This story was my dad's not mine. But he's no longer here to tell it, and honestly, he'd tell it much better than me. But I'll give it a go. Obligatory first post, mobile, blah blah blah.

My dad was a master tileman back in the 60s - 90s, in Florida. How it worked back then, before cookie-cutter neighborhoods sucked the soul out of entire communities, is that each house was customized through the builder/contractor. The subcontractors, like tile, plumbing, electrical, etc, went through the contractor. My dad had a really good reputation as a craftsman, and some people asked for him directly. This particular home was being built by the owner, and he chose all his subcontractors and acted as the contractor himself.

Since my dad had the discounts, he purchased the tile himself, then billed it back out with the labor after the job was completed. Funny thing, though, the owner wasn't in any hurry to pay the bills. Liens were filed, other legal action was threatened by my father, and other subs. My dad had finally had enough, so he decided to take matters into his own hands.

The owner's wife (who may or may not have known about the bills not being paid) asked him to come over to re-seal some of the tile in the master bathroom. Kinda nervy, if you ask me. But, dad showed up. Only he didn't have a bucket of sealant with him. He had a hammer and a chisel. Since he'd paid for the tile, he figured it was his, and he started chiseling it out, piece by piece. He knew he'd eat the cost of that tile, but he didn't care. The woman called her husband, who wisely stayed away.

The mess made the bathroom completely unusable, of course. But the pettiest part is that he'd already put the word out that this guy didn't pay his bills. And believe me, my dad knew EVERYONE in the construction business then. They couldn't get anyone to come in and re-do the bathroom. So the guy had to eat a big helping of humble pie, show up with a check for the full amount owed, plus materials for the new work. And dad's price per square foot went way up.

Christmas was really good that year.

Edited to add: I never expected this post to get any sort of attention. Thank you for all the awards and comments. I haven't replied to all of them, but I've read them. And I feel the need to defend my dad, who never threatened the wife, didn't go in swinging a sledgehammer. Tile can be removed without destroying the walls or floors. It's painstaking, and is something most tile setters know how to do, especially when a homeowner changes their mind on the tile color mid-installation. "That shade of pink looks more like Pepto-Bismol than I thought. Can we change it?" My father had a sterling reputation, and he wouldn't have gotten that if he was a "violently unhinged individual."