Debated between poplar and oak for a client's built-in shelves

I had this job last week in Evansville where a lady wanted bookshelves. She was torn between poplar for the price or oak for the looks. I pushed for poplar since it paints way better and saves her about $200 on materials. But she went with oak anyway and now I'm stuck sanding out the grain for hours on end. Has anyone else had a customer ignore your advice on wood choice and then complain about the cost later?

2 comments

2 Comments

leoyoung1d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on that one. Did your client at least seem to understand beforehand that oak takes a lot more prep work for a painted finish, or did she just assume it would be the same as poplar? Because I've had people completely ignore the extra labor hours and then act surprised when the bill reflects it. Sometimes I wonder if customers think wood is all the same and we're just making up the difficulty to charge more.

barnes.shane1d ago

Bet they think wood grows pre-sanded in the forest...