of oil paint on a persian rug" or whatever myth we've all heard :jester:

I'll start. It was me. A long time ago. Ahem. 100 degree day, 6:15, brain dead. 5'er of super white trim paint got knocked over on one day old pristine driveway, on a $85,000 job that already had some serious hiccups. 

It was towards the end of the drive, so I'm blasting it with a hose (instead of scooping it up first) and this pile of paint just goes onto the road, down the hill, with 4 guys brooming it down towards a storm drain that went straight to ocean(I know) with "No Dumping" stenciled on it. And The Old Neighbor Lady staring at us from her porch. With phone in hand.

I walked up to her literally with hat in hand, and explained what had happened in detail. She was wavering. She saw how shattered we all were from working in direct sun all day. She just put the phone down, and said "make sure you get all the paint off all those car tires" and shook her head.

Later I found out it was a $3000 fine.


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## MSJ Painting (Jan 27, 2013)

My first painting boss and I were painting Jack and Jill bedrooms. I was painting my room in neon pink, and he was using neon yellow. He must have gotten on me 50 times to "Be REALLY careful," because if I dropped any of that pink paint on the carpet, there was no way we would ever be able to get it out. So...as I was being extremely careful, and half petrified to make any mistakes (still a noob to the painting game at this point), I hear him yelling at me to get over there really fast, and bring water. Seems he had spilled half a gallon of the neon yellow on the carpet moving a drop cloth. We tried for close to an hour to get the paint out (he even went to meijer and bought a little green machine to try and clean the area that way.). Long story short, he never got the stain out. His attempt to move the bed to cover the stain worked for about 3 days. I was in the truck with him when he got the call from the HO. Needless to say, they got new carpet in the yellow room, and we didn't get called back for the exterior trim job that summer  

The pink room went off without a hitch btw:thumbup:


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

I was doing a massive commercial project for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and one of the apprentices was helping me out one day. I was working with 4 different colors, 3 of which were the exact same except for the sheen. I had them all separated rollers, brushes all organized. Once we finished the third area of the day he put ALL the the rollers together (eggshell, semi gloss, and intumescent, as well ass the brushes. I freaked out at him and told him to go rinse them all out (no running water on site). After he found a fiver with water (really old nasty stuff) he started rinsing everything out...then he knocked over the fiver on unsealed finished concrete. I think he went through almost 2 bags of rags

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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

MSJ Painting said:


> My first painting boss and I were painting Jack and Jill bedrooms. I was painting my room in neon pink, and he was using neon yellow. He must have gotten on me 50 times to "Be REALLY careful," because if I dropped any of that pink paint on the carpet, there was no way we would ever be able to get it out. So...as I was being extremely careful, and half petrified to make any mistakes (still a noob to the painting game at this point), I hear him yelling at me to get over there really fast, and bring water. Seems he had spilled half a gallon of the neon yellow on the carpet moving a drop cloth. We tried for close to an hour to get the paint out (he even went to meijer and bought a little green machine to try and clean the area that way.). Long story short, he never got the stain out. His attempt to move the bed to cover the stain worked for about 3 days. I was in the truck with him when he got the call from the HO. Needless to say, they got new carpet in the yellow room, and we didn't get called back for the exterior trim job that summer
> 
> The pink room went off without a hitch btw:thumbup:


He moved a bed to try and cover a spilled paint stain? 

Very professional.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

I remember when I was a first year apprentice (second day on the job) one of the guys showed me an easy way carry fivers (on your shoulder). So after bringing 3 or 4 loads up 3 flights of stairs I get to the fivers are are still almost full of paint, but open. So I grab one and keep it upright on my shoulder well I think it was on the second trip, I....tripped, and soiled about half a fiver on polished concrete stairs. Never did quite get all the paint out, but better than just leaving it

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## BuckeyePainter (Feb 14, 2014)

I have one. A guy I was working with was putting 5's in the back of my truck and I guess the lid wasn't closed on all the way and he spilled half a 5 onto a recently repaved parking lot. I come out from the apt and he's done stripped off his clothes, except for his boxers, trying to get the paint off my truck. I was like "Dude, don't worry about my truck! Get the paint off the  driveway before the boss gets back!" After an hour of scrubbing with brushes, we hooked up a hose, washed it down the drain and got it cleaned up on time. Whew!


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## oldccm (Jan 23, 2013)

journeymanPainter said:


> I was doing a massive commercial project for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and one of the apprentices was helping me out one day. I was working with 4 different colors, 3 of which were the exact same except for the sheen. I had them all separated rollers, brushes all organized. Once we finished the third area of the day he put ALL the the rollers together (eggshell, semi gloss, and intumescent, as well ass the brushes. I freaked out at him and told him to go rinse them all out (no running water on site). After he found a fiver with water (really old nasty stuff) he started rinsing everything out...then he knocked over the fiver on unsealed finished concrete. I think he went through almost 2 bags of rags
> 
> Sent from my SGH-T989D using Tapatalk


If that's the worst employee you have you are LIGHTYEARS ahead of most outfits. I've seen so many things I wouldn't know where to start.


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## MSJ Painting (Jan 27, 2013)

RH said:


> He moved a bed to try and cover a spilled paint stain?
> 
> Very professional.


I believe the op was dumbest thing ever. I would completely agree that this is unacceptable. He was the boss...now I am my own boss...would never fly in my company. 

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## Gymschu (Mar 11, 2011)

My dad, who taught me the trade, once spilled a gallon from a 3 tiered scaffold.

Not too bad? This was in a library and for some reason he hadn't covered the bookshelves below him. Total disaster. Books ruined. He stayed up all night trying to get the paint off the books but it just wasn't gonna happen.


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## Grateful_Monk (Jul 17, 2012)

We had draped our drop cloths over a hand rail out on the deck to dry them after removing wallpaper. A few hours later I had noticed out the window thick black smoke billowing out from under the deck. I ran out to find one of the drop cloths down on the ground fully engulfed in flames. The whole street was filled with smoke.

Apparently the wind had blown one of the drop cloths off the deck. My guy was going out periodically to smoke. He was flicking his hots over the handrail and unknowingly onto the drop cloth below and caught it on fire. It was nothing but ashes by the time we put it out. 

Pretty freaky considering you couldn't intentionally light a drop cloth on fire with a cigarette to save your life.

Luckily the house we were painting was vacant.


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## kmp (Jan 30, 2011)

Similar thing happened with two of my guys smoking in the basket of a lift.Had the drop on a metal roof below the basket and caught the drop on fire but no damage. They had to buy me new drops. You can't fix stupid but you can make them pay for it.


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## the paintman (Feb 3, 2012)

I have soooo many from 30 yrs in this business. But This one cracks me up everytime i think of it. Even though at the time i was spitting nails. So first i wanna thank you for making me laugh about it again.

About 15 years ago a good painter i had working for me convinced me to give this kid he knew a chance against my better judgement. I rarely give teenage total greenies a chance. But we worry busy so wth. About two weeks later we were painting a lakeside house in a neighborhood I had been making the circuit in for about 3 years. On and off. 
We were working for Air Force figter pilot. And towards the tail end of the job we were down on his dock looking at the lake. And the noob had just got his first cell phone. State of the art. Paid a bunch. And his flipping it on and off and PLUNK! YEP in the lake it went. Me and the other guys laughed so hard. He only had it two days. He was about to cry real tears and said, " I wonder if it will still work." We encouraged him it would and chided him on till he dove in 8 feet deep of ice cold water to retreive it. 
Now we are busting a gut. The homowner feels bad we are razing him so bad. So I leave because we got another job just up the street. And get a phone call about 30 minutes later. The lead man tells me . "Yeah the HO felt so bad he offered him to go take a hot shower and dry off in the house." I said, " he didn't right?" And he says, " OHH Yeah he did. But that aint the worst. He is in thier sitting on the HO couch right now IN THE HO WHITE ROBE." You got to be kidding me right. I was irate and fired him on the phone. Went to talk to the HO immediatly. Believe it or not the HO was cool with the whole thing. HE was a 30 something guy and probably thought we were being unfair to the kid. IDK. Knowing the guy he probably pull pranks 10 times worse in college. 

BTW Of course the s4 active was not invented yet. The phone did not work.

The Paintman


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## PatsPainting (Mar 4, 2010)

the paintman said:


> I have soooo many from 30 yrs in this business. But This one cracks me up everytime i think of it. Even though at the time i was spitting nails. So first i wanna thank you for making me laugh about it again.
> 
> About 15 years ago a good painter i had working for me convinced me to give this kid he knew a chance against my better judgement. I rarely give teenage total greenies a chance. But we worry busy so wth. About two weeks later we were painting a lakeside house in a neighborhood I had been making the circuit in for about 3 years. On and off.
> We were working for Air Force figter pilot. And towards the tail end of the job we were down on his dock looking at the lake. And the noob had just got his first cell phone. State of the art. Paid a bunch. And his flipping it on and off and PLUNK! YEP in the lake it went. Me and the other guys laughed so hard. He only had it two days. He was about to cry real tears and said, " I wonder if it will still work." We encouraged him it would and chided him on till he dove in 8 feet deep of ice cold water to retreive it.
> ...



I dunno why you fired him, sounded like you guys were diks laughing at the guy. Imagine if you bought a new $5000.00 sprayer and you plugged it in a dimer socket and the motor burnt out. The guy next to you started laughing at you, I would bet you would not be happy.


Pat


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

First thing in the morning, the HO gave me the cans of stain for the floors in two rooms. Pine floors. 

Dark walnut & colonial maple.

Got a call that night that the wrong colors were on the wrong floors. 

Going darker on the maple was not so bad. Do you know how far you have to sand pine to remove dark walnut? 

It's never been proved conclusively who mixed up the cans.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

I painted a galvanized car port ceiling without etching it first. The car port had been there for 30+ years and I though any release agent would be long gone. I did know at the time to use vinegar, just didn't do it this time. 

Couple days later the little old lady that lived there called, there were sheets of paint all over her car. 

My apprentice had a bad string of f-ups these past few months. Painted two bathrooms the wrong color one week, poured semi in with the matte while rolling walls the next week, then painted some walls that were supposed to get primed first..


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## Susan (Nov 29, 2011)

I continued to show up after my pay was late. 


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## MSJ Painting (Jan 27, 2013)

Csheils said:


> I continued to show up after my pay was late.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using PaintTalk.com


Winner!!!!!

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## Gymschu (Mar 11, 2011)

I had a knucklehead of a kid working for me for a summer or two. He was always doing something wrong such as leaving brushes out in the sun for hours at a time and wondering why they had hardened to a rock-like consistency. He just had no clue. Anyway, we were working on a very nice home out in the country and he is on one side of the house, me on the other, both of us painting soffit. I hear a blood curdling scream and assume he's just screwing around again. He screams again and I run to the other side of the house. I find him cowering in fear and yelling, "Snake, snake, snaaaaaakkkkkeeee!" I look all over the ground and do not see a snake. He points up to the soffit where one of the biggest snakes I have ever seen is hanging by its' tail from a ledge between the soffit and the brick of the house. How it ever got there I don't know, but, as I returned to the other side of the house, I chuckled with satisfaction knowing the li'l prick got his comeuppance.


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## ProWallGuy (Apr 7, 2007)

I caught a bed on fire, in the master bedroom. True story.


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

ProWallGuy said:


> I caught a bed on fire, in the master bedroom. True story.


Quit bragging.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

I have nothing.

I read every pertinent thread on painttalk before I started...


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## mv8710 (Jul 28, 2010)

we were painting a soffit one day and we got paint spots ALL over someone's nice brand new cobalt blue car. The boss turns up and freaks out, they spend half an hour cleaning it off and JUST get it finished and are throwing a cover sheet over the car and the lady walks out and says "Oh what nice boys you are covering my car so you don't get any paint on it"


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

mv8710 said:


> we were painting a soffit one day and we got paint spots ALL over someone's nice brand new cobalt blue car. The boss turns up and freaks out, they spend half an hour cleaning it off and JUST get it finished and are throwing a cover sheet over the car and the lady walks out and says "Oh what nice boys you are covering my car so you don't get any paint on it"



Probably landed work for the level of professionalism by taking the extra steps to prevent overspray! 


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## harmonicarocks (Nov 29, 2013)

Was painting exterior soffit with oil primer on a fairly windy day when I noticed white specs all over the neighbors black truck. I mixed up a bucket of soapy water and my partner and I were washing the truck when the neighbor pulls up in another vehicle. He didn't seem phased at all that we were washing his truck. I told him what happened and figured I would be turning in an insurance claim, but he said, "It needed a new paint job anyway."
That's what you call catching a break.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

TJ Paint said:


> I have nothing.
> 
> I read every pertinent thread on painttalk before I started...


I was late joining PT, so I've done some pretty stupid things over the past 30+ years. :yes:


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## Paintersenterprise (Mar 13, 2011)

One of the best stories that i have heard was from my Cousin who was working for a company here in town. He was painting a room red and he knocked over the paint on the carpet. Homeowner wasn't home so he grabbed their cat and put red paw prints going from the paint. When the homeowner came home, he blamed it all on the cat that it had knocked it over. Got away with it. I would never hire my cousin.

I also had a contractor doing a job for me on a site with huge walls in the livingroom. The contractor we were working for had a set of Baker Scaffolding there. The guy thought it would be a good idea to set a extension ladder on top to reach the high peak. He talked with the contractor - he said no way. He asked my main manager if it would be ok - he said absolutely not. So the guy goes for dinner and has a couple drinks. Comes back to the site (unknown to us and the contractor) starts to put a board across the one side of the scaffolding so that the ladder doesn't slide off. While doing this, the home owner comes from the other part of the house and says no way. But he continues to do it. Gets the ladder up there (has the scaffolding parallel with the wall), doesn't lock the wheels. As soon as he starts climbing up the ladder the scaffold starts sliding back and tips over. He falls straight down about 24 ft. Shatters both his ankles. Bone sticking out and everything.

So he drinks, come back to work to try and sneak and get away with this, told three times not to do it and who pays for it all ----- me. Love business and WCB for that matter.

Hope you enjoy the stories.


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## PaintPerfect (Sep 19, 2013)

Brand new house, lots of angled, awkward to reach soffits...boss painting on porch roof, painter climbs up long roof above him, paint in hand, no drop, no ladder, he just goes for it. Boss says, hey why don't you bring a drop and hang a ladder section up there, painter says why don't you shut the hell up...gets about halfway up, and within about a minute I hear bump bump bump, and he comes rolling and sliding down off that roof, lands in a heap of spilled paint right next to the boss...roof is toast. Boss nearly dies laughing...good times...!


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## RH (Sep 7, 2010)

Paintersenterprise said:


> One of the best stories that i have heard was from my Cousin who was working for a company here in town. He was painting a room red and he knocked over the paint on the carpet. Homeowner wasn't home so he grabbed their cat and put red paw prints going from the paint. When the homeowner came home, he blamed it all on the cat that it had knocked it over. Got away with it. I would never hire my cousin.
> 
> I also had a contractor doing a job for me on a site with huge walls in the livingroom. The contractor we were working for had a set of Baker Scaffolding there. The guy thought it would be a good idea to set a extension ladder on top to reach the high peak. He talked with the contractor - he said no way. He asked my main manager if it would be ok - he said absolutely not. So the guy goes for dinner and has a couple drinks. Comes back to the site (unknown to us and the contractor) starts to put a board across the one side of the scaffolding so that the ladder doesn't slide off. While doing this, the home owner comes from the other part of the house and says no way. But he continues to do it. Gets the ladder up there (has the scaffolding parallel with the wall), doesn't lock the wheels. As soon as he starts climbing up the ladder the scaffold starts sliding back and tips over. He falls straight down about 24 ft. Shatters both his ankles. Bone sticking out and everything.
> 
> ...


It's interesting that no one has ever admitted to pulling the spilled paint/cat stunt themselves - it's always one they've heard about. Variations are blaming it on a dog and even a toddler. Not saying it's never happened, just that it's a well circulated story.

Dumbest thing I've personnaly seen is a guy taking some ones out to be loaded in the cab of the truck and setting them down while loading some other stuff in the back. He leaves and gets a call 15 minutes later from the paint store telling him the ones are still sitting in the parking lot. What an idiot... :whistling2: :blush:


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## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

Aw man, I just remembered this one- One day after finishing 2 part water borne epoxy showroom floor, I put my coffee down in center of floor. Forgot about it, cleaned it up. 

An hour later, huge 1' by 3' dark stain in center of floor. Rep could not explain it. It was winter, so I think the stuff froze and thawed. Stain would not come out. Showroom need to be ready for use next day. Touching up that stuff is not like touching up a wall. Took 3 coats. What a PITA.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Never saw this happen only heard the stories from my dad. A company I worked for when I first started Painting did an epoxy floor at a car plant. It was a 2 part(1 part A, 2 parts B). They had an old Italian guy do it (btw one of the best painters I've ever worked with/for), at the end of the night he calls the shop super saying he ordered to much B. 30 mins later shop super and my dad at there, all 3 rolling the second component on (epoxy is still wet), 30 mins after that the epoxy cures. Forklift drives over freshly painted floor rolls up the epoxy. My dad looks at the plant super and says 'well, I guess were gonna have to scrape this all up'. Plant super responds with 'get the [email protected]#$ outta here'. 

They redid the floor the next night

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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

This happened today, and I hope to someday be able to laugh about it. 

We started a small bank job today & it's a brush and roll of the exterior ceiling of the four lane drive through. We get there and I walk the guys through the job as usual, noting that's it's fairly windy day. We are working off of step ladders so I'm ok with safety. Had it been extension ladder work I'd more than likely would have shut the job down. 

So I get them going as quick and efficiently as I can, as I need to get to my wallpaper job in progress that's an hour drive away. And the LAST thing I said was to make sure NO paint carried with the wind. I told them that the first priority was insuring the safety of any bank customers, then the bank property from paint spills or flying drips. 

I drive the hour to my paper job and get there at 10:00AM. 10:05 I get the call. "Paul, a step ladder blew over and the cut pot hanging from it went flying".  So after talking a bit I assess that I need to pick up the power washer and head over. I apologize profusely to the wallpaper HO and leave. 

So I get the power washer, get to the bank and OMG! If you ever were to drop a small explosive devise in a gallon of paint and set it off, this is what it would have looked like. All three of them had already spent an hour cleaning the center of the spill before I got there, but the outer blast area carried about 60'! What a freaking mess! 

I find the water spigot, but it's one of those stupid ones you need the special key to turn on. Great, no water. I then do a quick web search and find the closest Home Depot that's five miles away. Go get the thing-a-ma-bob and get back again. It's now 1:00PM and I can finally start. Set up the big Mi-T-M power washer, and realize I forgot the wand, FML! _BUT_ I had thought ahead and also brought my smaller home owner power washer and ended up having to use that one. 

Finished it all up about 4:00. I'm beat and sitting here fuming to myself. But tomorrow's another day, hopefully a better one at that.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

I'm not sure you'll ever be able to find any humor in that. :thumbdown:


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## driftweed (May 26, 2013)

Git a call @ 9 p.m. once from a customer (realtor). Burgler alarm went off & he had to go check it out.

All lights are off except in the bathroom. He goes to check it out & its a painter banging some chick. Wanted to know if he worked for me.

Nope.

At least he let him finish before chasing the poor guy/gal away. He was talking to me on the phone while waiting (they werent quiet)


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> This happened today, and I hope to someday be able to laugh about it.
> 
> We started a small bank job today & it's a brush and roll of the exterior ceiling of the four lane drive through. We get there and I walk the guys through the job as usual, noting that's it's fairly windy day. We are working off of step ladders so I'm ok with safety. Had it been extension ladder work I'd more than likely would have shut the job down.
> 
> ...


I think theres the funniest dumbest things that have been dumb, and then theres this. Im sorry to hear that happened to you. I would have fire coming out of my ears


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> This happened today, and I hope to someday be able to laugh about it.


 No pics?... Hey, you muscled through it, not necessarily funny but something to have pride in.



:cowboy:


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## the paintman (Feb 3, 2012)

I am going back some 25 yrs now. Been doing this trade for over 30. About 5 years into it me and my pops/mentor hooked up with this guy painting new houses. And about every 5th one or so he had one with rough sawn cedar fronts. And I think thats why he got this subdivision, because of the look he acheived on the wood stain was unmatched. To this day I don't know what he did. It was top secret ****. Private formula. Handed down Old timer stuff. He would mix it up secretly in his truck and give it to us to put on. It was some kinda rich reddish oil stain, maybe linseed oil too and looked awesome when done. So it drove me crazy. I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out. Ears and eyes wide open. So I heard him tell someone he saved all his old used motor oil and even got some from his mechanic. :no: 

Well low and behold if i didn't get a HO cedar privacy fence to do on the side. I talked them and myself into this nice natural stain I could do. I had saved some of my oil changes. Got some from "pops" , but still didn't have enough. Pops give me that "your nuts" look, but also knew I was on a mission. So let me go. So I even bought some quarts of some new oil :yes: And mixed up about 15 gals. of my own secret **** for this job. I worked my ass off before I even started. Blood and sweat. Little did I know the tears would came later. Wanted to get this job done. Couldnt wait to see it. 

I guess I was in too big of a hurry and about 4 miles from the job I had to slam on the breaks. Yep!! At least 2 fivers hit the deck and loosly placed lids popped off. I yanked it into a parking lot and oil was dripping out of the back and side door of my van already. LOL!  I confess I opened the doors a let it out. Slick  oil was everywhere. I was cussing the paint gods out loud and clear head in the air **** and fell on my ass. Now i ruined my expensive paint suit. And dripping wet in motor oil. Got up slammed the doors and drove home. Talking to myself the whole way home. I think I tried to murder the steering wheell. I blacked out some time after that. And don't remember how I cleaned my van out . All I know it was a mess I never ever wanted to see again in a lifetime. To this day when i drive by that church parking lot i wonder if they ever discovered oil on thier lot. Yes forgive me Lord! You have to. After all Its Easter season :notworthy: 

The secret fomula is still secret. With my tail between my legs and new tightly sealed store bought stain i did the best I could to make that fence as good as I originally sold it. And IM sure it lasted longer than the stuff I thought was good. I guess it worked out for them and me both. A hard lesson. But a lesson for sure. Pops thougt it was hilarious. By the time I got the gumption to tell him I did too.


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Underdog said:


> No pics?... Hey, you muscled through it, not necessarily funny but something to have pride in.
> 
> 
> 
> :cowboy:


I intentionally did NOT take pics, because I knew I'd put them on here. I have an image to uphold ya know.


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## straight_lines (Oct 17, 2007)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> This happened today, and I hope to someday be able to laugh about it.
> 
> We started a small bank job today & it's a brush and roll of the exterior ceiling of the four lane drive through. We get there and I walk the guys through the job as usual, noting that's it's fairly windy day. We are working off of step ladders so I'm ok with safety. Had it been extension ladder work I'd more than likely would have shut the job down.
> 
> ...


Makes me mad just reading that.


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> I intentionally did NOT take pics, because I knew I'd put them on here. I have an image to uphold ya know.


Man. I can handle mistakes, but thats pure ignorance. I'd be irate.


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Bender said:


> Man. I can handle mistakes, but thats pure ignorance. I'd be irate.



For real. You NEVER leave a bucket on a ladder. 
Well, maybe the guy learned his lesson anyway.


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## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

On a insurance resto for a PITA super wealthy HO's home gym, decent worker decides to prime about 100 linear feet of melamine. I couldn't get an answer out of him why he did it. Ho's were super mad. I offered to just top coat it on my dime, but they were ripped. Barely salvaged job.


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> I intentionally did NOT take pics, because I knew I'd put them on here. I have an image to uphold ya know.


 I meant pictures of the wallpaper job....


:cowboy:


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## fauxlynn (Apr 28, 2011)

Yawn..... at my old job.... girl got fired for sleeping with the clients son on the job at the house we were working in while we were working.... a different girl got canned for swiping an expensive bottle of wine from the client's home, bragged about it to the foreman, who promptly reported her.

Other than that, I spilled some urethane once on a sisal rug, cleaned it up...


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## Gwarel (May 8, 2012)

Schmidt & Co. said:


> This happened today, and I hope to someday be able to laugh about it.
> 
> We started a small bank job today & it's a brush and roll of the exterior ceiling of the four lane drive through. We get there and I walk the guys through the job as usual, noting that's it's fairly windy day. We are working off of step ladders so I'm ok with safety. Had it been extension ladder work I'd more than likely would have shut the job down.
> 
> ...


Wow. If you're like me you get tired of being the guy who constantly has to state the obvious about what seems like little things that anyone should know but needs repeating over and over. It's frustrating. I could write a book on little dumb things that guys do or don't do, and they usually don't turn into a disaster. The reason we have to stay on top of our employees constantly is because sometimes they do turn in to a disaster....and then it's on you.


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Gwarel said:


> Wow. If you're like me you get tired of being the guy who constantly has to state the obvious about what seems like little things that anyone should know but needs repeating over and over. It's frustrating. I could write a book on little dumb things that guys do or don't do, and they usually don't turn into a disaster. The reason we have to stay on top of our employees constantly is because sometimes they do turn in to a disaster....and then it's on you.


That's kind of how I've been feeling the last month. The guy who did it is my lead guy and has been with me since 2000. He's a great guy and painter, but is going though a break-up right now and his heads not all the way there. Rarely ever has a problem with his work, and yesterday's was the worst. I've done the quick math in my head and that was easily $600.00 in lost revenue for me.


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Underdog said:


> I meant pictures of the wallpaper job.... :cowboy:


Got back to the paper job today & put up the liner.


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## Ramsden Painting (Jul 17, 2011)

Anytime an employee says" i'm sorry" I ask how much did it just cost me.


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## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

My old boss had a good line for "I'm sorry" or "It was him not me."

He would just say, "It doesn't matter who's fault it is, it just matters who is going to pay for it."


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

I also love it when the same painter that spilled the paint last week, also lock's himself out of the job at 9:00AM. Paint's all open and the HO wont be home till 7:30PM. 

(Suction from opening the storm door pulled the entry door shut)


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## Bender (Aug 10, 2008)

Yuck. When it rains it pours.
Sounds like he needs an atta boy.


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## Schmidt & Co. (Nov 6, 2008)

Bender said:


> Yuck. When it rains it pours.
> Sounds like he needs an atta boy.


Or a kick in the pants.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

He should be rolling 7's from here on out....give him a raise.


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## Drewker (Mar 3, 2014)

Starting a new company, this thread might just be the most important thing I ever read! Thanks everybody for sharing! :notworthy:


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## Rcon (Nov 19, 2009)

I left my sprayer, paint in line, plugged in, powered on and pressurized overnight. Came back the next morning to find the pump howling and paint all over the pool deck. 

Luckily, we had thrown down plastic sheeting so none of it ended up on the concrete. We also got lucky in that the home owners obviously hadn't noticed either the awful noise that thing was making or the mess it was producing. Could have been doing that all night long for all I know. 

Never left a sprayer pressurized or plugged in after that one. :no:


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

It would have to be a 2-way tie between past employees.
-First guy wouldn't remove the bucket & hook when moving the extension ladder, despite my warnings. We were priming with oil on a new construction house and he only had rocks and dirt below him, so I thought it was a good time for tough-luv. Within 30 minutes, I heard an awful clanking sound, a thud, and a girlish shriek. Came around the corner to find him dripping in Kilz. Sweet justice.

-Second guy went #2 in a 5 gallon bucket in homeowner's garage. Homeowner came home at the exact time when he was, uh, wrapping up.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

stelzerpaintinginc. said:


> It would have to be a 2-way tie between past employees.
> -First guy wouldn't remove the bucket & hook when moving the extension ladder, despite my warnings. We were priming with oil on a new construction house and he only had rocks and dirt below him, so I thought it was a good time for tough-luv. Within 30 minutes, I heard an awful clanking sound, a thud, and a girlish shriek. Came around the corner to find him dripping in Kilz. Sweet justice.
> 
> -*Second guy went #2 in a 5 gallon bucket in homeowner's garage. Homeowner came home at the exact time when he was, uh, wrapping up.*


:laughing::w00t::w00t::clap::clap::clap::tt2::tt2:

Did he get off with a good tongue lashing, or termination?


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## stelzerpaintinginc. (May 9, 2012)

paintball head said:


> :laughing::w00t::w00t::clap::clap::clap::tt2::tt2:
> 
> Did he get off with a good tongue lashing, or termination?


I didn't fire him. I figured the embarrassment he suffered from having the garage door open while he was...filling out his paperwork...was far worse punishment than having to look for a new job.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

I really don't know of any employees(or peers) I've worked with that actually did anything dumb. As a matter of fact, they've always been pretty good guys with good work ethics. However, I do know a couple of struggling painting contractors that had opportunities to secure civil service jobs with amazing benefit and wage packages, but chose to bet on that phony housing economy that eventually went belly up. Boy, they sure were living the life with big jobs, big trucks, and big crews of illegal aliens. I guess they thought the gravy train didn't have a final destination. Now that's dumb.


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## wje (Apr 11, 2009)

CApainter said:


> I really don't know of any employees(or peers) I've worked with that actually did anything dumb. As a matter of fact, they've always been pretty good guys with good work ethics. However, I do know a couple of struggling painting contractors that had opportunities to secure civil service jobs with amazing benefit and wage packages, but chose to bet on that phony housing economy that eventually went belly up. Boy, they sure were living the life with big jobs, big trucks, and big crews of illegal aliens. I guess they thought the gravy train didn't have a final destination. Now that's dumb.


Most gravy trains end up crashing, and it's almost always a wet mess when they do.


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## kdpaint (Aug 14, 2010)

My old boss was renovating a church built in the early 1800s. I was not there at this job, but someone was sneaking butts in the basement. They went to lunch down the street and heard sirens. Flames were shooting out the windows. The church was saved from total destruction because it was a block from a fire station.

The week before, the same guy passed out from lead poisoning after he used a heat gun inside to strip a roomful of old sashes. Derp :jester:


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## T R Paint (Jan 9, 2014)

ProWallGuy said:


> I caught a bed on fire, in the master bedroom. True story.


 Since you lived to tell about it I guess the husband didn't catch you...


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## fanggo (May 16, 2014)

the paintman said:


> I have soooo many from 30 yrs in this business. But This one cracks me up everytime i think of it. Even though at the time i was spitting nails. So first i wanna thank you for making me laugh about it again.
> 
> About 15 years ago a good painter i had working for me convinced me to give this kid he knew a chance against my better judgement. I rarely give teenage total greenies a chance. But we worry busy so wth. About two weeks later we were painting a lakeside house in a neighborhood I had been making the circuit in for about 3 years. On and off.
> We were working for Air Force figter pilot. And towards the tail end of the job we were down on his dock looking at the lake. And the noob had just got his first cell phone. State of the art. Paid a bunch. And his flipping it on and off and PLUNK! YEP in the lake it went. Me and the other guys laughed so hard. He only had it two days. He was about to cry real tears and said, " I wonder if it will still work." We encouraged him it would and chided him on till he dove in 8 feet deep of ice cold water to retreive it.
> ...


Why on earth fire him. Was good with the HO. You had your laugh. Seems to me that you lost total respect from the HO.


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## fanggo (May 16, 2014)

Paintersenterprise said:


> One of the best stories that i have heard was from my Cousin who was working for a company here in town. He was painting a room red and he knocked over the paint on the carpet. Homeowner wasn't home so he grabbed their cat and put red paw prints going from the paint. When the homeowner came home, he blamed it all on the cat that it had knocked it over. Got away with it. I would never hire my cousin.
> 
> I also had a contractor doing a job for me on a site with huge walls in the livingroom. The contractor we were working for had a set of Baker Scaffolding there. The guy thought it would be a good idea to set a extension ladder on top to reach the high peak. He talked with the contractor - he said no way. He asked my main manager if it would be ok - he said absolutely not. So the guy goes for dinner and has a couple drinks. Comes back to the site (unknown to us and the contractor) starts to put a board across the one side of the scaffolding so that the ladder doesn't slide off. While doing this, the home owner comes from the other part of the house and says no way. But he continues to do it. Gets the ladder up there (has the scaffolding parallel with the wall), doesn't lock the wheels. As soon as he starts climbing up the ladder the scaffold starts sliding back and tips over. He falls straight down about 24 ft. Shatters both his ankles. Bone sticking out and everything.
> 
> ...


Heard a similar story where they was a new guy on the job and kept moving the A frame ladder with the paint bucket on it. Was repeatedly told NOT to do that. So the bucket fell. Paint everywhere, 2 year old son was about. The contractor supposedly picked him up and put his dipper into the paint and started yelling "What did you do." 

Horrid story and I sure hope it was not true.


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## The 3rd Coat (Aug 17, 2013)

I was stripping wallpaper in an old hotel, with a steamer. I moved the powerpoints away from the walls to remove the paper behind them. Some of the powerpoints were not hooked up on a circuit breaker or fuse. Water from the steamer got into the wiring behind one of them. Sparks started flying and the dry part of the wallpaper caught fire. Lucky I was able to blow it off before it spread. Then I turned off the mains switch and carried on.


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## PotPaint (May 30, 2014)

Had a guy sand a clients granite top and stainless steel fridge. It was quite horrid to say the least.

Sent from my SM-N900V using PaintTalk.com mobile app


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## Boco (May 18, 2013)

PotPaint said:


> Had a guy sand a clients granite top and stainless steel fridge. It was quite horrid to say the least.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using PaintTalk.com mobile app


 But was it nice and smooth:whistling2:


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## PotPaint (May 30, 2014)

Boco said:


> But was it nice and smooth:whistling2:


Over course! Sanding makes everything smooth and nice!

Sent from my SM-N900V using PaintTalk.com mobile app


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

PotPaint said:


> Had a guy sand a clients granite top and stainless steel fridge. It was quite horrid to say the least.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N900V using PaintTalk.com mobile app


Wait...........he sanded a granite top and stainless steel fridge?

Was he prepping them for primer or what?

BTW, welcome to PT.:thumbsup:


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## PotPaint (May 30, 2014)

slinger58 said:


> Wait...........he sanded a granite top and stainless steel fridge?
> 
> Was he prepping them for primer or what?
> 
> BTW, welcome to PT.:thumbsup:


He got some paint on the granite and fridge(while we were prepping..Idk how that even happens) decided to put drop cloth over it and waited a few days. Once we were done instead of using a 5 in 1 to just chip it off he thought sanding it would be better..Idk man so many things went wrong there! 

Sent from my SM-N900V using PaintTalk.com mobile app


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## PotPaint (May 30, 2014)

And thanks! I really enjoy this forum thus far


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## Paint Pro CA (Jun 17, 2014)

Heres a few that really stand out....

I was doing a large new home years ago and one of the guys had a halogen light going in a washroom near the end of the day. The light somehow fell over onto the laminate counter top. We left for the day. Friday. Homeowners out of town. One of the guys forgot something important in the house so we drove back about 10 minutes later and when he went in he could smell something burning. We all ran in and started looking around. When we found the problem the light had already burned the laminate pretty good and was no doubt very close to going up in flames. The house reeked of burned laminate for days. We ate the cost of a new countertop.

Had a guy spill about a half gallon of trim paint on carpet and then try and cover it up by putting drop sheets over it. I found out when I went to pull up the drop sheet at the end of the job and the sheet was stuck to the rug. Thankfully it was only a small area of carpet that I had to replace. The guy was fired a couple days before for not showing up. Go figure. 

First exterior job on my own. Total noob. The guy I hired didn't show up and I was rushing to get it done so like a moron I was using a new gallon as a cut can and put almost a full gallon of paint on the top of a 6 foot ladder climbed down to grab another drop sheet and when I went to move the ladder it suddenly became lighter. I swear at that exact second that time slowed down. Splat! The gallon landed on the drop sheet paint splattered everywhere and then the can rolled onto the concrete patio I was painting above. Homeowner worked from home and was inside and I spent the next 40 minutes or so hosing down planters and pushing paint down the patio drain with a broom trying to keep everything wet so nothing would dry. About 5 minutes after I finished getting all the paint washed away the homeowner comes out to check the progress. Whew. 

I was doing a basement reno paint once where a guy hired by the GC to "help" us knocked the heater off his smoke into a huge flower bed full of bone dry mulch. My guy goes outside about 20 minutes later to grab something from the truck and he comes running back in shouting "fire". The heater lit the mulch and the whole flower bed was black and burning and billowing smoke into the street. We are all out there hosing and pouring buckets of water on it. Neighbour is standing across the street shaking his head in disgust.


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## lilpaintchic (Jul 9, 2014)

Oh jeeze which story to tell....the time when I was new and didnt realize that leaving automatic lights papered overnight may be a fire hazard? Or the on the boss told me fro 40 years ago when they had just sprayed lacquer on the kitchen cabs wh err n the ding dong lit up asmoke? Maybe the one with the white carpet that wasnt installed quite yet. Just kinda unrolled a bit in some areas. I was using a pan as I normally do on interiors. Rolling out the lid and stepped backwards into the pan 1.5 gallons (of course it was just refilled) on to the carpet. Shoe soaked.panic button hit. I was alone. Saving grace-- I had set it on a piece of the carpet with the backing side up. Shoes off. Running to and from the sink. Scooped up as much as I could first and pit it in the pan then SOAKED the affected area. Flipped it right side up to prevent it from seeping through into the front. No shop vac just a whole lot of prayer. Made it through the rest of the job and no one was the wiser. (not sure if the carpet guys ever realized it either)I had only been in for about 5 years at that point....note to self-- pans go in areas that have already been painted not behind you while you're looking up. Smh...lol. 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using PaintTalk.com mobile app


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## squid (Dec 25, 2012)

Caught a coworker using a bidet. Problem was he was drinking the water.


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## Epoxy Pro (Oct 7, 2012)

Painting a dormer type of thingy I went to stand up and turn to the right. I smashed my head right off the trim. For the last 3 days the right side of my neck and upper back are still and sore.


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## BuckeyePainter (Feb 14, 2014)

Oh there's a lot lol. Painting something the wrong sheen, accidently using oil with my good brush, mixing mud too runny, flushing a clogged toilet. Whew, what a day :laughing:


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## Northwest_painter (Jan 27, 2012)

Ordered paint for a home the store dropped them off. The new guy I hired was there to do the prep work and I was going to be there later. I show up and the new guy has about 6 five'rs and he is pouring paints in to them all diffrent colors I asked what the @#$#!! was he doing? "He said the guy who dropped them off said they would need to be remixed because they did it two days ago" so he went and bought empty fives and started mixing paints! Major loss of money on that Job! That is when I started to do prehire drug tests!


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## Paint Pro CA (Jun 17, 2014)

BuckeyePainter said:


> Oh there's a lot lol. Painting something the wrong sheen, accidently using oil with my good brush, mixing mud too runny, flushing a clogged toilet. Whew, what a day :laughing:


The only time that painting the wrong sheen has ever worked out was when we did a repaint and the living room had one of those old school plaster ceilings with trowel swirls of various sizes and sponge dabs. The paint store dropped off low sheen ceiling paint instead of flat and it was applied to the ceiling by the new guy on the crew who assumed it was flat. The slight sheen accented the texture with slight shadowing and it actually looked really good. Luckily the homeowner loved our new "special technique". :whistling2:


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

squid said:


> Caught a coworker using a bidet. Problem was he was drinking the water.


CAUGHT?!?! 

Why, what's it there for?


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

We was painting and staining a good customer's master suite. There was a little storage cubby up under the eaves and over the bathroom (bathroom ceiling was floor of cubby). I told my helper NOT to stain the walls (raw pine on the diagonal), but ONLY the trim.

Well, we all know what pot does to a brain. Within five minutes of telling him, I look up and you know what he was staining (otherwise I wouldn't be writing this).

He's the same guy who did THIS to himself:











which reminds me, I hope he comes to our party this weekend (also of the family with the "killer corgi")


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

speaking of dumb things (sorry, not paint related), I was talking to a relative today  :whistling2:

as he tells it, back in the late 60's he owned a Ford Cortina (I thought it a piece of schit, he liked it) , anyway, when changing the oil, he decided to be a little "thorough" about getting all the old oil out of the crankcase, so he poured GASOLINE into the crankcase. Now, I wasn't sure when he then cranked the engine over, but whether it was before or after draining the gas out, there was still plenty of fumes to ignite, which they did. Although no piston went flying through the cam covers, flame did shoot out of every possible vent and cooked the oil pressure tube the cortina used. 

When all the oil exited the engine through that now tubeless hole, he said it started making "funny noises". 

Some days ya just gotta hope god cuts each family member from a different mold. :thumbsup:


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## squid (Dec 25, 2012)

daArch said:


> CAUGHT?!?!
> 
> Why, what's it there for?


 Its for washing your... ah , nevermind. You probably don't use it much anymore. :jester:


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## Case Quality (Apr 8, 2015)

So I know this is an old thread but it made me laugh so I figure I'll but down something that one of my employees just did the other day. So I've been telling him for about a week that he needs to stay off his phone on less its lunch or a break or something like that. Well you know how that goes they don't really listen that good. I was on the other side doing some touchups and all i heard from the other side of the house was cussing and all sorts of stuff. So i ran over there and saw him elbow deep in a 5er and he pulls his hand out and in it was his phone that he bought about 2 weeks ago. And all i asked was "hope you got insurance on it." HAHA


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## Boco (May 18, 2013)

ha ha. Last week I nearly spit out my coffee at the store. Hot blonde girl asked the store clerk "How much does a $5 dollar scratch ticket cost?"


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Just now, I mixed some degreaser with some deck cleaner. I'm feeling a little woooosy.


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## Happee_grrl (Feb 9, 2014)

I laid down plastic in a 6 x 5 area (beige carpet) when I was restaining a door. Stepped back and knocked the container of stain off the table. It went everywhere except on the plastic. 
Insert cuss words.


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

Young lady I used to work with at the big box store accidentally did a gallon's worth of tint into a quart, and then walked away. Needless to say, the quart overflowed and a bunch of it spilled out onto the mat on the floor.

Unfortunately for her, the paint also spilled into the unmistakable shape of a phallus. A giant pink and red (the paint was going to be red) phallus that then dried on our mat. It was a LOT of elbow grease to get that out, as it was mainly pure colorant that had spilled.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Woodford said:


> Young lady I used to work with at the big box store accidentally did a gallon's worth of tint into a quart, and then walked away. Needless to say, the quart overflowed and a bunch of it spilled out onto the mat on the floor.
> 
> Unfortunately for her, the paint also spilled into the unmistakable shape of a phallus. A giant pink and red (the paint was going to be red) phallus that then dried on our mat. It was a LOT of elbow grease to get that out, as it was mainly pure colorant that had spilled.


I had a gallon of yellow oxide lose a lid in a spinning shaker once.


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

Proalliance coatings said:


> I had a gallon of yellow oxide lose a lid in a spinning shaker once.


Seen paint do that plenty of times... I'm always super careful about tint. Don't use any spinning shakers anymore :thumbup:

I can't imagine that mess... yellow oxide is the worst, and it's always somehow seemed very... toxic... to me. Something about the smell and the feel of it.


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

Woodford said:


> Seen paint do that plenty of times... I'm always super careful about tint. Don't use any spinning shakers anymore :thumbup:
> 
> I can't imagine that mess... yellow oxide is the worst, and it's always somehow seemed very... toxic... to me. Something about the smell and the feel of it.


Yellow paint is the worst colour to paint anyways (application wise) we should just get rid of it


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## DunriteNJ (Aug 15, 2014)

I had a guy take off wallpaper in the wrong room


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

DunriteNJ said:


> I had a guy take off wallpaper in the wrong room


Ok! ok! you win! That has got to be terrible.


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## DrakeB (Jun 6, 2011)

DunriteNJ said:


> I had a guy take off wallpaper in the wrong room


Yowza.


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## Ole34 (Jan 24, 2011)

When I first started a few months in we were oil priming with cover stain so when I got home I figured it would be easier to just take the thinners rag into the shower with me an kill 2 birds with one stone..... Steam and thinners is not cool !!!


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

Ole34 said:


> When I first started a few months in we were oil priming with cover stain so when I got home I figured it would be easier to just take the thinners rag into the shower with me an kill 2 birds with one stone..... Steam and thinners is not cool !!!


LOL. Many moons ago, one of the helpers on a job got some two component caulk in his hair. He took some MEK home and used it like shampoo in the shower. His roommate reported the next day that he spent some time with his head stuck in the freezer trying to get some relief.


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## 2peterhunter (Dec 8, 2014)

I had a guy pressure wash the paint off the wrong house, also another guy get overspray on a 2012 green jaguar


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## GHP (Mar 22, 2015)

slinger58 said:


> LOL. Many moons ago, one of the helpers on a job got some two component caulk in his hair. He took some MEK home and used it like shampoo in the shower. His roommate reported the next day that he spent some time with his head stuck in the freezer trying to get some relief.



OMG!!!!! 

one of the floor guys always refused to wear a respirator while doing epoxy. he stepped outside for a smoke, lit the cig and his lungs cought on fire.


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## daArch (Mar 15, 2008)

Woodford said:


> Young lady I used to work with at the big box store accidentally did a gallon's worth of tint into a quart, and then walked away. Needless to say, the quart overflowed and a bunch of it spilled out onto the mat on the floor.
> 
> Unfortunately for her, the paint also spilled into the unmistakable shape of a phallus. A giant pink and red (the paint was going to be red) phallus that then dried on our mat. It was a LOT of elbow grease to get that out, as it was mainly pure colorant that had spilled.


and who rubbed it to get it off. 


:whistling2:


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

daArch said:


> and who rubbed it to get it off. :whistling2:


Have you no shame?! Lol


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## Happee_grrl (Feb 9, 2014)

daArch said:


> and who rubbed it to get it off.
> 
> 
> :whistling2:


Thank God I'm not the only dirty mind here. Lol


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

GHP said:


> OMG!!!!!
> 
> one of the floor guys always refused to wear a respirator while doing epoxy. he stepped outside for a smoke, lit the cig and his lungs cought on fire.


Did he live?


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

I just remembered the time i had a guy try to pump 55 gallons of trichloroethane 1,1,1 into a 5 gallon bucket. A week before it jumped from $12 to $26.50 a gallon. It didn't fit, but it evaporated so fast that we left the exhaust fans on all night and it was gone by the next morning. But if you ever want to know what will take 2 inches of un-catalysed 2-part polyurethane paint off a mixing room floor there's your answer.


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## Ericb1987 (Apr 6, 2015)

Caulked a garage door shut !!! My first summer painting ....


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## Ole34 (Jan 24, 2011)

Ericb1987 said:


> Caulked a garage door shut !!! My first summer painting ....



I almost destroyed a sash window trying to open until my boss came over an unlocked it .....then there was the time around my first week or so I asked my boss of her wanted me to sand down the caulk now that it's dry... He was like "no"


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## Jmayspaint (Mar 26, 2013)

Ericb1987 said:


> Caulked a garage door shut !!! My first summer painting ....



I had a new guy caulk all the weather strip cracks on some exterior doors one time. The weather strips had been taken out for painting. He saw the cracks and caulked them full! It was actually hilarious even though it was a huge PITA. 

Same guy a few weeks later used up all the touch up paint for a new house. Cost me an extra coat on all the walls.


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## Painter-Aaron (Jan 17, 2013)

This morning I thought I was in a go straight lane and the lane to the right was a right turn lane 
we both went straight merging into each other not much damage but a lot of stupidity on my part.


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## paintball head (Mar 3, 2012)

I had a new guy that claimed he was a journeyman approach me holding up a caulk gun and the caulk was coming out the back of the tube. He says to me "there is something wrong with this tube of caulk" I come down off the ladder and take a look at the gun, he didn't poke a hole in the foil.


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## Underdog (Mar 9, 2013)

Painter-Aaron said:


> This morning I thought I was in a go straight lane and the lane to the right was a right turn lane
> we both went straight merging into each other not much damage but a lot of stupidity on my part.


 We have a few of those around San Antonio. I saw them create this problem at 281 and Bitters Road going west on Bitters underneath the highway. It is a left turn only but it sure looks like you can go straight.
Until everybody got acclimated to it, you could count on some entertainment at least every few light cycles.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

I didn't do this but i had a painter customer put 30 gallons of floor epoxy part A on a floor and he wondered why he had thirty gallons left over. Part B that is. He was Albanian. Not to bright.


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## slinger58 (Feb 11, 2013)

Proalliance coatings said:


> I didn't do this but i had a painter customer put 30 gallons of floor epoxy part A on a floor and he wondered why he had thirty gallons left over. Part B that is. He was Albanian. Not to bright.


At least he did alphabetical order.


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## Gough (Nov 24, 2010)

Underdog said:


> We have a few of those around San Antonio. I saw them create this problem at 281 and Bitters Road going west on Bitters underneath the highway. It is a left turn only but it sure looks like you can go straight.
> Until everybody got acclimated to it, you could count on some entertainment at least every few light cycles.


We've have one spot in town that's notorious for this. It's a problem mainly in the late summer when new students move in.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Proalliance coatings said:


> I didn't do this but i had a painter customer put 30 gallons of floor epoxy part A on a floor and he wondered why he had thirty gallons left over. Part B that is. He was Albanian. Not to bright.


That happened to an old Italian I worked with back east. It was actually before I started painting. 

He calls the shop going 'Frank, Frank to much B'

So Frank (the shop super) and my dad go down to the site abd see the floor epoxy never set up because he only mixed it one - one. So they started rolling on all the B component so it would kick (you could do that with some of the epoxies back in the day). So the epoxy hardens just in time for the plant to open and right as the first forklift rides over it the epoxy starts coming up with the wheels.


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## Gracobucks (May 29, 2011)

Proalliance coatings said:


> I didn't do this but i had a painter customer put 30 gallons of floor epoxy part A on a floor and he wondered why he had thirty gallons left over. Part B that is. He was Albanian. Not to bright.


Even though it was 30 gallons of part B left, sounds like you sold him 30 gallons too much. Just saying:whistling2:


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Gracobucks said:


> Even though it was 30 gallons of part B left, sounds like you sold him 30 gallons too much. Just saying:whistling2:


 It was a one to one ratio. The cans were actually half full. And he was supposed to do two coats which seemed to slip his mind for some reason. I think he thought that the first coat was part A and the second coat was part B. And when he opened the B's he saw that it wasn't pigmented. I saw and heard the rep give him pretty specific instructions, but i think something was lost in the merican to albanian to spanglish to spanish translation somewhere. he also painted the exterior trim on about 30 new construction townhouses with Promar 400 semigloss once.


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## journeymanPainter (Feb 26, 2014)

Proalliance coatings said:


> It was a one to one ratio. The cans were actually half full. And he was supposed to do two coats which seemed to slip his mind for some reason. I think he thought that the first coat was part A and the second coat was part B. And when he opened the B's he saw that it wasn't pigmented. I saw and heard the rep give him pretty specific instructions, but i think something was lost in the merican to albanian to spanglish to spanish translation somewhere. he also painted the exterior trim on about 30 new construction townhouses with Promar 400 semigloss once.


I did an exterior last summer where someone put a flat interior latex on the stucco. It was raining paint flakes while I pressure washed that bad boy. No rinse cleaning on that either.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

journeymanPainter said:


> I did an exterior last summer where someone put a flat interior latex on the stucco. It was raining paint flakes while I pressure washed that bad boy. No rinse cleaning on that either.


 Sw was actually selling interior PM 400 flat for stucco in socal for a while back in the late 80's. Builders wanted a super cheap paint and they were happy if it lasted a year.


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## Gracobucks (May 29, 2011)

Proalliance coatings said:


> It was a one to one ratio. The cans were actually half full. And he was supposed to do two coats which seemed to slip his mind for some reason. I think he thought that the first coat was part A and the second coat was part B. And when he opened the B's he saw that it wasn't pigmented. I saw and heard the rep give him pretty specific instructions, but i think something was lost in the merican to albanian to spanglish to spanish translation somewhere. he also painted the exterior trim on about 30 new construction townhouses with Promar 400 semigloss once.


LOL, wish I was a fly on the wall when they opened part B and saw it untinted, thinking you guys forgot to tint it.

P.S. Was JK about selling them too much paint. I know sometimes it goes farther then it should. At least the part B is returnable.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

Gracobucks said:


> LOL, wish I was a fly on the wall when they opened part B and saw it untinted, thinking you guys forgot to tint it.
> 
> P.S. Was JK about selling them too much paint. I know sometimes it goes farther then it should. At least the part B is returnable.


 Yeah. You could have learned a bunch of Albanian swear words that's for sure!


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## spektrum (Mar 11, 2010)

I worked a lot in a wealthy Jewish neighborhood, and one day a co-worker of mine who normally worked on commercial sites came to help wrap up. He was admiring a huge big screen a client had and bragged about how he "*****" down the salesmen and got such a great deal on one just a bit smaller... I could not believe it and just looked at the guy shaking my head.


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## CApainter (Jun 29, 2007)

spektrum said:


> I worked a lot in a wealthy Jewish neighborhood, and one day a co-worker of mine who normally worked on commercial sites came to help wrap up. He was admiring a huge big screen a client had and bragged about how he "*****" down the salesmen and got such a great deal on one just a bit smaller... I could not believe it and just looked at the guy shaking my head.


Wow! Totally awkward.


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## PACman (Oct 24, 2014)

spektrum said:


> I worked a lot in a wealthy Jewish neighborhood, and one day a co-worker of mine who normally worked on commercial sites came to help wrap up. He was admiring a huge big screen a client had and bragged about how he "*****" down the salesmen and got such a great deal on one just a bit smaller... I could not believe it and just looked at the guy shaking my head.


 I'm only 1/32 Jewish and I'm offended!


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