Last week I was helping my buddy Dave check a leak under his kitchen sink in Phoenix, and it reminded me of my own mistake. About 3 years ago I had a compression fitting on a copper line that would drip maybe once every 10 minutes. I kept putting off tightening it with a wrench because I figured it was no big deal. Then one night at 2am the whole thing let go and flooded my basement with about 2 inches of water. Took me 4 days and $300 in drywall repairs to fix it all. Has anyone else learned the hard way that a small leak always gets worse?
I used to always buy those little tubs of wood filler from the hardware store for nail holes and small dings in trim. But a buddy of mine who restores old furniture showed me you can just mix baking soda with a drop of super glue to fill small holes and it sands down way smoother. I tried it on a window frame in my house last Saturday and honestly it worked better than the filler I kept in the garage for 5 years. Has anyone else given up on store bought filler for this trick or am I just late to the party?
Last Tuesday morning I was trying to grind up some carrot peels and the thing just stopped dead... I spent 45 minutes fishing out a stuck spoon handle with pliers. By dinner time it jammed again on a stray onion skin. Anyone got a trick to keep these things from locking up over such tiny stuff?
I tried using toothpaste to fill a small nail hole last month and it looked great for about 3 days... then it crumbled out and left a bigger mess. Has anyone found a real quick fix that actually holds up without making a trip to the hardware store?
My front door has been sticking since the humidity hit in June. I was about to go buy a plane and watch 5 YouTube tutorials. Then my dad came over and saw me messing with it. He grabbed the old candle on my shelf, scraped some wax off with a butter knife, and rubbed it on the frame where it was rubbing. Door swung perfect after that. Cost me zero dollars and 3 minutes. Has anyone else used weird household stuff to fix a door hinge or sticky frame?
Wrapped the cracked PVC in a dry rag first then smeared the adhesive all over the joint and let it cure for 24 hours, has anyone else had this hold up longer than a month or did I just get lucky?
I always loaded up the putty knife with a big glob thinking more would fill it better, but after trying just a tiny dab on a kitchen shelf hole last week, it dried flat and barely needed sanding. Has anyone else found that less material actually saves time on these little drywall fixes?
I was dealing with that annoying running toilet sound for days. Turns out the little rubber seal on my Fluidmaster 400 flapper was just slightly warped from hard water buildup. I wasted a whole lunch break scrubbing it with vinegar and a toothbrush before realizing I could flip it over and get a perfect seal in 30 seconds. Anybody else ever spend way too long on a simple fix because you overthought it?
I was grabbing spackle at the hardware store last week and this guy named Frank, been painting since the 80s, told me to stop using that mesh tape for small holes. He said just use the paper tape and a thin layer of joint compound, let it dry overnight, then sand. I tried it on a dime-sized hole in my hallway and it came out way smoother than my usual hack job. Anyone else ditch the mesh tape for something simpler?
Had a tiny hole from a picture hanger in my rental and no spackle, so I dabbed some white toothpaste in there and smoothed it out with a credit card. Worked great until the landlord came by and I had to explain why the wall smelled minty. Has anyone else used weird stuff in a pinch that lasted way longer than it should have?
I was looking for weatherstripping for my drafty front door and saw three different people walk past all the proper door seals to grab cans of spray foam instead. When I asked one guy about it he said spray foam is just easier and he doesn't bother with the strips anymore. Has anyone else noticed more neighbors reaching for foam over the old tape and strip method?
I was cleaning out a dried-up brush last night and noticed a tiny number stamped right on the wooden handle near the ferrule. Turns out it's the brush width in inches, which I never knew existed. Has anyone else found a hidden label on a tool that saved them time when measuring for a job?
My neighbor Debbie told me last week that spackle is for drywall, not wood, but my dad always used wood filler for everything. She said wood filler shrinks less and sands easier on trim, which got me thinking I've been doing it wrong for years. What do you guys use for patching small holes in painted door frames that won't crack later?
So my kitchen sink drain pipe had a tiny crack last month. My neighbor Bob, who's fixed up his whole house, told me just wrap it in duct tape. He said he did it for his own sink 2 years ago and it's still fine. I thought okay worth a shot since I had tape in the drawer. Well it held for about 3 days then started dripping again. I ended up cutting out that section and putting in a new PVC coupling for like 4 bucks. Now I'm wondering if Bob's sink is actually fine or if it's slowly rotting under his cabinet. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from a well meaning neighbor that cost them more time in the long run?
Had a tiny nail hole in my bathroom wall. Didn't want to open a whole tub of spackle for one dot. Used plain white toothpaste. Smooshed it in with my finger. Dried overnight. Painted over it this morning. You seriously cannot tell the difference. Has anyone else done this for super small holes?
I had this ugly hole in my living room wall from where a doorknob slammed into it. Bob told me to just mix some wood glue with sawdust from my miter saw and pack it in there. I tried it on a Tuesday night and let it dry for 24 hours. The patch actually held up but it looked darker than the wall paint even after I primed it. I had to sand it down three times to get it smooth and then use a stain blocker before painting. Bob never mentioned that part so I wasted an evening redoing it. Has anyone else tried this trick and had it work without extra steps?
I woke up last Tuesday to a puddle around my toilet base in the bathroom. Thought it was a leaky seal or cracked bowl, got all paranoid. Then I remembered the flapper was old and letting water trickle down the overflow tube all night, making the tank ice cold. Replaced that $3 flapper from the hardware store on Wednesday and the sweating stopped completely. Has anyone else dealt with phantom condensation like this, or was I just overthinking it?