A client told me my seam lines were 'too perfect' and it actually made sense

I was finishing a big install in a Denver office last month, and the building manager walked over while I was sealing the last seam. He said, 'You know, that line is so straight and tight it looks like a factory edge, but it's drawing my eye right to it.' I'd always prided myself on invisible seams, but he had a point. Now, on commercial jobs, I'll sometimes use a slightly less aggressive seam roller and let the nap blend a bit more naturally, which takes about 10% longer per seam. It feels wrong to not make it perfect, but the visual result is better. Anyone else run into a client who changed a technique you thought was a core rule?

2 comments

2 Comments

danieljenkins13h ago

My buddy who does custom woodwork had a client ask him to sand a tabletop less. The guy wanted to see some of the hand plane marks left in, said it looked too much like a plastic store bought thing without them. My friend said it went against every bit of his training, but the final piece did have more character.

lucas15915h ago

That "feels wrong to not make it perfect" line really hits home. I once had a client ask me to leave a tiny, almost invisible gap in a tile layout because the "military precision" was stressing them out. I spent the whole next week questioning my whole life.