Spray It Like New Kitchens

Thank You Again Jon

Thank You Very Much!

To start I will say this customer is confused about the process and details we email, why? we do NOT use a water based product. We use a waterborne product. The difference is that waterborne products will clean up with water, there is no actual water in the product, it is a low VOC solvent based product. In fact it is an Acrylic Urethane. Urethane is the one of the most durable commonly used products for wood and metals as well as boats. Oil based products are also not 100% moisture & chemical proof & the main reason Oil based products are NOT used when light colour are concerned is that they tend to yellow over time. Yellowing would alter the colour and surely be an issue with many people. 32 years refinishing experience tells me that.
This customer refuses to accept that the previous condition as well as current conditions like grease and food debris (including cleaners that use silicone) in her home have any effect on any finish despite the detail in our quotes discussing this. Her comments are not based on facts provided, she is disappointed that this problem occurred and rightfully so and refuses to accept that certain things are beyond any finishers control. The most prominent being that these cracks are only taking place on the exposed sides of the doors and not the back sides. If The product or our workmanship was at fault these conditions would be everywhere. When we resprayed one year later we used product from another batch made by the manufacturer and we have had NO other complaints about this type of cracking to say the product is at fault. Whether she wants to believe it or not moisture and heat do affect wood finishes and this is easily provable with some research, watermarks on table tops are common and a very good example of what can take place. There is a great deal of information available regarding these issues below. Given that we did in fact sand down these cracks to bare wood after they appeared and re-primed and sprayed them and that they returned again shows that the conditions in the home including humidity, heat and cleaning methods are the reason the finish is cracking, these conditions are well beyond our control.
If you take a close look at the pictures (I downloaded and zoomed in on the pictures provided) (click and expand the picture to get a better view) she provided you will see two things, first the cracking is limited to the top rail or frame piece. This indicates that it is NOT the product or workmanship as these two things would be evident on the entire drawer front as it is about 7" in width and only needs 3 passes with a spray gun. (She has now deleted the photos that show this, I suppose to take away the the proof of what I am saying) Copies are available upon request.
Second you can see food/grease debris on the inside edge under the handle and around the handles themselves. This is an indication on how well this customer takes care of this finish or the environment these items are in, this is well beyond my control as I describe in detail below. Given that a new finish after 1 month shows this debris it is an indication of the environment prior to spraying as well.
In each of our quotes we go into detail as it relates to any current finish and conditions that can affect the final outcome, this includes hairline cracking. We ask the potential customer to ask any questions where they do not understand what is being said, we also provide a great deal of information on our website to educate anyone about the process and potential problems that can arise as well as a detailed description of our warranty. This customer has admitted that they waited longer than what our warranty allows for completing repairs and this exasperated the problem. I have also never claimed I don't remember this customer. This customer actually did business with an affiliated company that I owned and is no longer operational called True North Spraying Services Inc. This company was closed down in June 2014. I personally attempted to correct this issue with the Home Services company I own that offers similar and additional services when I legally was not obligated to. This customer does not seem to remember who they legally did business with and I receive no credit as a different company for even trying to assist them in correcting the problem.
Here are 2 links from well known websites one being a tv show that also describes this hairline cracking reality, you will note that both state that regardless of the quality of the product or the experience of the sprayer wood moves and causes expansion & contraction that is the underline cause of the problem:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/asktoh/question/0,,452995,00.html
http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Hairline_Cracks_on_Painted_Cabinet_Doors.html

In this case the customer was given details as it relates to the problem they experienced in the quote and that despite every effort we make to ensure the best results the previous condition of the doors and the conditions of any home as it relates to humidity are well beyond our control and when that affects the final outcome it is also beyond our control. This customer either did not read or understand the quote or they are misrepresenting the situation for what it is to make us look like we don't care.
On Nov 13 2014 we received a review that clearly discusses the process we use to inform each and every customer, when a customer has or chooses to overlook these details and something does go wrong it is unfortunate they choose to ignore these details as has happened here.
I do personally spend a great deal of time educating people on the website, in our quotes and in subsequent emails, I also back up my workmanship as I take pride in that work, I however can't be held liable for issues any customer was warned could happen despite my best efforts to ensure the best results.
Unfortunately the customer waited very long to allow the repairs to take place & has not fully represented the facts of this job. The review is very vague and leaves out important details as it relates to their warranty. We however did repair these doors anyway.
The reasons for this cracking are outlined below and well beyond our control, we are NOT responsible for the care of the previous finish prior to respraying or the new finish after delivery, the conditions like but not limited to high heat, humidity, grease and overall cleanliness in any given home are well beyond our control and do affect any interior finish when not properly maintained.
An example of this is when a hot plate or cup leave a white ring on a table finish, heat & humidity do affect any finish that is not poly or plastic based. This is fact not something I conveniently make up.

There are two types of cracking that can take place.
1. Cracks appear and the edges roll up and flake off ~ caused by poor adhesion whether contaminated wood or poor sanding prior to spraying.
2. Hairline cracking where the cracking is visible but hard to see and does not flake off immediately, this is caused by expansion & contraction of the wood due to heat & humidity or cleaning with hot water or chemical cleaning products. We recommend warm water & soap only to all customers.. Sooner or later moisture will get in these cracks and it too will flake off.
The warranty and timelines follow:
http://www.truenorthservices.ca/truenorthhomeservices/warranty
Timeline for One Year warranty:
Items picked up March 22 2014
Items Delivered April 5 2014
Hairline cracks on 7 pieces June 3 2014 & Reported
In home Visit to verify June 7 2014
Customer wanted to wait until after Father's Day to correct.
Customer then waited until November 2014 to make arrangements to fix, this allowed the problem to get worse, our policy is 30 days to fix issues once notified, we however accepted to still do the work. The items were picked up Jan 2015 after the holidays, each piece was sanded down to the wood where these issues existed and then primed & resprayed, the cracking was around the handles where they are touched frequently with hands that may have been and likely were contaminated with food debris and/or grease. There were no issues on the back sides of the doors, just the exposed outside surfaces.
The items were delivered back two weeks later cured with NO cracking issues.
The warranty expired upon delivery in 2015
Customer is reporting issues June 17 2015, 2+ months after the warranty expired for their doors based on the condition of their doors at the time of pick up. There updated review now says the problem happened 1 month after delivery however we were not notified at this time as the customer was told that due to the long wait the first time their warranty was not valid, as mentioned we did however offer to respray these items anyway to show we do care about the end product.
Warranty Info & Disclaimer:
http://www.truenorthservices.ca/truenorthhomeservices/warranty
http://www.truenorthservices.ca/wood-moisture-content-finishes
A FINAL NOTE:
I do take pride in the work I provide, I also take a great deal of time in my quotes and on the website to educate and inform customers of the realities of any finish and wood movement as well as how that can affect any finish.
Sometimes based on the old finish or conditions in a home problems arise like cracking. We always respond right away to address these issues and no review has stated otherwise.
As a professional we offer detailed information regarding correcting what is within our control.
Customers often overlook this information despite our quotes asking they ensure they read and understand the quote before accepting. Once quotes are accepted we still take every effort to educate and inform customers on what is taking place.
What is beyond our control is any customers ability to understand or follow our guidelines. Unfortunately we have had 3 reviews where the customer has failed to read & understand what can and does take place and subsequently we received negative reviews.
I accept responsibility for my workmanship it however happens that despite every effort on my part when customers fail to accept that conditions beyond my control do happen after they have been informed of the possibilities that I am the problem.
I personally believe that when an individual accepts terms and something goes wrong they too must accept responsibility for their part of the legal agreement. Unfortunately all 3 negative reviews don't seem to take any responsibility for not having followed or understood the information I have provided them in the quote and in subsequent emails and/or home visits.
This is the discouraging part of being in business, it is hard to defend oneself when individuals refuse to accept the terms they entered into and choose to lay blame elsewhere not accepting that their lack of attention to details played any roll in the final outcome. It becomes easier for them to lay blame on the professional despite every effort made by said professional to address in advance issues or problem or warranty details.
The 14 very positive reviews (all 10's) I have received are the complete opposite of what the negative reviews want you to believe and do show how I address quotes, questions and details regarding the work I perform.
There is no middle ground on these reviews they are either all 10's or zero's and the zero's all failed to follow the guidelines and information that the 10's clearly say exists when dealing with me.
It would be counter productive & plain stupid of me to randomly pick people to not offer the same level of service and details to.

Thank You Jen! I appreciate that!

Thanks Jo, just to be correct we use a Waterborne product not water based.
Waterborne products are LOW VOC solvent based and do not have water in them, they clean up or dilute with water.

Thank You Very Much!

John, I am sorry you have had such difficulty in completing the in home portion yourself.We quoted doing the entire job, you choose to not hire me to do that.
You stated "He wouldn't even come and see the mess made" Well John if the in home portion that you completed was a mess how is that my fault? I also did visit your home after the first coat you applied, lets be fair and reasonable about exactly what took place John.
I am not trying to be rude, I am however very direct in approaching falsehoods and situations presented out of context as anyone would be.
I also don't know anyone that likes to be told they are full of crap & excuses and at the same time the person making the claim fails to go into detail about there comment, fails to explain the entire situation and chooses to throw out a few negative statements in order to make someone look bad. It is always best in any review whether negative or positive to explain in detail exactly what took place without leaving important details out. This is what makes for either good positive reviews or good negative reviews.
I will take the time and explain in detail exactly what took place. The obvious reason for that is to show I am not a liar or providing false information. My quotes are very detailed and explain the issues that can arise from Oak grain patterns, dings, dents and light reflection. You were asked to ask questions where you did not understand what was being said, you did not do so and approved the quote. Now you question what I said and you have not given any evidence as such that information is indeed inaccurate. This information is also available on our website for all to see and in 8 years no one has disputed this information as being inaccurate.
We have had over 200 customers (including the referral from) your sister successfully complete the in home work on their own.
Your review in my mind is not an indicator of the service we offer or the work we did on your doors. You accepted delivery of the portion we did with no complaints about the colour or our workmanship and have not stated otherwise in this review.
The issues you have brought up here are not entirely reflective of what took place.
You know you failed to follow the application instructions provided and decided to brush the entire kitchen instead of using a roller that we stated was best.
The clear portion of this product being it is waterborne starts out milky and clears as it dries and cures. Your final coat was over 6 weeks after delivery of the doors, there will be a subtle difference until the fresh coating you did has time to cure.
The product is a fast drying self leveling product however it dries too fast for brushing out large panels. You stated that the roller you started with was giving off some lint so you switched to a brush to complete the job and this led to the problems you encountered. The brush marks caused shadowing making that portion appear darker due to light reflection.
You can view how light and colour reflect on these finishes in a review below from Jon in Chatham, he kindly supplied pictures that show in great detail how light reflects on a smooth lacquer finish.
Despite your comment that I would not visit your home you know that is not the case and I did visit your home twice before you started and once after you applied the first coat by brush. You also stated the colour was a match and then it wasn't? When I visited your home I had you prepare a sample prior to my arrival and that is when you agreed the colour in the can I provided you was a match.
I then provided you with the best way I know on how to correct the issues you created when you brushed the product.
You then advised me later that you didn't get a colour match with the second coat you completed.
At that point you asked me to return to your home, you however sent an email prior to me being able to respond telling me not to bother and asked to purchase another gallon so you could apply another coat. You paid for and I sent another gallon.
Just like the 8 reviews below this, I did take a great deal of time through numerous emails and 3 visits to your home to explain the proper application of the product and having failed to follow my instructions you did not obtain the same results.
Your workmanship is well beyond my control, any paint product, manufacturer or supplier offers application instructions that need to be followed. When those application instructions are not followed it is not in my mind reasonable to blame the supplier of that product for the final outcome and then post a negative review that reflects your inability to accept my expertise in applying the same product that over 200 people have been successful at.
Unfortunately the very smooth wood finish does reflect light differently than paint and in your case the lime green and gold colours on your walls do reflect off the product and will change its appearance to some degree. A great example of this is how a car colour varies in the sunlight vs a cloudy day, the colour changes based on the light reflected, the sheen level and the smoothness of the finish. You may not accept my explanation however it is easily viewed and accepted as normal when it comes to any finish.
Your cabinet colour Cloud White is not a suitable match in tone against green or dark gold and again these colour selections are beyond my control.
We certainly do not go out of our way to not give each and every customer the best service possible and that is reflected in the the 8 reviews below.
It would be very counter productive to pick you to not receive the same level of service and advice we give all our customers.
I will state that when a professional offers advice on using any given product that that advice should be followed, if it is not followed and then subsequently laying blame on that advice just does not seem reasonable to me.
The advice I offered is common knowledge available by searching the internet as it relates to this product, everything I have told you in writing and in person can be backed up by many people who have used this or a similar wood finish. Please take the time to do that research when a search will indicate and back up my comments.
To me your review is more about the frustration you encountered by NOT following instructions rather than our level of service and expertise in applying this product.
I have not heard back from you so I am left to assume that in the end the last gallon of product you purchased from me does mean you successfully achieved a suitable outcome.
You however decided to post a negative comment prior to using the last gallon, I am sure had that gallon not been properly tinted you would have posted about that too!

Thank You Very Much

Thank You Very Much

Thank You Very Much