I tried using a laser level to hang a single picture and it turned into a 4 hour project

So my wife wanted this big framed photo up in our living room, right over the couch. I figured, hey, I've got this fancy DeWalt laser level from a job, might as well use it for a home project. I spent like 20 minutes just setting up the tripod and getting the line perfectly level across the wall. Then I marked the spot, drilled, and put the anchor in. When I hung the picture, it looked... off. I kept adjusting it, but it just wouldn't sit right. Turns out, the wall itself isn't perfectly straight, it bows out a tiny bit in the middle. The laser was dead-on, but the frame's wire hit the hook at a weird angle because of the wall curve. I learned that sometimes the 'perfect' tool shows you problems you didn't know you had. Anyone else have a simple task get way too complicated because you over-engineered it?

2 comments

2 Comments

calebhayes13d ago

Watched my buddy try to mount a TV with a stud finder that also mapped electrical wires. He spent an hour scanning the wall, drawing lines with a pencil, convinced he'd hit the perfect spot. Drilled into what he thought was a clean stud and hit a pipe for the upstairs bathroom. Had to call a plumber and then a drywall guy. That fancy tool gave him so much data he talked himself right into a disaster.

the_dylan13d ago

Oh man, that hits way too close to home... I once spent forty-five minutes with one of those things, making a wall look like a toddler's connect-the-dots page. I was so sure of my "scientific" lines that I ignored the old rule about just knocking on the wall and listening. Ended up putting a screw right into something that sparked. The extra data just makes me feel smart enough to make a really expensive mistake.