c/diy-home-projects

16

price.ray•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: You don't need a $200 level for hanging shelves

Had a guy at the hardware store last weekend try to sell me on some fancy laser level for a simple shelf job. I told him I just use a 3-foot spirit level I got for $8 at a garage sale 15 years ago. He looked at me like I was crazy, but my shelves still came out straight. Has anyone else had a salesperson try to upsell them on something way overkill for their project?

29

adams.uma•1mo ago

The day I stopped using duct tape for everything in my house

I used to patch every little crack, loose wire, and broken hinge with duct tape. Last month my bathroom cabinet door fell off for the third time and I grabbed the tape again, but my neighbor saw me and laughed. He handed me a $4 tube of construction adhesive and some clamps, and showed me how to glue it right. That door hasn't budged since, and now I actually look for the proper fix instead of just taping things shut. Anybody else have a go-to quick fix they finally kicked?

26

blair_nguyen•1mo ago

My garage floor went from gross oil stains to actually clean looking after using kitty litter for 2 days straight

I spread a whole bag of cheap clay litter over the stains, let it soak for 48 hours, swept it up, and then hit the spots with a degreaser and a stiff brush - has anyone else tried this method or found something that works better for old concrete?

11

robert659•1mo ago

That fancy moisture meter lied to me and I paid the price

I painted my living room two weekends ago after using this expensive moisture meter from Amazon to check the drywall. It said 12% which is fine for painting according to the instructions. Well three days later I noticed bubbling and peeling right above the baseboards. Turns out the meter was reading the moisture in the wood behind the drywall not the drywall itself. I had to scrape off all that fresh paint and wait a week with a dehumidifier running before I could repaint. Cost me an extra $60 in paint and a whole Saturday. Has anyone else had a tool give you totally wrong readings like that?

22

taraross•1mo ago

Spent an entire Saturday chasing a leaky shower valve

Pulled the old single-handle Moen out and thought I'd have it swapped in an hour... turns out the supply lines were corroded onto the shutoffs. Three trips to the hardware store and 7 hours later I finally got it sealed. Has anyone else dealt with those stubborn old compression fittings that just won't budge?

7

charles_young92•1mo ago

Hot take: I'll take a corded drill over any battery powered one for serious work

I know everyone loves their fancy brushless 18V stuff, but I grabbed my old 25 year old corded Makita last weekend to drill through some 2x12s for a deck repair and it just crushed it. No waiting for batteries to charge, no dropping power halfway through a hole, just steady torque the whole time. My buddy brought over his new Milwaukee Fuel and it bogged down on the third hole while his spare battery was still dead. I get that cordless is convenient for quick jobs or working up a ladder, but for anything where you're drilling more than a few holes, corded is just way more reliable. Has anyone else gone back to a corded tool after getting frustrated with battery life?

23

hannah320•1mo ago

A hard lesson on choosing PEX over copper for my basement re-pipe

I went with PEX because it was cheaper and faster, but after a rat chewed through a line in my crawlspace last month flooding the laundry room, I wish I had paid the extra $400 for copper and the three days of soldering.

2

diana_kim66•1mo ago

Finally figured out why my bathroom paint kept peeling after 3 tries

So I repainted my bathroom in Chicago last winter and it peeled within 2 weeks even with primer. A guy at Sherwin Williams named Mike asked if I used a moisture resistant primer and I told him I just used regular stuff. He showed me their specific bathroom paint line and explained how steam gets behind the paint if you skip that base coat. Has anyone else dealt with paint failure in high humidity rooms?

22

moore.beth•1mo ago

My garage workbench leg gave out under a 40 lb engine block Saturday

I was rebuilding a lawnmower engine on my old workbench last weekend and the right front leg just buckled like a toothpick, sending the block crashing onto my concrete floor. Turns out the leg was only held on with four drywall screws that had been rusting for years under the particleboard top. Anyone else had a workbench failure from something stupid like using the wrong fasteners?

23

the_wade•1mo ago

My ceiling repair turned into a 3 day ordeal

Dropped a screwdriver through my bathroom ceiling while installing a new light fixture. Ended up having to patch a 6 inch hole and match the old stipple texture which took forever. Anyone got tips for matching ceiling texture without making a mess?

26

max_hernandez27•1mo ago

Rant: My kitchen cabinet paint job failed after 3 months because I skipped primer

I painted my kitchen cabinets last summer in Portland, used a $40 gallon of Behr cabinet paint, and they looked amazing for maybe 3 months. Then the finish started peeling near the dishwasher where the steam hits. I'm convinced now that skipping the shellac-based primer was my big mistake, even though the paint can said 'no primer needed'. Half the guys on YouTube say primer is a waste of money and half swear by it. Has anyone else had their cabinet paint fail because of heat or moisture? What primer did you use that actually held up?

8

aaronsullivan•1mo ago

My bathroom ceiling fan install turned into a 5 hour nightmare

Bought a Panasonic whisper fan at Home Depot in Portland last weekend. Thought it would be a simple swap with my old Broan unit. The attic access was barely big enough for me to squeeze through and the old ducting was all crushed and full of insulation. Then I found out the new mounting bracket didn't line up with the old joists. Had to rip most of it out and start from scratch. Has anyone dealt with a fan that just won't fit the old cutout?

30

hayden_craig95•1mo ago

Vent: Tried to resurface my concrete patio with a $50 acid stain kit

I figured it would be a simple weekend project... just clean the concrete, roll on the stain, and seal it. Followed all the instructions to the letter, even waited 48 hours for drying time. Problem is the acid stain reacted weird with the old sealer I didn't know was there. Now I've got this patchy orange and green mess that looks like a moldy pumpkin patch. My neighbor asked if I was going for a 'rustic abstract' look... pretty sure he was making fun of me. Spent three days with a floor grinder trying to get it off and now my slab is all scratched up. Anyone dealt with concrete stain pulling up like that? I'm thinking about just painting over it with a solid color instead.

1

claire872•1mo ago

My garage workbench collapsed under a 60 pound toolbox

Built it three years ago from cheap 2x4s and particle board. I knew better but went cheap. Came home last Tuesday and found everything on the floor. Splintered right at the joint where I used drywall screws instead of lag bolts. Anyone else have a failed DIY build they regret rushing through?

1

nguyen.angela•1mo ago

My tile saw kept burning up blades on this one bathroom floor

I was cutting 12x24 porcelain tiles for a master bath remodel and went through three $40 diamond blades in one afternoon. Turns out my saw's water pump was clogged with old grout from a previous project so the blades had zero cooling. Anyone else ever fight a tool problem for hours only to find it was something stupid like that?

4

sean854•1mo ago

Saw a guy level a foundation with a 4 foot level at a cabin build near Traverse City

Dude was checking concrete forms with a rusty 4 footer while I had a fancy laser setup. Made me realize I overthink things. Anyone else ditch the high tech tools sometimes?

22

claire_young76•1mo ago

Why I finally stopped using spray foam around windows

I used to swear by spray foam for sealing gaps around windows, thought it was the best way. Then I overheard a guy at the hardware store in Akron telling his buddy that it can actually trap moisture behind the trim and rot the frame out over time. He said you need to use backer rod and caulk instead for any window that gets rain. I went home, checked my own install from 2 years ago, and sure enough there was damp wood under there. Has anyone else dealt with hidden rot from doing it the "quick" way?

22

west.casey•1mo ago

PSA: That cheap palm sander from Harbor Freight smoked out after 15 minutes on a single cabinet door

I overheard a guy at the hardware store say you don't need expensive tools for weekend projects but after 3 tries with different sanders from there I learned the hard way that spending $25 on one just means buying another one the next weekend, has anyone else burned through budget sanders faster than sandpaper?

35

jana881•1mo ago

Bought a cheap paint sprayer and regretted it after 2 rooms

I thought I was saving money by grabbing a $40 sprayer from the hardware store for my living room and hallway. First room looked okay but the second one had globs all over the trim and it clogged twice on me. Tried cleaning it three times but the nozzle just wouldn't spray right after that. Ended up spending more on brushes and roller covers to fix it anyway. Anyone else had a cheap sprayer fail on them mid project?

10

reese_lee9•1mo ago

My dad questioned why I spent $200 on a track saw instead of a circular saw

Last weekend my dad came over to help me build some garage shelves and he saw my new track saw on the workbench. He asked why I spent so much when a regular circular saw can do the same job for way less. I showed him how the track saw gave me dead straight cuts on some 8 foot plywood without needing to clamp a straight edge down. Has anyone else had to justify a tool upgrade to a family member who just doesn't get it?

10

the_wendy•1mo ago

Painted myself into a corner trimming baseboards with a miter saw

All those videos said compound miter cuts would take 10 minutes but it took me three hours and a trip to the hardware store for a coping saw to get my inside corners to actually fit tight, anyone else find coping way easier than trying to match angles perfect?

2

nancyjones•1mo ago

Old water heater finally gave out in the middle of a shower

My 40 gallon Rheem from 2008 started leaking at 6 AM last Tuesday while I was rinsing shampoo out. Had to drain it, haul it to the curb, and install a new one by myself since my helper was on another job. Anyone else had a water heater fail at the worst possible time?

25

sean854•1mo ago

My basement floor drain backed up at 11 PM on a Saturday

Was in the middle of finishing the laundry room when I heard gurgling. Next thing I know, gray water is creeping across the concrete. Turns out a wad of old paint chips and mortar had blocked the line for years. Spent Sunday with a shop vac and a drain snake in the dark. Anyone else deal with mystery clogs that show up at the worst possible time?

19

diana_kim66•1mo ago

Tried to fix a leaky faucet in my bathroom and flooded the whole cabinet underneath

I was just tightening what I thought was the compression nut under the sink in my apartment in Philly, and the whole brass fitting snapped off, spraying water everywhere for like 5 minutes before I found the shutoff valve. Had to tear out the particle board shelf and run a dehumidifier for three days straight - has anyone else had one of those $10 repair jobs turn into a $200 headache?

3

murray.cora•1mo ago

My $30 shower re-caulking job took 6 hours and I'm still mad about it

I thought I could recaulk my master shower in under an hour like the YouTube guys do. It ended up taking me a whole Saturday because I didn't realize how hard it is to get the old silicone out of the corners. I must have spent 4 hours just scraping and cleaning before I could even put the new stuff on. Has anyone else had a simple caulk job turn into a whole day project?