Malatesta woodworks

Sep 2022

Scott Malatesta may be a competent woodworker, but he is not a trustworthy or responsible businessman. I inherited a beautiful mid-century modern dining set with table, chairs, and buffet. He refinished the table and chairs a few years ago, and this year (2022) I asked him to refinish the buffet. I'm the third generation to enjoy this set, and I was hoping to leave it to my heirs--but it's not a set anymore!The buffet is MUCH darker than the table, and Scott has not taken responsibility. He has blamed the wood (they are made from the same wood) and bleaching from the sun (the table isn't in the sun), and his constant refrain is "I used the same stain." He should have noticed as he was working that the results were much darker than the original or at least that the exterior was much darker than the interior. Scott eventually said that he would have to strip it back down and redo it. I agreed and offered to send a table leaf for reference, but now he's not even responding to email. I'm afraid my next step is small claims court.