Debate: Will you throw away a piece that's slightly wrong or keep going? I had a client call me out for leaving a 2mm gap on a cabinet door frame I thought was close enough

Was building a set of kitchen cabinets for a house in Oak Park last month. I had this one door that sat about 2mm too high on the frame. I figured hey, it's wood, it'll settle or nobody will notice. The homeowner walked in and pointed at it right away. Said 'that gap bugs me.' That moment made me realize I had been ignoring small mistakes for YEARS because I thought they didn't matter. Now I'm wondering - do most pros here scrap it and start over or do you tweak and fill? I'm leaning toward ripping it apart next time but that's a lot of material cost. What's your cutoff for calling something a fail?

2 comments

2 Comments

jakep241mo ago

I used to think that way too honestly... let things slide thinking the wood would move or the paint would cover it up. But after a return trip where the client measured every damn seam with a square I changed my mind real fast. It's not about being a perfectionist it's about respecting what the client is paying for even if it's just a couple millimeters. Now if it's something I can shave down or adjust without wrecking the piece I'll do that first. But if it's a matter of the whole thing being off I'd rather eat the material cost than have them point it out again... that feeling sucks.

xena_rivera631mo ago

You ever had a buddy who learned that lesson the hard way? My friend built this custom table for a client, proud of it. Dude got a call the next day, client found a 2mm gap at the seam. Had to drive an hour, shave it down, and sand the whole thing again. He said never again, now he's got a square in his truck.