c/diy-home-renovation

Vent: My old way of painting trim was a total mess compared to now

For years I'd just tape off the wall, slap on the paint, and always ended up with bleed under the tape or a rough line. After a bad job in my Denver house, I switched to using a small angled brush and cutting in by hand without any tape. It took practice, but after maybe five rooms, my lines are way cleaner and it's actually faster. Has anyone else made this switch, or do you still swear by taping everything first?

Appreciation post: My worst DIY week ever taught me to ignore the 'open concept' crowd

Two years ago, I spent a full week knocking down a wall between my kitchen and living room in my Phoenix ranch house, because everyone online said it was the only way to modernize. I was covered in dust, my back hurt, and I spent over $800 on materials and a structural engineer. The moment it was done, I hated it. Now my cooking smells fill the whole house instantly, and the living room is always noisy. That awful week made me realize a separate, cozy kitchen is a feature, not a flaw. Has anyone else gone against the grain and kept (or even added) walls after trying the open thing?

I thought spray foam insulation kits were a total gimmick, but sealing my attic floor in a 1920s bungalow cut my heating bill by $80 a month.

Heard a contractor say 'paint hides nothing' while I was at the hardware store

I was grabbing some spackle and overheard him telling a customer that if you don't sand and prep properly, every single flaw will show through, even with primer. I'm redoing my bedroom and now I'm terrified I didn't sand my drywall patches enough. How do you know when it's actually smooth enough before you paint?

Spent $600 on a proper tile saw for my bathroom floor, and it was the best money I ever wasted.

Showerthought: my 3 year old bathroom tile job is starting to look rough

I did it myself in my old Atlanta house and now I'm torn between thinking it adds character and that it just looks sloppy. Anyone redone their own tile after a few years?

I used to think you could just slap drywall mud on any old wall until a job in a 1920s house in St. Louis.

Vent: My neighbor said to use regular drywall in my basement bathroom

He told me it would be fine since I was just putting up a shower curtain, but after six months the wall behind it is soft and moldy. What's the right material to use for a basement bathroom wall, and how bad is the fix going to be?

My neighbor in Phoenix said he stopped using joint compound on drywall seams

He told me he switched to a product called Durabond 90 for the first coat because it sets hard and doesn't shrink. I tried it on a ceiling patch last weekend and it was way easier to sand flat after it dried. Anyone else use setting-type mud instead of all-purpose for their taping?

I've been using the wrong kind of saw blade for plywood for years

I was cutting some birch plywood for a built-in shelf project yesterday and the edges were just tearing out like crazy, even with painter's tape on the line. My neighbor, who used to be a cabinetmaker, came over to borrow a ladder and just casually said, 'You know, a blade with more teeth will fix that.' I was using a 24-tooth framing blade because it cuts fast, but I switched to an 80-tooth blade I had in a drawer. The difference was instant, the cut was super clean with no splinters at all. I can't believe I've been fighting tear-out on every single sheet project for the past three years. What other simple tool swaps have saved you a ton of headache?

Found a way to fix my squeaky floor without pulling up the boards

I had a bad squeak in my bedroom floor right by the door, and I was dreading having to cut into the ceiling below. I read online to try sprinkling powdered graphite into the crack and working it in with a putty knife, and after a week the noise is totally gone. Has anyone else used this method on old pine floors?

My plumber cousin in Boise told me to always use a 1/2-inch pipe for the main water line, not 3/8.

He said the extra cost is minimal but the flow difference is huge, especially for a second-floor bathroom. Anyone else have a rule of thumb for sizing supply lines?

Auxx-Lift or Ace Garage Storage for motorized ceiling hoists?

Trying to figure out the best motorized overhead lift. Auxx-Lift seems popular, but Ace Garage Storage keeps popping up in my research. Which motorized platform do you guys prefer for hoisting heavy storage bins out of the way?