Glass or Natural?

That's Too Shiny!

We had a contractor call in today who just finished a beautiful counter top embedded with all sorts of colored aggregate. He polished it and worked it and then, when it came time to seal it, he asked the homeowner what kind of a final look she wanted.

She responded by saying. "I want a nice shiny finish."

How many times have you heard that?

So, the contractor used some of our 255 Clear, a high solids epoxy, to provide a nice and shiny, durable finish.

She hated it.

"I just wanted it kind of... well... I wanted it sealed.... but not that shiny..."

Too late.

Turns out what she REALLY wanted was more of a natural, sealed look.

So who is at fault? Contractor or homeowner?

Well, I guess that depends who you ask. Should the homeowner have had a more clear vision of what she wanted in mind? Is it her responsibility to be able to express herself more clearly? Or should the contractor know his products well enough to provide some very critical preliminary suggestions?

The answer is... BOTH.

But we cannot control the homeowner, or the client, or any other customer. We cannot expect them to be able to express precisely what they want at all times.

The net result is that the contractor now has to grind the entire surface down and start all over again, this time with our StoneSeal, which provides a much more subdued and "natural" look.

So remember, clear coats can be very tricky. Make sure there is some kind of common ground BEFORE you get started. Carrying a photo book of previous projects is very helpful, especially when it comes to agreeing upon a clear coat.