Carpet cut out too big for floor boxes...what to do?

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georgestolz said:
Nothing at all, and I have deleted a few comments along those lines.

This is about carpets, who cuts the hole, and what the original poster should do about his predicament, leave the union stuff out of it.
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dangit. I thought I was gonna get to learn something here about the blessings, virtues and pitfalls of union vs nonuinion carpet holes.
 
The reason carpet guys only cut X's in the carpet is because we let them. If you had the opportunity to run all of your conduit and cabling in the ceiling unsupported, and then said it's the ceiling guy's responsibility, don't you think most would try to get away with it. Just as there are times when we have to get cut sheets for fixtures, equipment and gear, let the floor guys get a cut sheet for the proper trimming of carpet or flooring. Why should we have to do other trades' work? I would tell the GC "why would I tell the guy to cut to the cover when I know better? It's a shame that he isn't bright enough to figure his own "trade" out, but that's not my problem." I would help resolve the problem, but would be getting paid to do so, or the carpet guy can install new carpet.

Sparky, you are not at fault one bit.
 
charlie tuna said:
i would never give another trade a cover--thats asking for trouble. all the floor outlets we ever installed the carpet people would cut a small "X" over the outlet and we would trim the carpet. sounds like you need to visit the local sheet metal shop and have some stainless steel goof rings or flanges made... who pays for them will be up in the air????
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Or go to Hobby Lobby and have mahogony frames made. Will look classy:cool:
 
get a price on the "goof rings" -- call the gc and get him to approve the purchase cost of them to be passed onto the carpet contractor. you will have to untrim and retrim the outlets to install the rings. kind of split the costs???
 
charlie tuna said:
get a price on the "goof rings" -- call the gc and get him to approve the purchase cost of them to be passed onto the carpet contractor. you will have to untrim and retrim the outlets to install the rings. kind of split the costs???
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kind of split the costs..NOT!! This is why EC's are looked upon as pushovers. If we install something wrong, do we ever get paid for redoing it...I never have. If we pull the wrong size conductors to a piece of equipment on the verbal info suppplied by others, do we get paid for fixing it? I don't think so. Missing a neutral to an ice tea brewer...so sad, too bad we are told by the GC.

It doesn't matter if a plate was left or not, everyone has a job to do, and to do it properly. If they didn't want to take the time to check for the proper measurements, well tough luck for them. After all, a plate was left, maybe they should have checked after the first cut. It's not like checking the fit would even been as complicated as tying your shoes. We as EC's far too often take it upon ourselves to do everything possible to make the job go smoothly and everyone else's job easier. While this is commendable, it isn't profitable. I never see other contractors get led by their noses and kicked in the butt by the GC the way the EC's usually are. If fact, I bet dollars to doughnuts that the carpet contractor will even get paid to repair his screwed up work.

My take on it is that you had nothing to do with cutting carpet, and therefore it's not your problem to worry about without compensation. Now with that said, you might want to start documenting your conversations with the GC about this. After all, they have your money, and they may want to try to backcharge you for "your mistake".
 
Wow, i am glad i ran across this. I am onsite PM on a project we got 1500 floor boxes to put in. Just something else to think about
 
lanowets said:
Wow, i am glad i ran across this. I am onsite PM on a project we got 1500 floor boxes to put in. Just something else to think about
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Just think how much money you may have saved your contractor. If your estimated labor hours included trimming the carpet, you could simply give the GC a cut sheet for the boxes, and instruct them (in writing) to forward to the flooring contractor. This way you will look like you are a proactive, responsible, caring PM. If your hours didn't include the trimming, by broaching the subject now, by providing a cut sheet, you may head off a confrontation later when the trimming has to be done by your guys in order to stay ahead of schedule. Either way, 1500 boxes X 15 min to trim X labor rate is a lot of money that you will either save or pay depending on who trims the flooring. I bet that the flooring contractor doesn't even know anything about your floor boxes, and will try anything to get out of trimming the carpet.
 
The Electrician Should Not Cut Carpet Period!!!!!

The Electrician Should Not Cut Carpet Period!!!!!

nakulak said:
dangit. I thought I was gonna get to learn something here about the blessings, virtues and pitfalls of union vs nonuinion carpet holes.
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Like in the army DO NOT VOLENTEER FOR ANYTHING you are not a carpet contractor so dont try to be one!!
 
romexking said:
The reason carpet guys only cut X's in the carpet is because we let them.
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I couldn't agree more. The carpet guy would skip cutting the X too if you let him. We tell the GC that we don't cut carpet, just like we don't cut electric lock sets into $5000 Mahogany doors either. That's the other trade's job not ours.

Regarding carpet, the stuff isn't titanium. A good carpet guy should be able to patch the carpet by removing a piece around the box and installing a new one with the proper sized cutout. He created the mess let him fix it.
 
I appreciate all your repsonses. We're past playing the blame game. Its pretty obvious that the carpet guy screwed up. He says that because the carpet is over pad and not glue down, that cutting out the carpet and replacing it would not be a workable permanent solution. I'm trying to help out the super so that he doesn't have to face the nightmare of replacing the carpet.
I had my warehouse salesman contact wiremold....they don't have anything to help. So I'm looking to you all again. Does anyone know of an existing product that will fix this?
 
sparky76 said:
Does anyone know of an existing product that will fix this?
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Man, this really stinks for all of you. My next choice would be to get a quote from a local sheet metal shop or fabrication shop about making you some oversized goof rings out of brass or whatever the metal finish is, and sandwich that goof ring between the actual Wiremold cover and the carpet. I know it's not really your problem to solve, but it is big of you to take ownership of the issue. It would be easy to say, "carpet guys problem, see ya later", but that might not always be the appropriate posture.
 
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