c/diy-and-home

Caught myself painting over polyurethane for years without sanding first

Last weekend I was refinishing a dresser from Goodwill and the paint just peeled off in sheets. My buddy who does this for a living walked in, laughed, and asked if I ever bothered to sand before painting. Turns out I had been painting right over the factory polyurethane this whole time, no wonder my projects never lasted. Has anyone else had that moment where you realized you skipped a basic step on every single project?

Finally painted over that hideous 1970s paneling in my hallway and it took 3 coats but the difference is night and day

Tried the cheap grout sealer from the hardware store and got a weird surprise

I used the $8 grout sealer spray from the big box store on my kitchen backsplash last month. After three weeks, the grout started turning a yellowish color in spots where water splashes. Called the store and they said that brand just does that sometimes with lighter grout. Anyone else have this happen or is there a better sealer under $15 that actually works?

Can we talk about the cost of lumber right now?

I was pricing out a simple garden shed kit at Lowe's in Atlanta last week and almost fell over. A 2x4x8 that was $3.50 in 2020 is now $8.29. Has anyone else just stopped a project because the materials cost more than the finished thing is worth?

Picked up a tip from a tile guy about grout haze

Overheard a tile guy at the hardware store say to use white vinegar and a microfiber cloth for grout haze instead of those expensive cleaners. Tried it on my bathroom floor last weekend and it worked way better than the $15 bottle I bought before. Anyone got a trick for stubborn haze that's been sitting for days?

Visited a friend's new house and they flipped their entire kitchen layout upside down - bold or crazy?

I was over at a buddy's place last weekend in Portland, he just bought a 1970s ranch and decided to move the sink to where the stove was and put the dishwasher on the opposite wall. It cost him about $4,200 in plumbing reroutes alone just to make it work. On one hand I get it, he wanted a bigger island and nothing else made sense with the original layout. But on the other hand I feel like you can only fight the existing bones of a house so much before you're just throwing money at problems. He says the flow is way better now for cooking with his wife, but I kept tripping over the peninsula that sticks out two feet further than before. Has anyone else taken on a full kitchen layout change and regretted the hassle or loved the result?

I finally tried cheap vinyl plank vs mid-range for my basement floor

I did a 200 square foot test patch in my basement with $1.49 a square foot stuff from Menards and then another patch with $3.29 stuff from a flooring supply place. The cheap stuff started peeling at the seams after 2 months, no joke. Anyone else find that spending a bit more upfront saves the headache of redoing it later?

The time I tried to fix a leaky pipe and made it 10x worse

I was under my kitchen sink last Saturday trying to tighten a p-trap that was dripping on all my cleaning supplies. Hand tightened it and thought it was fine, but then water started spraying everywhere when I turned the faucet back on. Turns out I cracked the old PVC pipe just by wiggling it too much. My whole cabinet floor was soaked and I had to run to Lowe's at 8pm for a replacement section. The guy at the plumbing aisle, Dave, actually helped me pick the right cement and showed me how to cut the pipe straight. Took me about two hours to replace that one little section and now it's bone dry. Has anyone else had a simple fix turn into a full Saturday disaster?

My plumber neighbor changed my mind about PEX vs copper in 10 minutes flat

I was dead set on using copper for my basement reno because that's what my dad used, but my neighbor Jim came over last Saturday and showed me how he fixed a burst pipe in his own house with PEX in under 20 minutes. He said a 50 foot roll of PEX costs about $40 and a crimp tool is under $30, so I'd save over $200 on materials alone. Has anyone else switched from copper to PEX and regretted it down the line, or am I overthinking this?

My neighbor swore duct tape could fix a leaky pipe, so I tried it on a pinhole in my basement.

Held for a solid 4 hours, then sprayed water all over my utility room at 2 AM. Has anyone else had a cheap fix actually last longer than that?

Heard a neighbor say her 1950s house still has the original plaster walls and it got me thinking

I was at a block party last Saturday and this lady named Carol mentioned her house has all the original horsehair plaster from when it was built in 1952. She said it's still in great shape with barely any cracks. I've got drywall in my 1990s house and it feels like every nail pop or corner crack is a constant battle. Over the years I've patched the same ceiling corner three times and it still shows. Plaster just seems tougher somehow, like it can take a beating and hold up better. Makes me wonder if maybe we traded long term durability for cheaper and faster building methods. Has anyone here owned an old plaster house and a modern drywall one? Which one gave you less headaches over time?

Cut my hand bad trying to open a stuck window last month

Was at my grandma's old house in St. Louis trying to get the kitchen window unstuck after years of paint sealing it shut. Used a putty knife wrong and slipped, needed 4 stitches at urgent care. Anyone got tips for breaking old painted windows loose without ending up in the ER?

Just swapped my old bristle brush for a silicone caulk smoother on the bathroom trim

Used to fight with rippled caulk lines and endless tape cleanup, but that $4 silicone tool from the hardware aisle gave me a perfect bead in half the time last weekend, anyone else ditch the old methods for cheap little gadgets?

Rant: Should you really paint kitchen cabinets without sanding first?

My buddy Tom said he used a liquid deglosser on his oak cabinets last weekend, skipped the sanding, and they look great. I swear by at least 220-grit sanding before primer, so which side is cutting corners and which is actually fine?

Spent 3 hours caulking baseboards the wrong way

I painted my living room last month and thought I'd be smart and caulk the baseboards after painting. Big mistake. The caulk wouldn't stick to the fresh paint and I ended up with a smeary mess. Had to scrape it all off and start over. Next time I'm doing the caulk first, then painting over it like a normal person. Anyone else learn this the hard way or am I just slow?

Thought those $10 smart plugs were junk, now I'm a believer

I bought a 4-pack of Kasa outlets on clearance at Walmart thinking they'd fail in a week. Three months later they've survived my garage dust and a power surge that took out another device. Has anyone else had cheap smart gear actually outlast the expensive stuff?

That time I tried to fix a squeaky floorboard and made it worse

I was in my hallway last Saturday, stepping over this one spot that's been driving me crazy for months. Figured I'd just screw it down from the top using some deck screws I had in the garage. Ended up hitting a pipe under the subfloor and had to cut a hole in the ceiling downstairs to patch it up. Took me three trips to Lowes and about 30 bucks in drywall supplies to undo the mess I made. Anyone else ever tackle a simple fix and end up with a whole new project?

Found a giant hole behind my bathroom vanity last weekend

Pulled out the old vanity to replace it and discovered the previous owner just drywalled over a hole the size of a basketball. Anyone else find nightmare surprises hiding in their house that make you question everything?

Ripped out a wall and found out my house has no insulation in that section...

I was tearing down a closet wall in my 1950s bungalow last Saturday to add shelving, and the whole cavity was just empty. Turns out builders back then only insulated exterior walls, not interior ones... I lost a whole day rethinking my plan and patching drywall. Has anyone else found weird surprises behind their walls?

Finally gave up on drop cloths after that disaster at the hardware store parking lot

I was painting my living room last Saturday and hauled all my gear to the parking lot at Home Depot on Elm Street to load up. Spilled a full gallon of Behr paint on the pavement because my cheap plastic drop cloth slipped right off the roof of my car. That $35 mess made me realize I've been fighting with those flimsy things for years. I spent $60 on a heavy canvas tarp that same day and it stayed put through two coats of primer without a single wrinkle or leak. Has anyone else switched to canvas and found it actually saves you cleanup time in the long run?

Stripped a screw head in a stud and spent 4 hours fixing it

I was hanging some heavy shelves in my living room in Austin last weekend, using these nice black brackets I found on sale. Everything was going fine until I hit a knot in the stud and my screwdriver just spun right out of that Phillips head... stripped it clean. Tried the rubber band trick, the extra pressure trick, even tried a left-handed drill bit but it just bounced off. Ended up having to cut a hole in the drywall with a jab saw to get a pair of vice grips on the screw body. After all that, I had to patch the drywall and repaint a spot the size of my fist. Has anyone else had to resort to cutting their wall open over a stubborn screw?

Spent $150 on a cheap paint sprayer, got a total mess instead of smooth walls

I figured I'd save time painting my living room and grabbed a budget HVLP sprayer from the hardware store. But man, it spattered paint everywhere and clogged up after 10 minutes. Ended up spending another $60 on better brushes to fix the mistakes. Has anyone else had luck with these things or should I just stick to rollers?

That $40 tile cutter from the big box store was a total bust

Picked up a manual tile cutter for a bathroom floor project last month. Figured it'd handle the small ceramic tiles fine. First few cuts were okay. Then the blade drifted and snapped a tile right in half. Had to buy a proper wet saw for $150 instead. Should've just rented one from the start. Anyone else get burned on cheap tile tools?

Warning: Do not buy those $60 magnetic screw holders on Amazon

Picked up a set of those magnetic wristbands and trays for a duct job in Phoenix. Spent 4 hours fishing screws out of return vents after they kept jumping off the magnets. Anyone else had these things fail on a metal ladder?

Spent 3 years ignoring a crack in my basement floor in Cleveland

I moved into this house in 2019 and noticed a hairline crack in the basement slab near the corner. Kept telling myself it was just settling and swept it under the rug. Last month after a heavy rain, I found water pooling down there and a 3/8 inch gap where the crack used to be. Anyone else just put off basement issues until they become a bigger problem?