c/diy-and-home

Tried painting my bathroom with cheap primer and the whole thing peeled off in sheets after 3 days

Had to strip every inch of the walls down to drywall and start over after I skimped on a $12 can of Kilz at Lowes, has anyone else had the same thing happen with budget primers?

Can we talk about those fancy self-leveling compounds?

I was dead set against spending $35 a bag on self-leveling compound for my bathroom floor in Akron, figured a little extra sanding would fix my mistakes. Two hours into trying to level a 6x8 space with regular thinset and a straight edge, I gave in and bought the good stuff. Has anyone else fought this losing battle or am I just stubborn?

That week I tried to refinish a dresser with just a sander and hope

Last spring I spent six whole evenings sanding a solid oak dresser I found for $40 at a garage sale near me, only to realize I'd skipped stripping the old varnish first. The finish came out patchy and rough, and I ended up having to redo the whole thing with chemical stripper anyway. Has anyone else learned a basic step the hard way on a project?

Took 3 tries to fix a squeaky stair tread with WD-40 before I learned the right trick

Last month I spent a whole afternoon spraying WD-40 on a loose stair tread in my hallway. It worked for like a day then got worse. Found out from a carpenter friend that you need to use construction adhesive and screw it in from the side, not the top. Anyone else deal with squeaky stairs and find a fix that actually sticks?

Appreciation post: My 20 year old drill press finally gave out on me last night

I was drilling a 3/8 inch hole in some oak for a shelf bracket when the old Craftsman started smoking and seized up completely. It was my grandpa's from the 80s and I'd been using it on this barnwood project in Grand Rapids. Anyone have luck fixing old belt-driven motors or should I just look at a new tabletop model?

Nearly ruined my kitchen floor until I swapped from a mop to a flat microfiber system

After three years of mopping with a bucket and sponge and still seeing grimy corners, I switched to a spray mop with washable pads and honestly the difference in how clean the grout lines look is night and day, has anyone else made that switch and regretted not doing it sooner?

I finally fixed that leaky pipe under my sink after six months of ignoring it

Washed dishes last Tuesday and heard dripping, crawled under there and found a puddle soaking the particle board shelf. Tightened a slip nut with a pair of channel locks and it's been dry since, makes me wonder what else I'm putting off.

The rechargeable work light I swore was a gimmick is now the only light I use

The time I tried to fix a toilet with a potato and a prayer

Last Saturday my toilet started running nonstop at 2 AM. I watched a YouTube video that said to check the flapper but I didn't have a replacement. Stared at a bag of potatoes on the counter and thought hey I could wedge one in there to stop the water flow. Worked for about 20 minutes until the potato disintegrated and clogged everything. My wife woke up to me elbow deep in brown water at 3 AM laughing like an idiot. Anyone else try something totally dumb under pressure and regret it immediately?

Tried spray foam vs fiberglass in my attic last month and the difference is wild

I was tired of my upstairs being freezing in winter and hot in summer so I decided to reinsulate part of my attic in Nashville. Did half with standard fiberglass batts like I've always done and the other half with closed cell spray foam I rented a kit for. The foam side holds temp way better even just after a few weeks, my utility bill dropped like $30 already. Only catch is the spray foam was a pain to clean up and cost about $200 more for the same square footage. Anyone else make the switch and see big savings on HVAC?

That trip to Home Depot on a Sunday broke me

I went to get a new shower head last weekend (around 2pm) and the line for the pro desk was wrapped around the aisle. 30 minutes just to cut a key for a rental unit. Has anyone else given up on weekend hardware store runs?

Just realized I was cutting crown moulding upside down for 6 months

I kept getting gaps in my corners and couldn't figure out why until a carpenter friend saw me at the miter saw and said my piece was flipped. Has anyone else tripped over this or am I the only one who missed this basic rule?

My neighbor Frank saw me painting trim with a brush and just handed me a 4 inch mini roller without saying a word.

Two hours of work got cut down to forty five minutes and now I can't believe I spent 6 years doing baseboards with a stupid angled brush like a caveman, has anyone else had a random neighbor just walk up and change your whole approach to something?

Had to tear out my bathroom floor when the subfloor rotted out last month

I noticed a soft spot near the toilet in my bathroom about 3 weeks ago. After pulling up the tile I found the plywood was completely rotten from a slow leak over maybe 2 years. Ended up cutting out a 4x5 foot section of subfloor and replacing it with new 3/4 inch exterior grade plywood. The whole job cost me around $150 in materials but took 2 full days of work. Has anyone else dealt with hidden water damage like this? What did you use to seal the new subfloor before tiling?

I finally caved and bought a $30 paint sprayer for my kitchen cabinets

Ngl I was sure it would just splatter everywhere and make a mess but after watching 4 YouTube videos I gave it a shot and the finish is actually smoother than brush strokes. Has anyone else had luck with those cheap HVLP sprayers from Harbor Freight?

Can we talk about those $30 smart plugs that claim to save on energy bills

I bought a 4-pack of these things for $30 at the hardware store thinking they'd cut my electric bill by 10% like the box promised. After two months of tracking, my bill stayed exactly the same and one plug stopped connecting to wifi entirely. Did anyone else get burned on these or did I just pick the wrong brand?

Found a trick for unclogging a bathroom sink with a shop vac and a rag

Last month my bathroom sink was draining super slow and I tried everything - boiling water, baking soda and vinegar, even that weird zip tool thing. Nothing worked for more than a day. Then my neighbor mentioned using a shop vac to suck out the clog. I just sealed the drain with a wet rag around the vac hose and let it run for about 30 seconds. Pulled out a nasty glob of hair and soap gunk that had been sitting there for probably 3 years. Has anyone else tried this method or got a better trick for sink clogs that won't come out the normal way?

That fancy tile leveling system everyone loves was a waste of money for my backsplash

I spent $60 on those spin levelers for my kitchen tile job in Nashville and regretted it the whole time. My standard spacers and a straight edge worked just as good on a 12x12 subway tile layout with no lippage issues. The clips kept snapping and I burned way too much time on cleanup. Has anyone else had better luck with these just on large format stuff?

That $30 paint sprayer I bought changed my mind about rolling

I spent 4 hours rolling my living room ceiling last weekend, and it looked awful... streaks everywhere. So I grabbed a cheap Wagner sprayer from Home Depot for $30 and did the same job in 45 minutes. The finish is way smoother too, no roller texture at all. Has anyone else switched to spraying and just can't go back to rolling main walls?

Rant: Why does everyone caulk baseboards before nailing them in?

I was helping my brother finish his basement last weekend and he insisted on caulking everything before the trim was even secured. Doesn't that just guarantee you'll crack the bead when you drive the nail? How do you pros handle the order of operations without making a mess?

Tried patching a hole in my drywall three times last Tuesday and it still looks like a crater.

Even bought the $14 mesh patch kit from Ace Hardware and followed every step on the YouTube tutorial but now I'm wondering if I should just hang a giant painting over it, has anyone else had this much trouble with spackle?

Picked laminate flooring over hardwood in my basement remodel

how the laminate was installed and how it actually performed after a few weeks

That contractor in Phoenix told me to skip prime and I paid for it

Had a guy named Mike who did my drywall patches last spring. He said primer was a waste of money on small repairs. I went with his advice and painted right over fresh joint compound. Three months later every patch has this weird flashing where the paint absorbed different. Had to sand it all down and start over. Cost me Friday and Saturday plus 40 bucks in extra paint. Anyone else deal with contractors giving bad shortcuts like this?

Spent $400 on a cheap laminate floor and it peeled up in 6 months

I thought I was being smart saving money on flooring for my spare bedroom. Picked up a budget laminate from a big box store for $400 total. It looked fine at first but after 6 months, the edges started peeling up at the seams. Now I have to rip it all out and replace it. The moisture in the room wasn't even bad, it just wasn't sturdy enough. I should have spent an extra $200 and gotten something decent. Has anyone else dealt with cheap flooring failing faster than expected?

Appreciation post: my neighbor Frank talked me into fixing my own window screens

I used to just pay the local handyman $45 a screen to replace them every time a kid threw a ball through one. But last summer Frank saw me wheeling four busted screens out to the curb and stopped me. He said "Nora, that's $180 you're tossing plus labor, just grab some screen mesh and a spline roller from Lowe's for $15." He stood in my driveway for an hour showing me how to do the corner cuts right. I messed up the first one but got the hang of it by the third. Now I fix any rip or hole in under 10 minutes. Has anyone else had a neighbor teach them a basic skill that saved them cash? We need more people like Frank around.