Garage sale fondue pot? Man, that's playing with fire in the worst way. Frayed cord and bubbling cheese is a recipe for disaster, I'm surprised the breaker was the only thing that tripped. And the cat knocking it over on top of everything else, that's just cruel comedy. Bet that rug is never gonna smell right again. You got lucky nobody got hurt, honestly. Probably for the best she bolted, allergic to the kitchen is her problem.

That "looked like two driveways glued together" line got me. Homeowners always spot the weirdest stuff, like they have radar for trowel changes. I had a guy measure the seam between pours with a tape measure once. If it's off by a hair, they'll let you know for years. Matching tools is the only way to go, learned that the hard way too.

Did you ever try dropping to like 10 inHg and just taking lighter passes? I used to crank vacuum thinking more hold equals better cut, but thin stock taught me the opposite real fast.