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Journal bethanie's Journal: Incompetence at its Finest 45

Journal by bethanie
So. Here's the story. (I'll try to keep it brief, but I doubt that I'll be successful.)

In the kitchen, we've got this tile backsplash, see? It's mostly cararra marble, with some blue glass tiles thrown in at "random" as accents. There were 17 glass tiles in the design. Seventeen were ordered. Seventeen were delivered. I know, because I counted.

Somewhere in the chaos that *is* construction, one of them walked away. Most people would think that it got stolen, but if that were the case, why just steal one? More likely that it got separated from its brothers and thrown out with various detritus. At least, that's what I'd like to think.

So anyway, we notice it's missing and go ahead and reorder it. There were still several weeks to go on construction, so this is no biggie. Right? WRONG.

I have *no* idea what the problem has been, but the tile took 4 weeks to show up. AND I had to drive over an hour round trip today to go pick it up (because they just couldn't have it delivered directly to my home. Bullshit).

I call the tile installation guy to let him know it's here. Now, this poor guy -- he's the sorriest hand-to-mouth motherfucker I've ever met. Every time I see him, he's begging me for another $50 "draw" on what I owe him for the job. Like $50 is gonna make a difference? Well, apparently for this guy, it's life or death if he has to wait to Monday for that freakin' check. But I'm getting off the subject...

So the tile guy is on his way here to stick the little booger tile up on the wall, when I have the brilliant idea that I'd better take it out of the 16 layers of bubble wrap they've got it in and just, like, verify that it's the right color and not broken or anything.

And lo and behold -- some shit-guzzling fucktarded moron has WRITTEN on the back of this GLASS tile in BLACK PERMANENT MARKER. Now, the tile itself isn't completely clear. But it IS translucent. And no matter what background I hold it up to, I can still see the indelible writing through the tile.

So now, after 30 minutes of scrubbing and soaking in alcohol and acetone, it's still there. I've called and told the tile guy to stay home. I've called the tile store, and of course the people in charge are gone to Atlanta for the day to a rug show. So I don't even get the cathartic pleasure of tearing someone a new one in my rage. The flunky who answers the phone is no good -- I want someone higher up on the food chain to sink my teeth into. Red meat, as it were.

The mind simply wobbles at the incompetence demonstrated throughout the whole process. And it's not so much that the missing tile is a huge inconvenience -- it's on an inconspicuous part of the backsplash over behind the least-used part of the counter, so the kitchen is totally functional without it.

No, what bugs me is that I have no idea when this crap is actually going to be *done*. I'm tired of having hairy guys in tank tops and torn camo pants traipsing through my house dripping sweat (which leaves a residue, BTW) on my hardwood floors.

Once the tile gets installed, it has to set overnight and then be grouted the next day (IF the tile guy is available). Then I've got to wait 72 hours and seal it. And because Hubby is paranoid about the marble, I've got to seal it again. And again. And again. And again. Yeah. Forget that the instructions say 2 treatments are all that any surface needs, and that it's guaranteed for 20 years. Hubby needs 5 layers of sealer on there. (Probably to ensure that the blood won't stain when he finally gets tired of putting up with my shit and lets me have it with the chef's knife one night.)

And this is just *one* thing on a list of about 20. AAAAAaaaaarrrrghhhh!!!

So I guess what I'm asking is, does anyone know how to get permanent marker off of a porous surface without damaging the finish? Something like TSP wouldn't work 'cause it would mar the colored side of the tile. Grrrrr.
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Incompetence at its Finest

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  • Pure acetone will wipe permanent marker off like it's from a dry erase marker. (We have solvent resistant sharpies at work- all they do is delay the inevitable erasure when acetone/ethanol drip on them.)

    Were you using rubbing alcohol (isopropanol)? How concentrated is it?

    Try paint thinner or bleach. (Not together.)
    • Sorry I skimmed... you said it's porous at the end of your entry. Is it glass or is it porous? (Glass is non-porous if it's made right.)

      My suggestions may mar the finish of something porous or anything that has any sort of chemical finish. Glass isn't likely to be harmed by any chemical you could throw at it that you can acquire through normal means.
      • Heck. . . many a tile is not made right, so it could be rough, porous, glass.

        robi
      • Thanks for all your suggestions.

        The alcohol is typical bottled rubbing alcohol (please remove chemist's hat and think "housewife" here -- that's what I have on hand and unpacked). And the acetone is... ahem... nail polish remover. :-)

        I should also note that I have worked with stained glass for years and make a practice of writing on glass with indelible markers and then getting it off after a project's completed. So it's not a mattter of not knowing how to get stuff off of glass -- it's this particular
        • The alcohol is typical bottled rubbing alcohol

          You could always distill it, though at that point it might just make more sense to bitch to the tile people. =0)
          • Oh believe me, bitching mode is certainly operative at this stage. Now we're haggling over getting it FedExed directly to my house vs. their store (~30 minutes away).

            And I've got my builder on the case, too. He's pretty pissed off at another customer of his, so maybe he'll take some of it out of the tile folks. And maybe they'll respect trying to keep his business more than mine (since I'm basically done being their customer at this point).

            Distill the rubbing alcohol. You're funny! :-)

            ....Bethanie...
    • Leave it to the pro chemist to give the answer. The stuff I've forgotten since I failed P. Chem. and decided this isn't where I want to spend my life:)
      • Yeah, I hadn't even thought about SW being a chemist. Of course she knows all the good stuff!

        I wasn't even expecting any legit answers. Oh, except for maybe the stupid "Dremel tool" ones. Sheesh!

        ....Bethanie....

  • Heh (Score:2)

    by ryanr ( 30917 ) *
    So now, after 30 minutes of scrubbing and soaking in alcohol and acetone, it's still there. I've called and told the tile guy to stay home. I've called the tile store, and of course the people in charge are gone to Atlanta for the day to a rug show. So I don't even get the cathartic pleasure of tearing someone a new one in my rage. The flunky who answers the phone is no good -- I want someone higher up on the food chain to sink my teeth into. Red meat, as it were.

    Heh, I'm pictuing you going to the tile pl
    • Color in the rest of the back to match?

      Uh, duh? What do I do for the other SIXTEEN that are already up on the wall?

      You're SUCH a guy!

      ....Bethanie....
  • Sorry to hear that, but I really am dying to know.

    What was written on the tile?
  • Incompetency seems to be a common theme nowadays. It really makes me wonder if things *were* so better back in the old days.

    Since moving out of an apartment and into a rented house, I've had my own fair share of things go wrong. From a tree getting blown over [technojunkie.org], to a furnace pilot light that likes to go out every now and then, to a toilet that occasionally will not stop running until I move the bobber up to shut off the valve (argh!), I've had my fair share of frustration.

    What is it with plumbers, by

    • Jackass plumber told me the equipment was so old that they'd have to just replace it all.

      Err...I hate to take off your rose colored glasses, but I think the guy knew what he was doing--he just wanted more money. These days, I'm surprised he didn't say you needed new walls so you'd hire his carpenter "friend"[1]. It seems the world is full of con-artists...

      [1] Really the same guy just wearing a different hat.

      • I'm surprised he didn't say you needed new walls so you'd hire his carpenter "friend"[1].

        Exactly. Because the opposing wall is exposed, he mentioned that he'd have to tear apart the wall, blah blah blah, and we'd have go have someone fix the wall. I'm glad I sent him on his way. The fact that he didn't at least look at the problem before coming to his conclusion speaks volumes of his credibility.

    • Well, given that this is all brand-spankin'-new construction, we should be able to avoid a lot of the problems you encounter with buying a "used" home. And we're fairly self-sufficient folks. Hubby knows how to do a lot of "stuff" and I'm willing to learn. As a matter of fact, my biggest gripe is feeling like I'm beholden to other people to get in here to do the work.

      Well, gotta go cook supper. I hate it when RL starts cutting in on my /.ing time!!

      ....Bethanie....
  • Beth, start taking slow deep breaths and begin counting to 10!
    1.....2.....3.....(you get the idea)*winks*

    Secondly...Try "Goof Off". I think you can get it at any hardware store. If that doesn't work, try lighter fluid, not starter fluid for the barbie and let it set for about an hour.

    I hope this helps. *smiles*
    • Having grew up in a sign shop, I can tell you how to get all kinds of stuff off all kinds of stuff.

      Depending on what KIND of permanent marker it is, "Goof Off" may work.

      Failing goof off, and I think it was Xerithane that mentioned pure acetone and you that said that it didn't work? try denatured alcohol solvent. Some marker is acetone based, some marker is alcohol based, and you'll never know which kind you have. Goof Off works in 90% of the cases, and either acetone or denatured alcohol will work in th
    • Secondly...Try "Goof Off"

      That stuff really does work. I shot Goofy full in the face with it on my last visit to Disney. Fucker won't try that again....

        • That stuff really does work. I shot Goofy full in the face with it on my last visit to Disney. Fucker won't try that again....
          • [ Reply to This ] *sighs*

          • Figures you wouldn't have anythng intelligent, informative and/or *funny* to say...and if I made you look really bad, then maybe you didn't look all that great in the first place.
        • Read my sig below, it really applies to people such as yourself. I think you can chalk yourself up in the same category as "Incompetence at it's finest". congratulations dr_dank!! You're a WINNER!

          And for Bethanie, I apologize for the flame-war in your journal.
          • No, problem, Evil. This obviously stems from some other thread that y'all have been having an exchange on... (Or maybe you secretly have a crush on one another.) *hee hee*

            To be honest, I thought his Goofy remark was really quite funny. Guess that's my sophomoric side showing, eh? :-)

            ....Bethanie....

              • (Or maybe you secretly have a crush on one another.) *hee hee*
                • *chuckles*

                • Nah...I think I'm just having a really bad day and my sense of humor went out the window, after opening it this morning. (Focus, I must look outside the box) ;-)

              By the way, speaking of which...How did your little problem come out (no pun intended - heehee) with the perma-marker on the tile?

              • No, marker did not come off. It soaked into the color layer on the back.

                So we're taking the head-to-head conflict route. No matter. I'm up for it!

                Oh, and FWIW, sometimes things outside the box are WAY overrated.

                ....Bethanie....
  • Permanent marker on hard surfaces: [tipking.com]
    You can either use simply a pencil eraser. This will remove the marker pen marks. It will not leave an eraser mark. Another method is toothpaste. Just rub the mark with toothpaste. Saves a lot of scrubbing and chemical smells.


    Hope it works!

    cy
    • Further Googling identified what seems so ingenious it must work. Take a Dry Erase marker (like for whiteboards) and trace over the the permanent ink, then before that ink dries, wipe it off with a dry cloth or paper towel.

    • Saves a lot of ... chemical smells.

      Obviously you've missed all the fun in doing home improvment.
    • ...rub the mark with toothpaste.

      Probably not the best idea, since most toothpaste is abrasive (very fine pumice, I think), and will mar the surface. It would likely take the color off the back of the tile.

      My brother and his family moved into a very nice new house about three months ago. It took two years to build (big house, very custom). The little stuff is behind them now, and they are very happy with the house.
      • We're in the same situation -- very custom house, (is ~3500 sq. ft. "big"? For some, it's a mansion, for others, a shack. For me -- just perfect!) but "only" took a year and change.

        Three months, hunh? I should only hope that the move-in process should happen that quickly. Thanks for the encouragement, though. I appreciate it! :-)

        ....Bethanie....
        • I would say that 3500 sq. ft. is big; I would say that theirs is a bit larger. Our house is only about 1400, since it was what we could afford when I was making less than a third of my current income (small, but will be paid for in seven or eight more years). Theirs is a bit larger, I think, something in the neighborhood of 5300-5500. They hired a fairly well-known architect to do the design, but ended up cutting a lot of the fancier (and really expensive) stuff from the plans. I think that square foota
          • See, 5500 sq. ft. w/ detached garage and guest house make our 13-acre estate look modest by comparison. And it's just a slightly modified stock plan [donaldagardner.com]. But, like I said, it's perfect for me/us.

            And a clarification -- the kitchen countertop is granite. Blue eyes granite [mainusmarble.com] (what else?) with little flecks of iridescent blue in it. Just gorgeous. Backsplash is the marble ("Carrara" on this page) [alistairmackintosh.co.uk] part.

            I know I'm gonna have to post some pix soon, but not until I'm a lot more settled in. Maybe have a little /. hou
            • Looks like a very nice house. Did you keep the long front porch? My grandparents' house had a porch something like that, though only to one side of the main entrance, and it was very nice for sitting on summer evenings.

              I like that granite. The blue flecks are neat. Please do post some pictures, once things are more settled.
              • Actually, we deepened the front porch from ~7 feet to 10 feet and made it concrete, so underneath it there's a ~50' long concrete "vault" in the basement.

                And there's a back deck, as well, which we extended to run the entire length of the house, and deepened to 12 feet. The portion directly off the Master BR is screened in, basically creating another room that is 12' x 14'.

                On the laundry room side, we ran a catwalk around the corner of the house that connects to the concrete apron outside the garage. S
  • Like $50 is gonna make a difference?

    In my neck of the woods $50 is a good chunk of change. I would guess for this guy it makes a big difference since he probably earns less than I do. It's all relative though. Not meaning to sound trollish. Just a thought. :)

  • Dremel. Tool. might work if your wallboard/whatever is dark, so you don't see any scratches or bubbles. At worst, you'll have a Dremel tool.

    paint thinner may work, too.

    • While I'm tempted to use any excuse to get myself a Dremel tool, this instance does not even qualify as an excuse.

      Do you realize what a Dremel tool does to glass?

      This wins the prize for worst suggestion. Even worse than coloring the entire back of the tile black to mask the writing.

      Bleah.

      ....Bethanie....
      • Hey! It's not like it's MY house we're talking about here. And you hafta admit, you'd have a dremel tool if you did it my way. ;->
        • I'm not worried about the Dremel. I'm sure Santa will probably be sticking one in my stocking this Xmas. Either that or a table saw. Or maybe a compound mitre saw.

          And I hope you take my comments in the lighthearted manner in which they were intended! ;-)

          ....Bethanie....
  • Laqueer thinner. Be very careful with it, as it will melt plastic, bubble paint etc [it is not acidic, just very powerful non oily solvent]. When I did construction I had a guy leave a $20 paintbrush in it over lunch [30 mins or so] and when it was lifted out of the bucket all of the bristles stayed in the bucket. You can find it at any paint/hardware/home center. If the tile was painted and not stained glass you probably shouldn't use it.
  • Cause this story sounds really similar to the Einsteins I've been dealing with lately.

    Except they call me sir, and tell me about their problems.

    (Jersey Accent) WhatamI, a friggin' Pyschiatrist over here? (/Jersey Accent)

    Seriously. Because I answered the phone does not give you the right to tell me about your day. I don't care.

    BTW, soon enough, those neanderthals will be gone, and you'll be loving your new digs. Patience, dear Bethanie...patience. Or, maybe Patients? As in, hey Doc, I'm loosing it h

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