c/diy-projects

The worst weekend of my diy life involved a toilet and a plumbing snake

Honestly, last Saturday started simple enough. I tried to clear a slow drain in my bathroom sink with a 25 foot hand snake and ended up punching a hole through the old cast iron pipe in the wall behind it. By Sunday afternoon, I had cut out a 2 foot section of pipe, spent $60 on a replacement coupling, and realized my sawzall blade was too dull to cut the neighbor's copper line I nicked. Has anyone else had a small plumbing job turn into a full wall demolition?

My $200 tile cutter was a total waste of money

I spent $200 on a fancy wet tile saw for my bathroom project, and a $30 snap cutter I borrowed from a neighbor actually did a better job on porcelain tiles. The wet saw left chipped edges no matter how slow I went. Anyone else think these expensive saws are overrated for small DIY jobs?

Tried using a hand plane to flatten a butcher block countertop and it backfired

Honestly I thought I could save $200 by skipping the drum sander and just using my old Stanley hand plane. Spent 4 hours on a Saturday shaving off high spots on a 6 foot walnut countertop. The finish came out wavy and uneven, looked like a roller coaster. I ended up renting a belt sander from the hardware store for $40 and fixed it in 45 minutes. Learned that hand planes are great for small stuff but not for big flat surfaces unless you really know what you're doing. Has anyone else tried using hand tools on a big project and regretted it?

TIL the hard way that pressure treated lumber needs different fasteners

Had to sand my deck three times before someone pointed out I was going against the grain the whole time

My neighbor Dave came over after 6 hours of work and showed me the dust lines going the wrong way, which explained why every board looked like it had scratches instead of a smooth finish.

That cheap Harbor Freight air compressor I bought for $80 finally gave out after 3 years of heavy use

The motor seized up while I was trying to finish a paint job on a bookshelf, so now I'm looking at a $400 upgrade to a quiet oil-lubed model from Home Depot, anyone got a recommendation for a brand that won't die on me again?

Built a workbench from a $40 solid core door instead of buying lumber

I needed a sturdy workbench for my garage but lumber prices were crazy around here, so I grabbed a beat-up solid core door from a Habitat ReStore for $40. Painted the top with some garage floor epoxy I had left over and it's flat as a pancake, no warping at all. Has anyone else tried using old doors or other weird stuff for workbench tops?

I finally hit 50 projects on my workshop notebook

Started keeping a log of every DIY thing I finished. Got to number 50 last weekend when I built a simple bookshelf. Who else keeps count or am I just weird about tracking stuff?

Painted a room without enough primer, big mistake

Slapped one coat of primer on dark green walls, then two coats of off-white paint. The green still bleeds through in spots, and now I'm looking at a third coat of paint because I was impatient. Anyone else deal with coverage issues from skimping on prep work?

The old hardware store downtown finally closed its doors

Went by Main Street Hardware yesterday and saw they'd been replaced by a vape shop... been going there since I was a kid buying nails for tree forts with my dad. Mr. Chen always remembered what hinge you needed even if you couldn't describe it right. The new place has everything in plastic bins and the kid at the counter didn't know what a miter box was. Anyone else got a local spot that just quietly disappeared on you?

Refinished my porch railing with the wrong prep step and it's already peeling

Last weekend I stripped and sanded my front porch railing, but I skipped the tack cloth step before priming. Three days later the paint is bubbling up in spots near the hinges. I'm debating between sanding just those areas and touching up versus stripping the whole thing again and starting over. Has anyone dealt with spot peeling after a refinish and had the touch up actually hold up long term?

Built a cedar planter box this weekend using a buddy's "just eyeball it" method

My friend Dave said skip the square and level, that it would come out fine. Now one side sits 2 inches higher and the whole thing wobbles on the patio. Has anyone else had a supposedly easy DIY tip completely backfire on them?

That lady at the hardware store told me to use a pilot bit on my studs and I ignored her

Snapped three bits trying to hang shelves in my garage last Saturday before I gave in and grabbed a pilot bit set. Now I'm wondering how many other basic tips I've been blowing off - anyone else stubbornly skip advice they heard from a stranger?

Rant: My deck stain faded in under 6 months

I put down a full coat of that pricey semi-transparent stain last May. Looked great through June, but by September it was already peeling in spots. Turns out I didn't prep the wood right, I just hosed it off and brushed it on. Now I gotta strip everything and start over this spring. Anybody got a go-to cleaner or stripper that actually works for old pressure treated pine?

Used to just slap drywall mud on with a 6 inch knife and call it a day

For years I was happy with lumpy walls because I didn't know any better. Then I watched a guy at a Habitat for Humanity build in Phoenix use a 12 inch knife and box sander on a ceiling joint. My finish still isn't perfect but the texture is way smoother and I get done faster now. Anyone else upgrade their mudding tools and see a big difference?

Talked with a retired electrician last weekend at Home Depot

He saw me grabbing Romex and asked what my project was. I said running a new circuit for a workshop. He told me he's seen too many diyers undersize their wire. Said he got a call 10 years ago from a guy in Portland whose 14-gauge wire melted inside a wall. Made me rethink my whole plan. I swapped to 12-gauge after that conversation. Anyone else get project advice from strangers that made you change course?

Rant: Tried the cheap Harbor Freight nail gun instead of the Dewalt

I had to pick between a $40 Harbor Freight brad nailer and a $200 Dewalt for my basement trim work last weekend. Figured I'd save cash since it's just a one-time job, you know? After about 50 nails the thing started jamming every third shot and the depth adjustment stopped working. Should've just borrowed my neighbor's Dewalt, now I'm stuck with a pile of half-finished baseboards. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way?

TIL watching someone else do a drywall patch taught me more than 5 YouTube videos

Neighbor Bob spent 20 minutes showing me how he feathers mud on a small patch near his kitchen window. He said 'stop trying to make it perfect on the first pass, just let three thin coats do the work.' I tried his method on a 4 inch hole in my laundry room and it came out flat. Has anyone else learned more from one real person than all the tutorials combined?

Plywood vs. MDF for garage shelving ended up costing me more in the long run

I went with MDF because it was $30 cheaper for the whole project but after 6 months in the humidity it started sagging in the middle, anyone else deal with materials warping on them?

Vent: drywall mudding advice from a guy at the hardware store cost me a weekend of sanding

He told me to skip the primer and just do two thick coats of mud, said it would save time. Now I've got bubbles everywhere and I'm on hour 8 of sanding what should have been a 2 hour job. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from the aisle helpers at Lowes?

My pressure washer pump blew a seal 30 minutes into the first spring wash

Was cleaning the patio pavers and suddenly heard a grinding noise followed by water spraying everywhere from the pump housing. Anyone had luck rebuilding one of these CAT pumps or is it just cheaper to buy a whole new unit?

I spent 6 months using the wrong drill bit for concrete anchors

Was putting up a shelving unit in my garage and couldn't figure out why the holes kept coming out too loose. My neighbor walked over and pointed out I was using a wood spade bit instead of a masonry bit and I felt like an idiot. Has anyone else gone that long doing something the dumb way without realizing it?

Best online retailer for outdoor storage sheds?

My garage is overflowing and I desperately need a shed. I don't want to deal with hauling a massive kit from a local store in my small SUV. Any recommendations for reliable online shed companies?