I'm impressed, friday. I think you did great.

I don’t have pictures of mine, I burned the evidence. It’s so embarrassing.

First house, early ’90s, I was 23. Our bathroom had dusty rose everything, with pink floral wallpaper. I didn’t want to remove it, so decided to plaster over it. I applied it very thick, with lots of raised areas, then an off-white paint. It actually looked kind of cool. Artistic. Texas casa. But then …

I discovered Valspar glaze. People were sponging and wiping everything in sight with it. I grabbed a bottle — “Mocha” — and proceeded to ruin the whole project. The end result looked like I smeared mud all over the walls.

I do not appreciate you making me relive that moment in history!

🤣

I am an over-planner and a procrastinator. I ponder and consider so many angles that by the time I get to a project, I am just happy to see it completed!

Two slight fails that come to mind is I don't like the paint color in the bedroom that I chose even after buying four small expensive jars of test paint and testing a gazillion paint chips. The color is great but I just don't like the vibe it gives the room. I was trying to match a bunch of wood tones of the furniture in there, and it goes with all of them marvelously but just isn't the look I wanted or like . . . I was going for a flat grey and it reads blue, partly because the carpet which I will eventually replace, is blue.

Another wall color fail turned out pepto bismol pink even though it read beige on the paint chip. That one my Dad painted the whole room while I was at work, so no way could I redo it. I figured out how to tone it down but I never really liked the color.

I had one wall color success, but even with that one I had to have it darkened slightly at the paint store. The lighter chip was too light and the darker one too dark, so I had to create a custom color that was just right.

This is why I obsess over paint color choices. I just do not have the knack!

@elunia

Thank you. I don't beat myself up about it. I have many hits with other projects but I also have had a few fails throughout the years. Overall my batting average is very good.

@just_terrilynn

ITA, quality supplies make a HUGE difference. You can walk into some homes and just feel the difference.

In an apartment, I would have just called the management office to replace the broken kitchen faucet. In the condo, I had to take care of it. I could call a plumber, but I worked and they’d charge me double to come replace the faucet on the weekend! So, I did it myself. No Youtube then, I had to rely on my Reader’s Digest How to Fix Everything and the instructions on the package.

I looked at all the single-handle faucets at the hardware stores. (No Home Depot or Lowe’s then, either). All of the instructions said that the hoses from the hot and cold pipes should cross when they reach the faucet. Delta didn’t include that instruction. So, I figured it was a standard and they just didn’t feel the need to say it. So, I switched the hoses.

Went to turn on the faucet, and sure enough, the handle turned to the right sent hot water, and handle turned to the left sent cold water. The good news is, it worked and I never had any functional trouble with it. The bad news is, it messed up my brain! I had to always think to myself “it’s backwards to hot is left and cold is right” except that that is what it should be and I’d, oh, never mind.

Also, it was a pain in the patootie to do. Under the counter, of course the floor of the cabinet is higher than the floor so I used a chair cushion to elevate my body to same level, and there was a center stile between the doors. It toook me most of my Saturday and my back was killing me. The upshot was, I decided that thereafter it is totally worth it to hire someone to the plumbing. Except I’m pretty good at fixing the innards of the toilet tank.

@Jilly

I remember that Valspar glaze and that color! I tried to plaster my current bathroom years ago using Valspar in a mocha finish. Omg I hope that product is no longer being sold.

@l pinkmountain

I feel your pain. Colors can be tricky especially when your dad does the work. That can be a balancing act. I have a love/hate relationship with Pepto Bismol pink.

@bpath

You are much better than me. I'm no good at plumbing and I hate to think what it would be like to get my 51yo body off the ground after trying. Plumbing is beyond my diy scope of practice.

Friday, I was 25 when I installed the faucet! Young and spry! and my back was still killing me.

Back when DD (our youngest) was about to finish up grade school, I spearheaded a volunteer parent project to do a major reno of the staff lounge as a thank you for those great years there. The major newspaper in the state got wind of our project and sent a reporter and a photographer up to interview me and take some pics for the paper. We were painting the walls that day. After my interview, they got a photo of one volunteer up on a ladder, and then me stepping off my ladder . . . right into a can of paint! Thank goodness they didn't publish that one, but they both got a big laugh. I looked like such a klutz, which I actually am! I‘m a very messy painter! Thank goodness for drop cloths, as although the walls did get painted, my fellow volunteers made me promise to not touch a paint brush again!!! The good part, though, was that the reno was a huge success and the staff loved it.

@LynnNM

Yikes! I wonder how many diyers have stepped in a can of paint. The cleanup must have been horrible.

Yes it was a huge mess, and very embarrassing. But the reporter, thankfully didn’t mention it in the published piece. My husband and (now adult) kids won’t allow me near a paint brush either! Smart of them!

@LynnNM

My dh did something similar, minus the news crew, and spilled paint all over the carpet. He is banned from touching a baint brush too.

I put a cabinet organizer under the bathroom sink. Of course, the pipes are never straight like they are in the pictures so I had to use a bit of force to get the frame of the organizer past the pipes. The force CRACKED the sink. I couldn't believe it. Luckily, the sink doesn't leak, it just cracked the surface enamel finish, but I use that sink every day and hate myself for ruining it.

@Fun2BHere

I suspect you lift many more weights than me. 😳.

Seattle, I think yours looks really good! I like your kitchen way better than the other.

It took some of your plumbing stories to jog my memory. I think the only true DIY failure I've had was plumbing related. We had decided to sell our house and it was scheduled to go onto the MLS the day after a funeral for a family member. Morning of the funeral we woke up to get showered and the original 1970s trusty master bath shower valve decided it no longer wanted to shut off. Here we were expecting to start showing our house the next day and the completey inaccessible shower valve (another finished shower on the otehr side) needed repair. Well a cousin who had experience as a plumbing journeyman suggested we turn the shower arm upside down and pour a little bit of CLR into the pipe to loosen things up in the valve before we attempted a repair. Husband was able to replace the cartridge inside the shower valve and we thought everything was just fine. What a relief. Except the very next day after my husband and I leave the house for work, he stops by about lunch time. Walks in the door and sees a fountain of water pouring into the finished remodeled powder room from the master bathroom upstairs. Turns out the CLR had loosened up some corrosion even further down in the pipes and a tiny corroded hole opened up and flooded the bathroom below. It was a huge mess to clean up and we had to delay the listing for a few days while we repaired the pipe and then paid someone to repair the drywall. Sometimes a little DIY repair can end up way more of a costly hassle than expected.

@User

I really like your hood. I like hoods with space on top like yours. I desperately wanted a vented hood but have no place to vent it to. I decided to remove the cabinets above my microwave and pretend the microwave is a vented hood. Now I have a pretend hood with space on top. I will eventually purchase very tall salt and pepper shakers for the space above the microwave. I think. Contractors would have a stroke if they visited my house.

Friday, do you still have that awesome gold pendant light in there? Sort of a tulip shape?

@pricklypearcactus

That might be a diy disaster winner. I am sure it was a very costly repair. Plumbers deserve to make the money they do. We now all know CLR really gets the job done...

@Jinx

I still have the light. I love it.

Swoon 😍

We did our kitchen in 2008 and did most of the work and all of the design ourselves. At first, we decided to replace our double wall ovens with a single oven/microwave combo because I hated having a microwave on the counter. A couple of days later it was really nagging me, so we decided to cancel that order and we'd put the microwave inside the appliance garage we were adding. Problem solved!

Until everything was installed and we found that the appliance garage was .5 inch too narrow to fit ANY MICROWAVE ON THE MARKET IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. So we spent all that time and money and one of my major goals was to get rid of the counter microwave and yet...

@ilikefriday it was definitely a rough DIY disaster. I don't remember the total cost, but it could have been so much worse if my husband hadn't stopped home. Honestly I think it was only a few hundred dollars of drywall repair and maybe a few extra years off my life from the stress. It's incredible how much damage water can do. At least this time it was fresh water. I had another waste water leak where the main waste stack had been unknowingly leaking into the subfloor under layers of vinyl flooring (installed by previous owners) and wicking up the walls. Absolutely disgusting.

@lobby68 that would have made me absolutely nuts! My current kitchen has a shallow appliance garage and I had to look high and low for a toaster that could fit and still allow the door to close so that I could keep my blender base and coffee grinder in there too. Those half inch margins are killer.

In Washington there was a big mirror in my tiny dining area. It was 1994, we were renting, so my options were few. And I loathed the mirror, so I sponged it with ochre yellow paint. I have no photographic evidence of the crime which I committed, but suffice it to say, the mirror was better off before I assaulted it.

@lobby68

I have a similar situation with my washer and dryer. We had to replace our old ones and couldn't find a new set that would fit within the space with the doors closed. I need an extra inch. I plan on cutting a hole in the drywall behind the set so they can sit recessed within the wall. Perhaps you can do something similar with your microwave. Build a cubby hole recessed between the studs.

@pricklypearcactus

Water can ruin things very quickly. You got off lucky the first time. I'm not so sure your luck remained with the waste stack incident!

@Zalco/bring back Sophie!

I am of the firm belief that paint is the cheapest and fastest way to make a major positive impact. It is the best decorating tool in the toolbox. You cannot convince me of a crime, especially not without photos 😊.

My biggest DIY failure…..the infamous Christmas deer. Ho, ho ho, scary.

@Kswl

The Christmas deer?

A couple years ago we had a leak in our front loader washing machine from a torn door seal. Got the part number from Samsung (no judging, pls) and ordered at a savings on Amazon. Amazon flagged the part number as not correct for my machine but I ordered it anyway b/c two reps at Samsung said it was correct. They should know, right?

Then watched YouTube videos for dismantling the machine (remove door, electronic panel, top of machine) and had it all apart (yes, look at this invincible woman!)… and then the new gasket does not fit. Not even close. Called Samsung again, was schooled in how they have “updated” their model numbers and oopsie, they provided the wrong part number. Twice. Ordered correct part and waited 2 days for it, and we cannot get it installed without it leaking during spin cycle. Orange emoji face with swear words over mouth.

For added entertainment and enjoyment, we learned NO ONE in south Puget Sound area will work on Samsung. Three days later, the amused Samsung repair guy from Seattle had the part installed in 10 min. Without removing the door, electronic panel, top of machine, etc. Because he had a handy tool. Charged a nominal service fee that today would not cover the cost of gasoline used to get here. I will stick to painting cabinets, laying tile, landscaping and fence building. No appliances.

Jj J. This cracked me up. I really loved how you took the washer apart and are invincible and all that. Then things started to fade when you called the repair person. But you came full circle by painting cabinets, laying tile, landscaping, and fence building. I would say by calling the repair person you were just delegating. Managing the project. I have no doubt you could have gotten the job done yourself. You rock!

Haha, Ilikefriday, I like how you think! Thanks!

friday, just love your kitchen, and especially those pulls. Gorgeous.

I'm not quite as DIY adventurous as my fellow GWers, but there was that time I thought I'd try my hand at updating the lone remaining light fixture in my gutted-for-remodel kitchen. Such a pretty chandelier with a graceful shape—just needed a little Rubnbuff magic. Climbed the ladder with a few tubes, and kept turning the chandelier to get it all nice and gilded. You guessed it. Kept spinning it until it literally came loose from the ceiling and was hanging by a thread. It was heavy and I was lucky I wasn't under it. I had to hit the circuit breaker and balance it on 2 ladders until the contractor arrived in the morning to take it to the curb. The rubnbuff didn't pass for gilded, but it was fun. Something about rubnbuff...I'm not done until the tube is empty :D

@gardener123

Well RubNBuff is one of my favorite products on earth and I have often feared the same exact fate when redoing a chandelier. Love that stuff! They took it to the curb? Oh no!

Thanks so much for the compliments about my kitchen. It's fitting you should mention the pulls. The square backplates behind each pull were a diy project using wood craft squares and guess what else. RubNBuff. Lol. The entire project set me back no more than $20. I am just too cheap to spend loads of money on kitchen hardware that I can make myself for pennies.

Btw, that big mirror, that I use to cover the kitchen window that I hate, started it's life with a silver frame. Then it got a redo with guess what. I did mention I love that stuff!

ilikefriday -my daughter recently discovered this product when she bought a house with a small laundry room. Passing it on in case it might help you: Recessed Dryer Box

@Bestyears....well.....this puts HOT air into your home...even in the Summer. If you have a gas dryer, exhaust fumes. If you have allergies, small particles that will irritate your sinuses. If not emptied "often" it's a fire hazzard. How often does one move a heavy dryer out into the room? I hope this works for your daughter....it's not a fix most people can use. (yes...I worry.....please don't be offended)

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My first floor tile job, my husband went back and removed 3 tiles. He said he couldn't "live" with them. 🤣

@Bestyears

Thanks! I will research that dryer box, as well as your comments Nicole. Clearly there are enough people with this same exact problem for there to be a solution that works.

@ilikefriday..Here's a good article. I think a LOT of us...just don't think of dryer lint as a HUGE fire starter. Maybe this will save someones life who's reading this.

Another fail to share from last year. I installed three new solar shades and only after they were up, I discovered they had sewn the hems crooked. Obviously I didn't make the shades, but I think of it as a DIY fail because I wanted to save money by installing them myself. I went with a cheap company because I had ordered solar shades from them in the past and those ones had turned out perfect (Blinds Chalet -- would not recommend).

The issue is subtle. It looks fine if I have them completely open or closed (they drop down behind the sofa), but you can definitely see they're crooked when the hem is near any of the frames.

At some point I'll try to fix the hem myself, but it's such a huge job I'm afraid I'll just make it worse.

Aaaaaand have I learned my lesson? Would I do this again? Probably. That's how ungodly expensive window treatments are! Maybe next time I'll wise up and at least order a better brand.

ILikeFriday, this is the Christmas Deer thread (one of several I think!)

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/3417348/my-christmas-deer-project-f-#n=44

I am in my 5th decade on this earth. I have painted approximately a billion walls in various houses over those years. I am actually a really good (wall) painter. I hate doing it with the passion of a thousand suns - but I get good results and more importantly I work for myself for free.

For some reason, I assumed this wall painting skill would translate into being able to paint a fiberglass front door. This was a poor assumption.

Also for some reason, I decided to use a thick, oil-based paint. Why? I have no idea. I guess I thought it would hold up to the weather better? I honestly don't know. I just remember standing there and making an impulse decision to use oil paint, even though I had never used oil-based paint before. What could go wrong?

OMG. What a gloppy, lumpy, hideous mess. I realized with my first stroke this was not going to go well, but again, for some reason I forged ahead. I kept working the paint, working the door, trying to get it to look good.

This was the front door to my brand-new home. When I finished it looked like a kindergartener was left unsupervised for too long.

I may have cried a little bit. Then I dried my tears, realized no one had died, and called the best painter I know and explained my folly. I had to look at that hideous door for months until he had room in his schedule. It took him several days, lots of sanding, lots of dust - but in the end he made it look beautiful.

@User

That would be a real drag to have purchased something and the hem be off. I can't see it in your photo but I wouldn't order from them again. Is there a way to use iron on tape or something similar to fix the hem?

@Kswl

That thread was a real treat. I love art and am very crafty. It's my thing. I learned a long time ago that instead of thinking of artist endeavors as mistakes it's better to just alter your vision. The deer maynot be what you initially envisioned but maybe your initial vision may have simply been wrong. In my mind the deer looks fabulous.

@Ally De
Hmmm. Oil paint disasters. I would love to see a photo of the door. I wonder what went wrong. You said it looked like a kindergartener painted it but I have posted many times here on Houzz that kids that age make great little artists.

I designed a kitchen for myself that looked really interesting and minimal but I could only reach the bottom shelf of the main cabinet run, and the size of built in refrigerator was discontinued soon after the kitchen was finished so if it fails only a smaller one will fit. If I lived there now I would probably do something much different now so I would consider this a kind of fail.

Ok the reindeer thread is pretty funny. I think at some point I would have put a dot of red paint on the nose and called it a day!

And we cannot continue this thread without recalling the one about expanding foam stuck on people’s hands…

“How do I get Great Stuff off my hands”

HAHAHAHA! that stuff is amazing, but the worst to work with. how do these people not know about disposable gloves?

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2596030/help-how-do-i-get-great-stuff-foam-off-my-hands

Is this limited to home decor? My biggest fail was wine making...oh, I made delicious homemade fruit wine. This wasn't the sweet, undrinkable wine, but nice red wine made from berries. Not sweet at all, but with a fruity finish. Gorgeous colors - the raspberry was the best. I made gallons of it for several years. Moved to a new house without an ideal place to store the carboys as the wine worked - the little yeasties eating the sugar and turning it into something wonderful. Every once in a while, you have to "rack" the wine, taking the clearest part off the dregs in the bottom. The 5 Gal carboys are heavy and you have to siphon the working wine off the dregs into a clean carboy.

One year I was making blackberry wine and picked all the wild blackberries for 10 gallons of wine (a lot of berries and time and thorns). I'd racked it a few times over the months and it was getting close to being done. I was moving the carboys in and out of a closet in my utility room when I accidentally clinked two together. Just in the right way to break one, so 5 gallons of blackberry wine gushed all over the floor (linoleum luckily).
My husband was out in the yard and I'm not sure what I exclaimed but OH NO!!! probably. Maybe I called for him, maybe he just heard me in distress, I can't remember. He came in the door and saw all this red liquid all over the floor and thought (for a second) that it was blood (think Dexter) and almost fainted. It was a big job to clean up; the linoleum didn't stain, but I'm sure the subfloor still looks like a crime scene. My last winemaking adventure and my biggest DIY failure.

Oh, Oly! How awful!

I’d have been soaking it up with towels and wringing them out in containers. 😁

Jinx, there were too many tears mixed in...

My 1st house. My 1st sewing table. My 1st furniture refinishing project. The dinning room table was at a place being dipped & stripped of it's white paint. I had "no" place to set up my sewing machine...the house had "no" window coverings....I was going to make them all. I found this solid antique mahogany table with cabriolet legs, missing the toes, $20....I had to glue blocks of wood on, then grind the toes into a shape. It was stained with ox-blood....literally. I sanded it all off. Mixed the lacquer & stain together...and it was too cold in the garage for it to set up. It wouldn't dry...it ran. Big drips down the legs. Looked awful. I used lacquer thinner and redid it 3 times!

Finally the weather warmed up....yes....I was a dumb beginner....and got it to dry.

This is my most recent fail. I make deviled eggs all the time in an egg maker. I think it's time to get a new one, or use smaller eggs.