c/diy-home-projects

Showerthought: My bathroom tile job almost went sideways when the wet saw quit

Honestly, I was in my garage last Saturday morning, about halfway through cutting subway tile for the guest bathroom. The wet saw was humming along fine, then it just stopped dead. No noise, no power, nothing. I checked the outlet and the breaker, but it was the saw itself. I had a whole wall left to do and the mortar was already mixed. Ngl, I panicked for a minute. I ended up running to the hardware store and renting a manual tile cutter for $25 for the day. It was slower and my arms were sore, but I got all the cuts done. Has anyone else had a major tool fail mid-project? What did you do to keep going?

Bought a 'one coat' paint for my living room and it was a total lie

Saw a can at the hardware store that said 'guaranteed coverage in one coat'. Painted my whole living room, a bright yellow over old blue. Looked terrible, could still see every bit of blue underneath. Had to go back, buy a primer, and do two more coats of the good stuff. Wasted a full Saturday and about $45 on that junk paint. Anyone know a brand that actually lives up to the 'one coat' promise?

My bathroom tile job turned into a three day puzzle

I decided to redo the floor in my small bathroom, thinking it would be a weekend job. The problem was the old, weirdly shaped corner by the toilet where the previous owner had cut tiles into a jagged mess. I spent a full day just trying to figure out the pattern and make the cuts line up. My partner walked in on day three and said, 'You know that's just going under the toilet, right?' I had spent over 20 hours on a 2 square foot section. Has anyone else gotten weirdly stuck on a tiny, hidden part of a project?

Can we talk about the moment you realize your paint prep was a total fail?

My bathroom ceiling started peeling after just two months because I skipped the primer on a new drywall patch. Anyone have a good fix for this besides starting over from scratch?

I was painting my whole house wrong for years and didn't know it

I was cutting in a ceiling line in my bedroom last week (you know, with a brush) and my arm was killing me after ten minutes. My friend saw me and just said, 'why don't you use a small roller for that?' I had no idea you could get a mini roller for trim work. I bought a 4-inch one for six bucks and it changed the game. Has anyone else got a simple tool tip that saved them a ton of pain?

Rant: My deck stain job looked awful after 2 days, but a month later it's perfect.

Used a solid color stain on my pressure treated pine deck in early June, and it looked streaky and blotchy right away. I was ready to strip it, but my buddy who does painting told me to just wait for the wood to fully dry out. After about 30 days, the color evened out completely and looks great now. Has anyone else had a stain look bad at first but fix itself after waiting?

My basement drywall project turned into a 3 day flood fight last month

A supply line on the laundry sink I was moving burst overnight, soaking all my new materials. Anyone have tips for drying out insulation before it molds?

Finally got the paint to stop peeling on my old porch swing by mixing a bit of dish soap into the primer, a trick from a painter I met at the hardware store.

After two failed attempts that left the paint flaking within a week, I added a capful of Dawn to a gallon of oil-based primer, which finally let the topcoat stick properly to the weathered cedar.

PSA: I thought peel and stick backsplash was a cheap trick until I tried it in my own kitchen

For a long time I figured it would look fake and not hold up, but after seeing my friend's place in Denver where she put it up three years ago, I had to change my mind. Her kitchen still looks great, and the stuff she used from a brand called Smart Tiles has held up to steam and splashes. It made me realize a lot of the new DIY stuff is actually pretty solid now. What's something you were sure would fail that actually worked out for you?

TIL my neighbor's 'quick fix' for a leaky gutter was just a roll of duct tape and a prayer

After hearing him brag about it lasting 'a whole season' before the whole thing peeled off during a storm in April, I'm now a firm believer that sometimes the right tool is worth the extra trip to the hardware store, what's the most absurd shortcut you've seen someone try?

Trying to build a simple planter box turned into a three day mess

Last Tuesday I decided to make a 2 foot by 4 foot cedar planter for my patio. I measured wrong on the first cut, so I had to go back to the hardware store for more wood. Then I used the wrong type of exterior screw and split half the boards. Has anyone else had a simple project spiral like this? What's your best tip for getting back on track?

Finally gave up on the old putty knife for window glazing and switched to a 6-inch taping knife

I had this stubborn old window in my 1920s house that needed the glass re-sealed. For years, I used the same 1.5-inch putty knife my dad gave me, and it was always a fight to get a smooth bead. Last weekend, I grabbed a wider 6-inch taping knife from my work truck on a whim. The difference was HUGE. The bigger blade held more putty and let me press it into the corner in one long, even pull instead of a bunch of little choppy strokes. It took me three tries with the small knife to get a seal I was okay with, but with the wider one, I got it perfect on the first go. The finish is so much cleaner and looks way more professional. I can't believe I waited this long to try it. Has anyone else found a simple tool swap that made a frustrating job way easier?

Vent: Had to choose between a $200 pre-made kitchen island or building one from scratch.

My old place in Austin had zero counter space, so I spent a weekend building a basic pine island with some 2x4s and a plywood top for about $75 total. It's not perfect, but it holds all my pans and I actually use it every day. Would you guys usually buy something ready-made or take the time to build it yourself?

My bathroom grout was a total mess until I tried this weird trick with a steam cleaner

I was about to re-grout my whole shower because the old stuff looked so dark and gross. On a whim, I ran my handheld Bissell steam cleaner over a small section for like 30 seconds and scrubbed with an old toothbrush. It came up almost perfectly white, and I saved myself a huge weekend project and probably $50 in materials. Anyone have a better way to clean grout without harsh chemicals?

My neighbor in Denver told me to use a wet rag when sanding drywall

He said it keeps the dust down and makes the paper last longer. I tried it on a ceiling patch last week and it actually worked way better than I expected. The dust just clumped up on the rag instead of going everywhere. Has anyone else tried this trick on bigger jobs like a whole room?

Visited a new build open house in Phoenix and their 'smart' kitchen felt like a bad idea

They had these fancy touch faucets and a fridge with a screen that needed an app to set the temperature. I asked the builder what happens when the company stops updating the app in 5 years, and he just shrugged. It seems like a lot of these high-tech DIY upgrades are setting people up for expensive paperweights. Has anyone had to fix or replace a 'smart' appliance that became dumb because the tech got old?

My brother-in-law watched me hang a door for 10 minutes then said 'you know that's upside down, right?'

I was in my garage last weekend, finally getting around to fixing the door to our laundry room that's been sticking for months. I had the new pre-hung unit out of the box, my level, my shims, the whole deal. My wife's brother stopped by to drop something off and just leaned against his car, watching me work. I got the thing in the frame and was starting to put in the hinge screws when he finally spoke up. He didn't offer to help, just pointed and said that line with this little smirk. I looked at the door, and yeah, the top rail was way thinner than the bottom. I felt my face get hot. I'd been so focused on the hinge placement I didn't even check the basic shape. Had to take the whole thing apart right in front of him. Anyone else ever have a simple mistake pointed out in the worst way?

Question about painting my kitchen cabinets: sprayer vs. brush

I had to pick between renting a paint sprayer or just using a brush and roller for my cabinet project. I went with the sprayer after my friend said, 'It's a game changer for a smooth finish.' It took me a full weekend to tape everything off and set up in the garage, but the finish is way more even than my old brush jobs. Has anyone else tried both methods and have a preference for smaller rooms?

Heard a contractor at the hardware store tell his helper 'just paint over that old drywall patch, it'll be fine'... and it made me think about all the shortcuts I've seen.

A neighbor's comment about my deck stain job made me rethink my whole process

I was staining my deck in Seattle last spring and a neighbor walked by and said, 'Looks good, but you're going to see brush marks in a week if you don't back-brush.' I had no idea what that meant. He showed me how to lay on the stain with a roller and then immediately go over it with a dry brush to smooth it out. I redid the first two boards I'd done, and the finish was way more even. Now I always keep a dry brush handy for any big stain project. Anyone have other simple tricks for a smoother finish?

I've been painting trim wrong for years and only figured it out last weekend

So I was finishing up the baseboards in my living room, a job I've done a bunch of times before. I always taped off the floor, cut in the top edge with a brush, and then rolled the flat part. It looked okay, but I'd always get a little bit of a texture difference between the brush and roller parts. Last weekend, my buddy Steve came over to borrow a ladder and watched me for a minute. He just said, 'You know, you're supposed to brush the whole thing, right? The roller leaves a finish that doesn't match the hand-brushed edges.' I felt so dumb... I'd been doing it the harder, worse way for probably five different rooms. I tried it his way on the last wall, just using a good angled brush for everything, and the finish is so much smoother and more even. It took a bit longer, but the result is way better. Has anyone else had a basic technique tip that completely changed how you do a common job?

Heard my neighbor say he was about to call a plumber for a leaky faucet, so I showed him how to swap the cartridge in 20 minutes.

It was just a worn out Moen 1225, and seeing his relief at fixing it himself for under $15 made me realize how many simple repairs we give up on before even looking.

My attempt at a 'quick' tile backsplash turned into a two-day comedy show

I tried using the pre-mixed adhesive from a tube versus mixing my own thinset mortar, and the thinset was way better. The pre-mix just wouldn't hold the heavier tiles and started sagging after an hour. Anyone have a favorite brand of thinset for kitchen walls?

I thought smart light switches were a total waste of money

My brother put them in his whole house in Phoenix and I kept saying it was just for show. Then I stayed there for a week last month and realized I never touched a switch. Telling them to turn off from bed or setting them to come on at sunset is actually amazing. Now I'm installing them in my own living room. Anyone have a good brand that isn't super expensive?

My neighbor told me to always prime MDF before painting and it saved my bookshelf project

I was building a simple bookshelf from MDF last month and my neighbor Bob, who does a lot of woodworking, said 'prime it first or it'll drink your paint like water'. I almost skipped it to save time. I primed it with a basic Zinsser shellac spray, let it dry, and then painted. The paint went on smooth and even in just two coats. If I hadn't primed, I'd probably still be painting. Anyone else have a go-to primer for MDF they swear by?