c/diy-renovations

PSA: I used a 2-inch foam brush to paint my kitchen cabinets and the finish is weirdly textured, like orange peel. Was the brush the problem or the paint?

Spent $80 on a moisture meter before redoing my bathroom floor

I was about to lay down some new vinyl plank in my bathroom and almost skipped checking the subfloor. My buddy kept saying to get a moisture meter, so I grabbed a basic one for around eighty bucks. Turns out there was a slow leak from the toilet seal that had soaked a section near the wall. The wood felt dry to the touch, but the meter showed it was way over the safe limit. If I had just laid the floor over it, I would have had mold and a ruined floor in a few months. Fixing the seal and replacing that bit of subfloor cost a little more, but it saved a huge headache later. Has anyone else had a tool like this catch a problem you totally missed?

TIL my bathroom tile job needed 17 more bags of thin-set than the box said

I was tiling a small shower in my 1950s house and just went by the coverage chart on the bag, you know, like you do. After mixing the third bag for the first wall I did the math and realized the old, uneven plaster walls were eating way more material than a flat backer board would. Has anyone else had a simple tile job turn into a huge material cost because of an old wall surface?

Honestly, my neighbor's shed collapse in a thunderstorm two summers ago taught me more about foundation prep than any video.

Appreciation post: The bathroom tile at a B&B in Savannah that made me laugh

Stayed at a bed and breakfast in Savannah last fall and the owner gave us a tour of his 'ongoing projects'. The guest bathroom had a tile job that was something else. He'd clearly tried to cut a mosaic sheet to fit around the sink, but the cuts were about an inch off on three sides. He just filled the gaps with what looked like three tubes of white caulk. When I asked about it, he said, 'It's a feature, not a flaw, keeps the water in.' Has anyone else seen a DIY fix so confident it almost becomes art?

My contractor buddy told me my tile layout was amateur hour because I didn't stagger the joints, and he was totally right.

Tried to use a paint sprayer for my kitchen cabinets and it went sideways fast

I rented a Graco Magnum X5 last weekend to spray my oak cabinets after watching a bunch of videos. Set up a plastic tent in the garage, thinned the paint like the guide said, and started on the first door. The paint came out all splotchy and started dripping before I could even cover the whole panel. Turns out my garage was way too cold, maybe 50 degrees, and the paint just wouldn't lay right. Had to stop, sand it all back, and now I'm brushing them by hand. Anyone have a good method for spraying in a cold space, or is a brush just the way to go when it's chilly?

A contractor in Boise told me I was crazy to use 2x4s for a non-load-bearing partition wall, but after checking the code and seeing the $200 savings on lumber, I went ahead and built it anyway.

He was adamant that 'no real builder uses anything less than 2x6s for interior walls anymore,' but my 8-foot partition has been perfectly solid for 3 years now, so has anyone else successfully pushed back on overbuilding advice to save money?

Hot take: my plumber's comment about my shower valve made me rethink everything

I was fixing a leaky shower handle and my plumber, Frank, said 'You know, most people think the handle is the problem, but it's usually the cartridge behind it that's shot.' He was right, and that $12 part from the hardware store saved me from a full $400 valve replacement. It made me realize I jump to the biggest, most expensive solution before checking the simple stuff first. Anyone else have a moment where a pro's offhand advice saved a whole project?

Question about tile layout. I've been using a 50% offset pattern for years, but a contractor friend in Charlotte just told me that's wrong for large format tiles. He says it causes lippage and you should never go over 33%.

Appreciation post: I thought skim coating was just for pros until my bathroom ceiling

I always heard people talk about skim coating walls to fix texture, but I figured it was one of those things you needed a ton of skill for. My bathroom ceiling had this awful, bumpy texture from the 80s that was peeling. I watched a few videos and decided to just go for it with a 12 inch taping knife and a bucket of all-purpose joint compound. The first coat looked terrible, honestly. It was streaky and I almost gave up. But after it dried, I sanded it lightly and put on a second, much thinner coat. That did the trick. The ceiling is now perfectly smooth and ready for paint. It took me an afternoon and about $30 in materials. Has anyone else tried skim coating a whole ceiling as a first-timer? Any tips for keeping the compound from drying out too fast?

My neighbor insisted I needed a 4-foot level for tiling my bathroom floor

I thought my 2-footer was fine, but after the first row went down crooked, I had to run back to the hardware store. Has anyone else had a simple tool tip save a whole project?

Vent: My husband insisted on using a $15 paint sprayer from a garage sale for our kitchen cabinets.

I was convinced it would splatter paint everywhere, but after watching three YouTube tutorials and thinning the paint with a cup of water, it gave a smoother finish than my expensive brushes ever did, so has anyone else had a cheap tool completely surprise them?

Why does nobody talk about the dust from cutting cement board?

Did a bathroom floor in my Austin house last month, and that dust got into everything for days. What's your best trick for containing it, besides just opening a window?

Had to pick between a full kitchen gut job or just new cabinets and counters

The old layout in my 1980s kitchen was a real pain, so I had to choose. I could either rip everything out and move the sink and stove, which would cost about $15,000, or just put in new Ikea cabinets and a quartz countertop for half that. I went with the full gut job because the bad flow was driving me nuts. It took three months and a lot of dust, but now I can actually have two people cooking at once without bumping into each other. Anyone else go for the big reno when a smaller fix would have been easier?

Found a way to keep my drill bits from rolling off the sawhorse

I stuck a strip of that grippy drawer liner on the top edge, and now nothing slides off, even at an angle. Anyone have a better trick for keeping small tools in place while you're working up high?

I used a $30 paint sprayer from Harbor Freight on my kitchen cabinets and it was a total game changer compared to rolling them.

Rant: My tile saw water pump just hit its 10,000th hour of use

I bought the thing for a single bathroom floor project in 2018. Anyone else have a tool that just refuses to die?

My neighbor saw my deck ledger board and told me I was one storm away from disaster

I was about 80% done building a new deck off my kitchen, feeling pretty good about it. I had the posts set, the joists up, and was starting on the decking. My neighbor Frank, who used to be a contractor, came over for a beer. He took one look at where the ledger board was bolted to the house and just said, 'You're not using washers?' I wasn't. I figured the lag bolts into the rim joist were enough. He pointed out that without big washers, the bolt heads could just pull right through the wood over time, especially with people jumping around on it. He said in a bad windstorm, the whole thing could rack and tear away. I stopped everything right then, went back, and drilled out every single hole to put a 1-inch fender washer under each bolt head. It added an extra afternoon of work but man, I sleep way better now. Has anyone else had a simple tip from someone that made you redo a big chunk of a project?

Who do you call for yard waste and garage junk hauling?

Doing a massive spring cleaning a bit early this year. I've got a mountain of tree trimmings, broken patio chairs, and old paint cans I dried out. Need a reliable service to just come take it all away so I don't have to make 5 trips to the dump.