c/diy-home-projects

Pro tip: A $12 can of spray foam fixed my drafty basement door in a weekend

I had a cold spot near my basement door for years, and last month I finally bought a can of Great Stuff gap filler after seeing it at the hardware store. I sprayed it into the gaps around the door frame, let it cure for a day, and now that whole corner is noticeably warmer. Has anyone else found a cheap fix that made a big difference like this?

Built a planter box on my patio and learned a hard lesson about drainage.

Made a cedar box last weekend. Filled it with soil and planted herbs. First rain came down hard on Tuesday. Woke up to a mudslide on my concrete patio. Realized I forgot to drill holes in the bottom. Had to empty the whole thing and start over. Anyone know a good way to add drainage after the fact?

Tried to fix a wobbly deck board with a new screw and split the whole thing in half.

I finally tried that peel and stick vinyl plank flooring in my kitchen

I was sure it would look cheap and start peeling up in a week, but my sister convinced me to try it in her laundry room first. We put down about 120 square feet in an afternoon, and after 6 months it still looks perfect with no lifting at all. The key was spending an extra $50 on the better underlayment pad, which made it feel solid underfoot. I just finished my own kitchen last weekend and it totally changed the room for under $400. Anyone have tips for cutting those planks around tricky cabinet toes? My utility knife blade kept getting dull.

My old way of painting trim was a total mess until I saw a trick online

I used to just tape everything off and hope for the best, which always left me with messy lines and hours of touch up. Then I watched a video from a painter in Seattle who showed how to use a small angled brush and a steady hand instead of tape. I tried it on my living room baseboards last month and it cut my time in half, plus the lines are way cleaner. Anyone have other brush techniques for tricky corners?

I finally visited my friend's new house in Portland and saw they painted their kitchen cabinets a really dark blue.

Half the people there loved the bold look, but the other half said it made the room feel too small. What's your take on dark colors in a small kitchen?

Shoutout to the guy at the lumber yard who convinced me to try a pocket hole jig

I used to spend hours on complicated miter joints for simple furniture, but after one frustrating Saturday trying to fix a wobbly bookshelf, I tried his method. Has anyone else found a 'cheat' tool that actually saved a project?

Finally got the reclaimed barn wood accent wall in my living room up after a month of evenings, and it looks amazing.

I found the wood at a salvage yard in Springfield for $200, spent three weeks cleaning and planing every piece, and just finished installing it last night with my old DeWalt brad nailer, so has anyone else tackled a big wall project like this and have tips on sealing it without changing the color too much?

Vent: My whole kitchen floor plan changed after a trip to the hardware store

I was at Home Depot in Tacoma last month, just grabbing a new drill bit. I walked past the kitchen display section and saw a guy building a mock island with cabinets. He was using these little plastic shims, maybe a quarter inch thick, to level everything before screwing it in. I'd always just forced my cabinets into place and fought with the floor. Went home, pulled out my old base cabinets, and shimmed them up perfectly level in about twenty minutes. Doors actually close right now. Anyone know a good trick for hiding those shims once everything's set?

Back when I started, I'd use a 3-inch brush for everything, doors, trim, you name it.

Switched to a 2-inch angled sash brush for the last job and the control was night and day, especially on the window frames. Anyone have a go-to brush for cutting in on textured walls?

I was cutting baseboard trim wrong for a decade until a guy in line at the lumber yard said one thing.

I always just butted the ends together square, thinking that was the 'clean' look. Last Tuesday, I was picking up some pine for a job in my garage and the guy behind me saw my cart. He said, 'You know, a simple scarf joint hides way better when the wood moves.' I went home, cut a 45 degree angle on the ends of two pieces, and glued them. The seam is almost invisible now, even after the heat came on. Anyone have a better trick for long runs where you can't get a single piece?

My deck railing gave way last week because I skipped the lag bolts

I built the whole thing three years ago in my backyard in Springfield and just used deck screws for the posts. Last Tuesday, my kid leaned on it and a whole section came loose. The inspector said I needed at least two 5/8 inch lag bolts per post into the house frame. Has anyone else had to go back and fix something like this after a few years?

My quick drawer fix turned into a two-day project because of stripped screws

I tried to tighten a loose kitchen drawer and every single screw was stripped. I spent over 14 hours drilling them out and re-tapping the holes. Anyone have a better method for dealing with this?

My brother-in-law told me to use a 2-inch putty knife for spackling a whole wall. I should have listened.

Changed my mind about using a 2x4 as a straightedge for cutting plywood

I was building a workbench in my garage last week and grabbed a spare 2x4 to guide my circular saw, thinking it was 'good enough'. The cut ended up being off by almost 3/16 of an inch because the board had a slight bow I didn't see. What's a cheap but actually reliable method for getting a perfectly straight cut on a 4x8 sheet?

Just realized my $200 paint sprayer was a total game changer

I always thought rolling was fine for my kitchen cabinets, but my buddy lent me his Graco X5 last weekend. I did the whole set in under two hours with a finish I could NEVER get with a brush, and I'm officially converted. Has anyone else had a tool completely change their approach to a common job?

The one thing everyone messes up when they paint their own trim

I keep seeing people skip the sanding step on new wood, and it makes the paint peel in under a year. What's your go-to prep method for trim?

Rant: I was putting up drywall wrong for 15 years until a guy in Phoenix showed me the right way to hold the drill.

My neighbor saw my deck stain and told me I was putting it on way too thick

He came over last weekend and pointed out the drips and tacky spots, saying I was basically wasting product and it wouldn't cure right. I was using a whole gallon on my 10x12 deck, thinking more was better. I switched to a roller with a thinner nap and did two light coats instead, and it looks way smoother now. Has anyone else had a pro tip from a neighbor totally change how you finish a project?

Watch out for old plaster walls when you're hanging shelves

I tried to put up a simple shelf in my 1920s house last weekend. I hit a lath strip with my drill and the whole wall started cracking. It took me two full days to patch it properly with setting compound. Has anyone found a good stud finder that actually works on plaster?

Hot take: I just found out the average American home has over 300,000 fasteners in it.

Read it in an old trade magazine at the hardware store. Anyone else ever come across a building stat that made you pause?

My brother-in-law said to use a 2x4 as a straight edge for my tile saw, and it actually worked

I was cutting some 12-inch floor tiles for our bathroom and my saw guide felt off. He told me to just clamp a long, straight 2x4 to the saw table as a fence. I was sure it would slip, but I tried it with a piece I had in the garage. I made about 15 cuts and every single one was perfect. Has anyone else used basic lumber as a guide for power tools like that?

I painted my kitchen cabinets with a $30 sprayer attachment and the difference is crazy

Just realized I've spent over $400 on clamps for my woodworking projects

I was cleaning the shop and lined them all up, and it hit me how many I've bought over the last few months. It started with a couple pipe clamps for a table, then I needed bar clamps for a cabinet, and it just snowballed. Anyone else have a tool or supply that quietly got out of control?

Choosing between a built-in bookcase or floating shelves for our old living room

I mean, we had this whole wall in our 1920s house that needed something, and I went back and forth for weeks about doing a full built-in with plywood or just putting up some simple pine floating shelves. We picked the built-in, and it took two weekends and about $400 in materials, but now it looks like it's always been there. Anyone else ever get stuck on a big choice like that and wonder if you picked right?