c/diy-home-projects

I spent $40 on a specific type of spackle for my plaster walls and it was a total waste.

The pre-mixed lightweight stuff just crumbled away after a week, so what's the right product for old horsehair plaster?

My bathroom tile job cracked after a single winter

Was in my upstairs bathroom last January. Laid the new subway tile myself. Used a cheap mastic adhesive from the hardware store. First cold snap hit, whole wall near the window split. Had to chip it all out. Redid it with a proper thinset mortar. Anyone else have adhesive fail in the cold?

PSA: I was looking through some old house plans from the 70s and the lumber sizes were totally different

Honestly, I was cleaning out my dad's garage in Toledo and found the original blueprints for his house. I noticed the floor joists were listed as 2x8s, but when I measured them with my tape, they were actually a full 2 inches by 8 inches. Tbh I always thought the 'nominal' size thing was just a recent change. It made me realize how much the actual material has shrunk over the decades. Has anyone else run into this while doing a renovation on an older home?

My neighbor in Austin showed me a trick with a zip tie that saved my deck project.

Showerthought: My neighbor said my deck stain job looked like a kid did it

I stained my deck last weekend and felt pretty good about it. My neighbor Frank came over, looked at it for a minute, and said it looked like a kid did it with a paintbrush. He pointed out all the lap marks and uneven spots. He told me to always use a pad applicator on a pole next time, not a brush. It hit different because he builds decks for a living. Has anyone else had a pro give you a harsh but useful tip on a finish?

Hot take: My neighbor convinced me that renting a power washer is a waste of money

We were talking over the fence last weekend and he said, 'For the $75 you spend renting one, you could just buy a decent electric model on sale.' I've always rented for big jobs, but his point about the long-term cost hit different. What's your go-to for cleaning a driveway or siding?

I finally understood why my neighbor always preps his paint area for an hour

He said, 'The job is 80% prep, 20% paint,' after watching me rush to start on my garage door. Has anyone else had a simple tip completely change your approach to a basic task?

My attempt to fix a squeaky floor turned into a weird science project

I was sure the squeak in my bedroom floor was from a loose board, so I grabbed my drill and a box of 2-inch screws. I drilled about fifteen of them in, following a tip I saw online. The squeak got louder, and then my wife yelled from the kitchen that water was dripping from the ceiling light. Turns out, I nailed right into a copper hot water line. The plumber's bill was $350, and he said, 'You hit the one pipe in the whole wall.' Has anyone else had a simple fix go this wrong, and how do you find pipes before you drill?

Warning: I heard a contractor say you should always use a 2x4 for framing, no matter what.

I was at the hardware store last Tuesday and overheard a guy telling his friend to never use a 2x6 for a wall, that it's just a waste of money. In my experience, that's not always true. For a bathroom I redid, I used 2x6s on the exterior wall to fit more insulation and it made a huge difference in the winter. Has anyone else found a good reason to go against the standard 2x4 advice?

Shoutout to using a paint roller on popcorn ceilings

My living room ceiling in Phoenix was a mess, flaking off for months. I tried a spray bottle like everyone says, but it just made a soggy patch. Out of ideas, I rolled on a thick coat of ceiling paint with a 3/4 inch nap roller. It sealed the texture down flat and looks great now. Has anyone else tried a method that goes against the usual advice?

My basement floor drain backed up right before a family visit

I was finishing the laundry room in my basement in Akron when I saw water pooling around the floor drain. I tried a basic snake, but it hit a hard stop about 8 feet in. I ended up renting a 50-foot power auger from the hardware store, and after a solid hour of fighting it, I cleared a huge clog of roots and old grease. Anyone know a good way to keep those old cast iron drains clear without using harsh chemicals?

I was at the open house for a 1920s bungalow in Oak Park and saw they'd used cedar shingles to re-side the dormer.

Has anyone else used cedar for a small repair like that, and how did you handle sealing it against the existing painted wood siding?

My basement drywall job made me rethink taping vs. mudding first

I always taped the seams before applying any mud, but a contractor buddy told me to put a thin coat down first. Tried it on a 10-foot section and the tape stuck way better with no bubbles. Anyone else switch up their drywall order?

Found out the average home has 300 feet of electrical wire in it

I was reading an old building code book from the library and saw that stat. It made me think about my grandpa's house, built in the 60s, where you could see maybe two outlets per room. Now, with all our gadgets, I bet my own place has double that wire run through the walls. It's wild how much stuff is hidden behind the drywall that we never think about. Makes you respect the work that goes into a simple rewire job. Anyone else come across a fact about home construction that made you stop and think?

I just used my 100th sanding disc on this old dresser

It hit me when I pulled the last one out of the pack I bought last fall. I remember when a single sheet of sandpaper felt like a big deal, and now I'm burning through these things. Anyone else have a simple tool or supply that's become a real workhorse for them?

Tbh, my plumber friend said something about using dish soap on stripped screws that actually worked

Shoutout to the 6 inch taping knife

I was patching some drywall in my hallway and used my old 4 inch knife for the first coat. It took forever and left a lot of ridges. Switched to a 6 inch Hyde for the second coat and it went on way smoother and faster, covering a bigger area with less work. Anyone have a go-to tool that made a simple job way easier?

Changed my mind about painting over wallpaper

I left a test patch for 6 months and the seams bubbled up like crazy. Anyone have a better way to deal with old wallpaper besides the full strip job?

I used to think painting trim was a one coat job, now I know better

For years I'd slap on a single thick coat of white trim paint and call it done, but it always looked streaky after a few months. Last fall I redid all the baseboards in my living room and forced myself to do two thin coats with a Purdy brush, sanding lightly between them. The difference is huge, it's been six months and it still looks like it was done yesterday. I wasted so much time before trying to fix bad paint jobs instead of just doing it right the first time. Anyone else have a simple step they used to skip that actually makes a big difference?

Just read a home renovation blog that said the average DIYer spends 40% more on materials than a pro for the same job, which explains my kitchen cabinet budget disaster.

Has anyone found a good way to estimate material costs more accurately before you start a project, maybe an app or a simple spreadsheet trick?

Just realized my neighbor was right about using a 4-inch brush for trim work.

Hot take: I was wrong about using a regular drill for mixing joint compound

I was helping my friend patch a wall in his Denver apartment last weekend and saw him use a cheap paint mixer attachment on his drill. I always just used the drill bit and it took forever. His way was done in under a minute with no lumps. Anyone have a favorite brand for those mixer attachments?

Unpopular opinion: Everyone paints over old wallpaper and it's a huge mistake

I see it all the time in the houses I clean. The paint bubbles and peels within a year. You have to strip it first, even if it's a pain. Anyone else dealt with a wallpaper removal nightmare?

Appreciation post: My kitchen backsplash project from last month took a weird turn

I was tiling my kitchen backsplash and ran out of the special adhesive. My husband said, 'Just use some toothpaste, it's sticky!' as a joke, but I was too tired to go to the store. I actually tried a little bit on one tile as a test. It held for about two hours before the tile slid right off and left a minty fresh streak on the wall. Has anyone else had a DIY shortcut idea backfire in a silly way?

My bathroom faucet cartridge snapped mid-replacement yesterday.

Had to drive to three stores to find the exact Moen part. Anyone know a good trick for removing the broken plastic piece still stuck in the valve body?