I live in Georgia. There is no way she can go after them. It's not possible. They don't have any money and live from job to job and are feeding their families and if you took money from them or got a judgment they could end up in prison if not able to pay and unable to provide for their family. It would not be satisfying. In the end it really just can't be done by us who feel sorry for them and understand these economic times. They usually work for less than a big company. They are not bad people just unfortunate people. There have been times when I have had to adjust my thinking to it being more or less a "donation" not that I can afford it but I can certainly afford it more than they can and have had in the past a better life. When you know the people and have used them before and had no problems with them it's not easy to haul them into court. I am happy that OP is not going that route even though she has been terribly wronged and certainly justified. Sometimes we get our reward in other ways. It's part of life and I am so very sorry this happened and hope that it will come out with some of the remedies presented. If not, I so feel your pain having had similar things happen to me on several occasions. It's no fun being the brunt of carelessness but sometimes the protracted route of going after people just make our stress level even worse and will end up the same anyway with you resolving it yourself. Here's to hoping it will all work out and that the paint will come out or be able to be covered up. I am sick about this for you.

I'm glad you're up for this. You won't have any problems. When you mix up the concrete, the temptation is always to add too much water because it makes the mixing easier. Use the proportions given on the bag, and add water slowly. If it gets too moist, just add a little more dry mix. Below is a link to a 30 second video that shows you what you will be aiming for. Even though you will be using sand mix, and not regular concrete, you are still aiming for the consistency shown in the video. Also, you don't need much volume of concrete so start with a small batch. When the consistency is right, go around and force it into the cracks, leveling off with the trowel. Don't worry about it running under the foundation or putting pressure on it: the odds of that happening are slightly less than me getting elected as next Pope. Here is a link that might be useful: Concrete working consistency

AND.....the hits keep coming............ I have not seen any further activity in the house. I keep checking...but nothing. Holding my breath but hopeful. HOWEVER...today I decided to clean out my shed. It is an all wood 8x12 structure that I built myself in the corner of my backyard. It is built upon four 6x6 posts (embedded in concrete) and is four (to six) inches above the ground (suspended). I had a large hardwood tabletop and a big piece of butcher block countertop stored in there. As I was removing items I noticed a large blemish on the tabletop. I thought I might have scarred it with a bicycle that I'd had hanging next to it. Nope....termites. I pulled the tabletop (and butcher block) away from the wall and they were prettly well chewed up. I soaked them with bug killer (because I didn't want to unleash live insects into the wild) and hauled them to the curb. Then I noticed that tremites had chewed up the plywood inner wall of the shed. Mud tubes (might as well be..mud WALLS) were erected in the corner of the shed. One single mud tube went all the way to the ceiling. It had all been hidden by that giant tabletop. There was damage in one other area as well....and I could HEAR the termites munching away. The damage is pretty harsh but IS salvageable (and does not appear to be structural). I doused all the affected areas with Termiticide. The termites also munched on other pieces of scrap project wood I'd been storing in there. I trenched around the back and side of the shed and (in the back) found a LIVE cluster of termites and mud tubes centered around some decorative stones I'd placed around the base of the shed. This area is CONSTANTLY moist (due to rain and shade). I soaked the trench in termiticide (including the backfill) and will complete the treatment for the front and other side tomorrow. I am exhausted. If anyone else has gone through this...I feel your pain. The destruction of these little buggers is unreal. I am confident I can patch my shed up...but man....what a frustrating pest to deal with. Cheers.

I am sorry you are having these problems. While sanding is important, I used a "no sanding necessary" primer (Zinsser) about 20 years ago on old kitchen cabinets that I put in my laundry room and one bathroom vanity. Over all, it has held up very well - though I admit neither room gets the wear and tear of a kitchen. Also, the original cabinet surface, while finished, was not glossy. The primer did take several days to cure and was initially easy to chip, but eventually hardened up. This does not help your issues with brush marks etc, but lack of sanding does not necessarily mean the paint will chip off totally. Even well done painted over finished wood cabinets experience the need for touch ups which is why I consider painting over previously finished wood cabinets to be a stop gap measure while saving for new cabinets to replace worn cabinets. With touch ups the cabinets can be presentable for many years as it can take some time for many to save up for new cabinets. I do have two friends with new white custom kitchen cabinets - both have chips on the pull out trash - so even expensive painted kitchens can need occasional touch ups. Even when the paint job comes out wonderfully, I usually caution against expensive counters / backsplash on painted over previously finished wood cabinets. Often, the paint job does not hold up over the long haul (> 5 years) and new cabinets become necessary - then the new counters and backsplash are wasted. If you plan on continuing improvements - keep them sensible and low cost - laminate counters rather than stone. You can have a sweet and functional kitchen without spending a fortune. If your layout is good, and your cabinet boxes in excellent condition, you could consider refacing in several years. it is great your cabinets are so tall. I hope you are able to get a discount and or repairs to your present paint job - but the kitchen is looking pretty:)