Used a 50/50 mix like the guy at the hardware store said and now I've got these weird light spots near the house that won't even out, has anyone else dealt with uneven bleaching on a southern-facing deck in July?
Last spring I was putting up a 6 foot privacy fence and had the posts set maybe 24 inches deep. My neighbor Bob came over and said that won't hold up to our heavy clay soil and frost heave, he recommended 36 inches minimum. I was skeptical because it meant more digging and more concrete bags but I went ahead and reset everything deeper. Sure enough this winter we had some serious ground shifting and my fence barely budged while his old one from before tilted. Has anyone else gotten good advice from a neighbor that saved them a headache later?
I decided to replace a sagging wooden gate in my backyard fence. Thought it would be a weekend job, maybe 2 days tops. But the posts were rotted below ground level, and the ground had shifted so nothing was square anymore. It took me 3 whole weekends to dig out the old posts, pour new concrete footings, and get everything level and swinging right. Has anyone else had a simple fence fix turn into a much bigger project than you planned?
I stained my back deck last August with a big box store brand semi-transparent stain. By June this year it was peeling off in sheets, looked terrible. What happened was I didn't wait long enough after pressure washing, the wood was still damp underneath. Had to sand the whole thing down with a rented floor sander, cost me 60 bucks and a full weekend. Anyone else had a stain fail that fast and have tips for a better prep routine?
I was about to re-stain my back deck last weekend and happened to glance at the can I bought from Home Depot back in 2021. Turns out that stuff was three years expired and the color had totally separated no matter how much I stirred it. I ended up tossing the whole gallon and picking up a fresh can of Behr transparent stain from the Ace Hardware on Maple Street instead. Has anyone else had a bad batch of old stain ruin a weekend project?
My neighbor Jim walked over one Saturday morning while I was building a 12x16 deck in my backyard in Toledo and pointed out I was using coated deck screws instead of structural screws for the ledger board, something about shear strength and code that I'd never heard of before, so I pulled out 30 screws and replaced them with Simpson Strong-Tie screws, has anyone else had a neighbor give you a build tip that saved you from a big mistake?
Tbh I spent like 4 hours last Saturday setting posts for a new privacy fence in my backyard. Was so proud of myself till my neighbor came over and pointed out I was using a line level instead of a string level. Said I was off by almost 2 inches over 20 feet. Felt pretty dumb but glad he said something before I poured concrete. Has anyone else had a moment where a simple tool swap saved your project?
I see folks on here celebrating hitting 500 or 1,000 fence posts installed like it's a big milestone. But after my last project on my property in Ohio, I only set 47 posts total and they look better than any row of 500 I've seen. Number of posts doesn't matter if half of them are crooked or rotting in 5 years. Why do so many people here think bigger numbers mean better work?