A client in Denver told me to just use pocket screws for a whole kitchen install

I was doing a big remodel last fall, and the homeowner insisted pocket screws were strong enough for all the upper cabinets. He said, 'It's faster and you can't see them, so who cares?' I had to explain that for heavy uppers loaded with dishes, you need proper face frame joinery or at least confirmat screws for the long haul. It stuck with me because he was so sure a shortcut was fine. Has anyone else had to talk a client out of a bad build idea?

4 comments

4 Comments

beth_park1mo ago

Ever wonder if they'd try to blame you when their dishes come crashing down?

xena5821mo ago

Oh man, I feel this. Had a guy want me to just glue the laminate countertop seams on a big wet bar instead of using the proper seam binder. Said it would hold with some clamps overnight. I had to lay it out plain, that glue alone fails with any weight or heat, and his fancy sink and ice maker would be on the floor in a year. Some people just get a cheap idea stuck in their head and won't let go until you show them the broken pieces.

mason_reed471mo ago

Man, that's rough. How do you even get through to someone who's that set on a bad idea? Good on you for sticking to your guns on the build quality.

barbara_jenkins665d ago

Start showing them the math. I had a client once who wanted to glue particleboard countertops together for a full kitchen island. I had to pull up a YouTube video of a seam failure test right there on my phone and let him watch the whole thing crack apart under ten pounds of pressure. He was quiet after that and let me do it right with the proper binder. Sometimes you just gotta let the evidence talk.