c/fix-my-diy-disaster

The drywall guy who made me stop arguing about anchors

I spent 45 minutes at the hardware store trying to bully a stranger into agreeing that toggle bolts were a scam. He just shrugged and said, "If you want your shelf to stay up, stop asking me and read the box." That got me because I had already hung three shelves with the wrong anchors and they all sagged within a month. I went home, looked at the weight rating on the package, and saw I was 20 pounds over the limit. Now I check every rating before I even pick up a drill. Has anyone else had a guy in a vest save them from their own stubbornness?

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ellis.nina•5d ago

Vent: my ladder kicked out mid-paint-job and now I need a new ceiling

Was painting the hallway on Saturday in Tulsa and my cheap step ladder slid sideways on the drop cloth, dumped a whole gallon of Behr on the floor, and the handle end cracked a ceiling panel on the way down. I patched it with spackle but it's got a weird hump that catches the light. Anyone else had a ladder do something dumb that ended up costing more than the paint job?

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ivanb41•7d ago

Spackle vs. caulk for baseboard gaps, I learned the hard way

Tried to fill a 4-foot gap along my baseboard in Denver with spackle because I was too lazy to drive to Home Depot. It cracked into crumbs within 48 hours and now I have a weird dusty line under the trim. Caulk took 15 minutes and looks perfect, even after the heater kicked on. Anyone else mix up those two and regret it instantly?

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lisa820•7d ago

Pro tip: painter's tape before you start, not after you mess up

I was patching a hole in drywall last month and got joint compound all over the outlet cover. Tried cleaning it with a damp rag and just smeared it worse. Next time I taped off the outlets and switch plates before mixing anything, cost me 2 dollars for a roll and saved about 45 minutes of scraping. Has anyone else had luck with those little plastic outlet masks, or is tape still the better move?

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the_jade•8d ago

Vent: My $15 paint sprayer turned my kitchen into a Jackson Pollock exhibit

So last Sunday I decided to repaint my kitchen cabinets with a cheap Wagner sprayer I grabbed on sale. The box said 'light misting' but it came out like a fire hose. Paint went everywhere except the cabinet doors. The counter, the floor, the dog (poor Max is now white). After 3 hours of cleanup and a broken ceiling light, I checked the manual online and found out you're supposed to thin the paint first. Who knew? The sprayer had a chart in the box I ignored. My kitchen now looks like a modern art piece, but I can't tell if that's a good thing. Has anyone else had a sprayer disaster that ended with a surprise design choice?

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