c/diy-home-projects

Pro tip: Use a cheap paint roller grid instead of a tray for small touch-up jobs

I was painting a closet door in my apartment last weekend and had to choose between setting up my big messy tray or trying something else. I grabbed a 5-inch paint roller grid from the hardware store for about $4 and just poured a little paint into a plastic cup. It worked perfectly, used way less paint, and cleanup took 30 seconds. Anyone else have a better trick for small painting jobs?

Finally picked a backsplash tile after staring at samples for a week

I had two boxes sitting on my counter, one with a glossy white subway tile and one with a matte gray zellige-style tile. My partner kept saying just pick one, but I kept moving them around in different light. I went with the matte gray because it hides water spots better, which is good with our sink. It took me about three hours to get the first row level, but it looks so much better than the old laminate. Has anyone else used that kind of tile and had trouble with the uneven edges?

Found out my bathroom fan was venting into the attic, not outside

I was up in the attic yesterday looking for a box and saw the flexible duct from my bathroom fan just sitting there, coiled on the insulation. It's been dumping moisture into the attic space for who knows how long. I checked the outside wall and there's no vent cap at all. Has anyone else found this in an older house and fixed it themselves? I'm looking at about $150 in parts to route it properly to the soffit.

My cabinet install taught me to always locate plumbing lines first.

I flooded my kitchen because I drilled into a water pipe.

After years of messy edges, I finally started taping off trim before painting (why did I wait so long?)

Just realized peel-and-stick backsplash tiles aren't a cheat

My buddy's bathroom redo proved they look professional if done right.

Remembering my dad's brush strokes while using a paint sprayer on my shed

Seeing how quick the sprayer covered the wood made me miss the slow, steady pace of helping my dad paint when I was a kid.

Update: My birdhouse build is a squirrel magnet now

I put together a simple birdhouse from a kit. Now squirrels are using it like a jungle gym... instead of birds nesting. What gives with that?

Unpopular opinion: That friendly stranger's paint tip ruined my living room walls

I was at the store getting supplies for a repaint job. A guy in line swore I didn't need primer on my old plaster. I listened to save time, and now the color is blotchy and peeling in spots. Trust proven methods over quick fixes from people you don't know.

Am I the only one who installed a shelf that fell immediately?

Tried to put up a floating shelf in my living room. Used a video guide from the internet. Got the drill out and did the work. It seemed solid at first. Then it just dropped off the wall. My dog barked at the noise for ten minutes. I have to start over with better wall plugs.

That cold draft by the window was my lightbulb moment for weatherstripping.