Contractor Issue - What Would You Do?

[LifeIsGood]

A few weeks ago we had our hardwood floors refinished. The floors looked great and we wrote the final check - ~$15,000 total. The contract included repainting the shoe molding & baseboards. Right after that I started building a shelving project and discovered that a new gallon of Sherwin /Williams Duration gloss white paint ($98) was missing from my basement. The contractor was working on another job in my neighborhood so I met face to face and asked him if he used my paint. He admitted that he used it to paint my baseboards and shoe moulding. He got irritated with me and said "I'll have a gallon of paint on your porch tomorrow" and marched off. It's been 2 weeks and no paint. I emailed him 3 days ago about the matter but no response.
I'm a bit torn about what to do. My initial instinct is to post on social media just telling the story like I did above. What would you do?

[jebmke]

Take him out of my contact list and move along.

[Kagord]

It's a trivial amount, assuming the work was good, I wouldn't post on social media, risk/reward ratio is not there.

[KESP]

Agree with the above comments. Don’t start a war over this, even though it was pretty unprofessional. I would share with people face to face about your experience, just not online. If he had done a crappy job, my answer would be different.

[Sandtrap]

A few weeks ago we had our hardwood floors refinished. The floors looked great and we wrote the final check - ~$15,000 total. The contract included repainting the shoe molding & baseboards. Right after that I started building a shelving project and discovered that a new gallon of Sherwin /Williams Duration gloss white paint ($98) was missing from my basement. The contractor was working on another job in my neighborhood so I met face to face and asked him if he used my paint. He admitted that he used it to paint my baseboards and shoe moulding. He got irritated with me and said "I'll have a gallon of paint on your porch tomorrow" and marched off. It's been 2 weeks and no paint. I emailed him 3 days ago about the matter but no response.
I'm a bit torn about what to do. My initial instinct is to post on social media just telling the story like I did above. What would you do?

the product was used for your project.
Used paint cans routinely picked up and put in the truck during cleanup, or left on the job for the owner, is unknown.

did you specifically ask before and during the project that all unused paint was to be left for you?

Either way, disregard.
j

[Scubadude]

Take him out of my contact list and move along.

100% Correct, nothing else to say.

[snackdog]

$98/$15,000 = 0.6%. Is that worth your trouble?

I would be angrier about someone charging me $15,000 for floor work. How many thousands of square feet was it? We did most of a house in the Bay area a few years ago for $4,000.

[Carguy85]

I read this as I was taking a break from painting 500ft of base and door trim with a gallon of left over sherwin williams from the basement from when our house was built. . Any chance there was a misunderstanding of what paint to use? How would he know you had a gallon of paint stored away otherwise? Anyhow it’s unfortunate that you found a contractor that did a good job on an apparently large flooring job that you no longer will be able to use if needed over a gallon of paint. As a side note, I regret having made a mountain over a mole hill on a few things regarding our home build years ago. Looking back those were extremely minor issues that would have had the same resolution had I not gotten worked up. Overall an excellent experience. Thankfully the builder still talks to us years later.

[lthenderson]

What did your contract say? Did it include paint? Was the can of paint in your basement discussed or talked about prior to you noticing it missing?

Assuming paint was included in the contracted price and that it was never discussed, I would so as several others suggest upthread. I would remove him as a future contact for the dishonesty and move on with my life. It isn't worth starting a verbal war on social media over it. A dishonest contractor might be more than willing to spread dishonesty about you right back in social media.

[barnaclebob]

I'd have rolled my eyes and been happy the work was good.

Did your $98 cost include the perpetual 30-40% sales that Sherwin Williams has? That cost sounds high but its been several years since i bought paint from them.

[yankees60]

What did your contract say? Did it include paint? Was the can of paint in your basement discussed or talked about prior to you noticing it missing?

Assuming paint was included in the contracted price and that it was never discussed, I would so as several others suggest upthread. I would remove him as a future contact for the dishonesty and move on with my life. It isn't worth starting a verbal war on social media over it. A dishonest contractor might be more than willing to spread dishonesty about you right back in social media.

That would be my position.

[cheese_breath]

Life's too short to worry about a gallon of paint. Just exclude him from any future projects you may have.

[bluebirdy]

Hmm I wouldn't post on social media about it. Just move on with my life and not use him again nor recommend him to others.

[privateer79]

I would read the contract (which presumably was ambiguous on this point)
work myself up over him using my paint and not getting a color matched gallon.
then go to the gym and lift heavy things until I wasn't angry any more. *

*alternatively go for a good jog until my legs or lungs were dead.

[FeralCat]

If you still are leaning towards using social media for this, my advice is to give yourself a two week cooling-off period. The contractor violated a boundary so I understand your perspective, but don't think the problem is big enough to be publicized. Do you know whether the contractor billed you for paint? If you weren't charged for paint then the crime seems less severe.

[Mr. Rumples]

If the contractor did not put in writing that he took it and without other proof, let it go. It's one thing to put out on social media that the job was bad, or that they were rude, but allegations of theft- which is criminal - are different. If there is something in writing, make a complaint in writing to the agency which regulates these companies. In VA, that would be the Dept. of Professional and Occupational Regulation.

BTW, are they properly licensed? I had one contractor bid on a job and he wasn't; so I moved to another, but thereto would be grounds for complaint.

It's quite possible it was taken in the cleanup, just like I often find contractors leave things and then I had to call them to come back by to get their property; not something nefarious. Alas, the contractor did not honor his word to make it right, but that's part of life.

[biscuit5]

The contractor violated a boundary...

awkward. Makes one wonder what else the guy took (??) and if this is routine at his job sites.

Thankfully its only $98, but....

[LifeIsGood]

Thanks everyone for your feedback.
To answer/clarify a couple of issues raised:
The job involved refinishing 1,929 sq ft of hardwood flooring, stain and 4 coats of clear finish.
It also included refinishing 16 steps and removal & replacement of 81 wood balusters with metal ones.
The contract showed a single price for each item and didn't separate materials from labor.
Specifically on the shoe mould/base : 551 lf of white primed shoe/molding installation. Painting all shoe/molding trim color.
I needed the white paint for my project and couldn't wait for a coupon (which I normally do) hence the $98 price tag.
The $98 out of pocket won't affect my life and the few jobs that I could have provided a referral for won't change the contractor's life so I guess we're even.

[8foot7]

If he used it for your project, then I’d let it go.
If he took it from you to use for another project, I’d post a negative review.

[an_asker]

I don't think OP's issue is about what it was bought for and what it was used for. I think the issue was for its use without being told it would be used.

That said, I agree with the responses - forget the $98, forget the contractor, move on!

[Doom&Gloom]

Of all the things a contractor and his crew could do on my property, using a gallon of my paint on my own project wouldn't be a blip on my radar. I'm generally extremely anal about people using my "stuff," but a gallon of paint doesn't even fall into that category for me.

[FellsGuy]

If you are OK with 15k to sand the floors then at least you know he used good paint for the trim…I’d just move on I certainly wouldn’t chase him around on this not worth your time.