Debate: Should you fix a bad glue-up or just start over?

I had this one job where a client pointed out I left a tiny gap in a miter joint on their cherry bookshelf. I was gonna fill it with sawdust and glue, but he said 'nope, that'll show in 6 months'. So I recut the piece and it took 2 extra hours but honestly the fix looked perfect. On the other hand, my buddy swears by filler for small gaps and says clients never notice. What do you guys do when a joint isn't perfect but the rest is solid? Is it worth rebuilding or just patch it?

2 comments

2 Comments

benk267d ago

Your buddy might not see the filler fail because he's not coming back in six months. That gap will open up with seasonal movement no matter how careful you are with the color match. Better to spend the extra time now than have to explain a botched repair later.

evan_jenkins7d ago

Stands back and look at how many things in life are held together by the cheap fix instead of the right one. My neighbor patched his driveway with cold patch three years ago and now it's a mess of cracks and weeds. Meanwhile the guys who spend the extra hour getting the prep right end up with something that lasts. It's like people forget that time always wins.