c/diy-home-projects

I was set on using a 1/2 inch spade bit for my wiring holes, but a guy at the supply house convinced me to try a step bit.

Hit 50 hours on a deck rebuild and realized the 'DIY saves money' thing is kinda wrong for me

After tracking every hour and cost, I'm at over $2,500 in materials and my time. If I'd hired it out, it would've been maybe $4k, so I 'saved' $1,500 but spent a full week of my life. Anyone else do the math and feel like their time is worth more than the cash saved on a big job?

Showerthought: My kid asked why we even bother painting our own fence anymore.

Overheard a contractor at the lumber yard in Springfield tell a guy that a basic 6-foot cedar fence panel now costs $85, which made me realize the real DIY payoff isn't just the money saved, it's the quiet afternoon you get back with your family while you do it. Anyone else find the time spent on a project is worth more than the cash these days?

My bathroom remodel turned into a weird plumbing puzzle

I replaced a sink in my Chicago apartment last month and now the toilet flushes twice, but only after 9 PM. Has anyone else had a ghost plumber mess with their pipes?

Can we talk about the time I tried to patch a hole with toothpaste

My landlord in my old apartment said to use toothpaste for a quick fix on a nail hole, so I did. A week later it turned this weird yellow color and started crumbling, so I just bought a $5 tub of spackle and did it right. Anyone have a better cheap fix for small wall damage?

Shoutout to a $5 paint scraper for saving my weekend project

I spent $15 on a fancy multi-tool first, but it just bent on the old window frame. The cheap one got the job done in half the time, why do the expensive ones always seem to break first?

Finally got my shed door to close properly after three years

For the longest time, I just kept shoving it shut and it would always stick on the frame. Last weekend I took a tape measure and found the top hinge was off by a quarter inch. I loosened the screws, put a shim underneath it, and tightened everything back up. Now it swings smooth and seals tight. Anyone have a trick for keeping wooden doors from swelling in the summer humidity?

My neighbor saw me struggling with a fence post and gave me a tip that saved the day

I was trying to set a post in my yard in Phoenix last weekend and the ground was pure hardpan. He walked over, watched for a minute, and said, 'Try a post hole digger with the pointed tip, and pour a gallon of water in the hole first.' It worked perfectly. Anyone have other tricks for dealing with really hard dirt?

Honestly, that $40 smart outlet I bought for my garage lights just bricked itself after a month.

Ngl, it just stopped responding to the app and now the lights are stuck on. Anyone know a more reliable brand that won't just die?

Thought I could re-grout my bathroom floor in an afternoon

The old grout was way more stubborn than I expected, and I spent two whole days just chipping it all out with a manual scraper. What's the fastest way you've found to remove old grout without damaging the tile?

Watching my dad build a shed in '98 versus what I see online now

I mean, back then he just put down some gravel and pressure-treated wood for the base, and that thing is still solid in my mom's yard. Now I see people skipping the gravel and just putting wood on dirt, then they're shocked when it rots in like two years. I learned the hard way myself when I tried to copy a quick video for a planter box and it fell apart after one wet winter in Portland. Does anyone have a good rule for when you actually need that gravel layer?

PSA: That 'quick fix' for a wobbly ceiling fan almost cost me a new motor.

My fan in the living room was shaking bad for months. I kept seeing online to just bend the blade brackets a little to balance it. Tried that with pliers. It got worse, started making a grinding noise. Took the whole thing down last weekend. Found out the wobble had worn down the plastic bushing inside the motor housing. A new bracket set was only $15, but the motor was shot. Had to replace the whole unit, about $120. The bend trick is for metal blades on a solid mount, not for cheap fans with plastic parts. If it shakes, check the mounting bracket to the ceiling box first, every time. Anyone know a good way to test the mount before taking the fan apart?

TIL a trick for fixing old windows from a guy at a salvage yard in Detroit

Was there last fall looking for door hardware. He saw me struggling with a stiff sash. Told me to rub a bar of plain soap on the channels. Not wax, just soap. Did it on my 1920s windows at home. The difference was instant. Anyone else have a simple fix for old, sticky windows?

My neighbor in Omaha said he uses a 2x4 as a straightedge for tile work and it made me stop overthinking.

He just said, 'A level is for level, but a straight board is for straight,' and I've been using my 4-foot level for everything. Has anyone else found a simple tool that does a better job than the 'right' one?

Showerthought: I keep seeing folks use regular drywall screws for deck boards

I was helping my neighbor in Tacoma fix his wobbly porch last month, and every single screw head was rusted and popped. He used the cheap screws from a big box store bag. For outdoor stuff, you really need coated or stainless steel screws, or they just fail fast. What's your go-to fastener for a project that gets wet?

Can we talk about painting with a roller versus a sprayer for a garage door?

Honestly, I painted my garage door last month with a roller first, and it took me two whole days with a lot of streaks. Then I borrowed a Wagner Flexio 3000 sprayer from my brother and did the other door in about an hour with a super smooth finish. The sprayer was way faster and left no brush marks at all, but it did use more paint. Has anyone else switched from rollers to a sprayer for big outdoor jobs like this?

Shoutout to the guy who said my paint prep was 'like trying to wash a car with a toothbrush'

He was right, I was just wiping walls with a damp rag. Bought a $15 pole sander and did a quick pass before my last bedroom, and the difference is wild. Anyone have a favorite brand for sanding sponges for trim work?

Shoutout to the guy at the hardware store who convinced me to try that peel-and-stick vinyl floor tile in my bathroom, because after 6 months of thinking it would look cheap, I'm actually shocked at how good it looks and how it's holding up with all the moisture.

I mean, I was fully expecting it to warp or the edges to lift within a week, but it's been through a ton of steamy showers and still looks totally flat and sealed, so has anyone else had a good experience with that stuff in a wet area?

So I tried using a $2 paintbrush from the hardware store versus the $12 one for my garage door project.

The cheap one left so many bristles stuck in the paint that my neighbor joked it looked like a porcupine had attacked the door, so what's the best brush brand you all actually trust?

Finally got my miter saw cuts perfect after noticing one common mistake

Honestly, I kept getting gaps in my picture frames until I saw a video where the guy said to always cut with the good face of the wood down. I was doing it the opposite way for months. Anyone else have a simple trick that fixed a basic skill for them?

My bathroom tile job turned into a slip and slide

I was laying down some subway tile in my bathroom in Austin last weekend, using a new brand of thin-set mortar. About an hour in, I stepped back to check my work and my foot went straight through a section that hadn't set at all. I fell right into the wet mortar, getting it all over my jeans. I had to peel the tiles off the wall, clean everything with a sponge and bucket, and start over the next day after letting the floor dry. Has anyone else had a mortar not set properly? I'm wondering if I mixed it wrong or if it was a bad batch.

Update: My paint can collection just hit 50 and I'm not mad about it

I keep all my leftover paint for touch-ups and finally counted them while cleaning the garage. The one from the kitchen reno three years ago is still good, which saved me a trip to the store. Anyone else have a weirdly large stash of a specific supply?

I just finished my 100th tile cut on my bathroom remodel and realized I was doing it wrong for the first 90.

I thought painting my own kitchen cabinets was a huge mistake waiting to happen

For years, I was sure that painting cabinets was a job for pros only, that a DIY job would look cheap and chip in a month. My turning point was last fall when I finally tried it on a small bathroom vanity, using a specific bonding primer my neighbor swore by. I spent a whole weekend cleaning, sanding, and doing two coats of primer and three of paint. That was eight months ago, and the finish still looks factory-perfect with no chips or peeling, even with daily use. It completely changed my view on what's possible with enough prep and the right first step. I'm planning to tackle the big kitchen set this summer because of it. Has anyone else had a project they were totally wrong to be scared of?

Hot take: I dropped $200 on a cheap tile saw for a bathroom floor and it was a total waste.

The blade wobbled so much it chipped half my tiles. What's a decent saw under $400 that actually cuts straight?