In the world of industrial painting, following the right set of instructions can be the difference between a job well done and a rusted disaster.

When their boss insisted on following a “the customer is always right” attitude, the result was a foregone conclusion.

Read on for the full story.

They wanted me to use water based paint on metal i did

I work as an industrial painter (I paint machinery).

Typically when ever I get a job, they tell me what paint to use and color, but on this very day I got an atypical job.

The customer wanted me to use water based paint (latex) on a carbon steel job.

He raised red flags immediately with his boss.

Now I went to my boss and told her this won’t work because this paint will make it rust.

But she said, “I don’t care, just use the paint. They’re going to be here next week.”

He says ok, but makes sure to get her response in writing.

I got her to write down the paint I was to use with her signature and said sure.

If you don’t understand, putting water on a rustable metal is generally a bad idea, as rust ruins not only the paint job but possibly weakening the metal itself.

I did my job. After a day of prep work, I painted it and let it sit for a couple of days to dry and cure.

The result was predictable…

A week after that, she came up to me expressing how it looks horrible as the rust was showing through the metal.

I said I followed your instructions to the letter and told her again that water and air will make metal rust.

The boss admitted she was wrong and listens to his advice this time.

After a little back and forth, she conceded that she was in the wrong but asked how do we fix it.

Best option: sand blast it get all the paint off and use an oil based paint (it was enamel) too.

She got me the sand I needed and now she trusts me when I say it’s not going to work it won’t work.

At least everyone learned their lesson.

What did Reddit have to say?

This commenter points out that a boss with humility is a rarity.

The boss should have seen this coming.

A common theme runs across this subreddit.

This commenter in the same line of work says asking for something in writing usually shuts everything down.

The boss now knows that when it comes to the job at hand, it’s better to stick to the basics.

Rust speaks louder than words.

If you liked this post, check out this story about an employee who got revenge on a co-worker who kept grading their work suspiciously low.