Mistakes you made on a DIY project and what you learned from them

[ShawnMichaels]

The success threads are good but the failure threads are more useful. The specific thing that went wrong, what the consequences were, and what you would do differently. This is how knowledge actually transfers between people who make things.

[Forge89]

Cut all my timber to length before checking whether the floor was level. It was not. None of the pieces I had cut were usable. Measure twice, cut once is not enough. Measure the space, not just the measurement.

[QubitZero13]

Skipped the primer on a painting job because I thought the surface was clean enough and the paint was high quality. The paint peeled within a year. The primer exists for a reason and the hour you save by skipping it costs you more later.

[Jackson79]

Overtightened a compression fitting on a plumbing job and cracked the fitting. The crack was not visible until the water was turned on. The learning: snug plus a quarter turn, not snug plus as tight as you can make it.

[Outlaw92]

Used the wrong filler for an exterior repair. Interior filler absorbs moisture and expands. Did the repair in autumn, by spring the repair had caused more damage than the original problem. Always check whether products are rated for internal or external use.

[BigDog_Fan]

Assumed the wall was brick all the way through when it was brick with a cavity. Drilled through the cavity and kept going through the inner skin and into the room on the other side. No structural damage but a very embarrassing hole.

[Joanne_24]

Bought cheap tools for a job that required precision. The cost saving on the tool added time, frustration, and a result I was not happy with. The quality of the tool affects the quality of the outcome for certain jobs in a way that cannot be compensated for.

[Solid Gary]

Did a tiling job without checking the surface was completely flat. The tiles looked fine when wet. When the adhesive set and dried, the slight unevenness of the surface showed through every tile. Re-doing this properly cost twice the original job.

[Harper84]

Left a project half done over winter. The materials contracted, the joints opened, and what had been a good start required significant remediation in spring. Finish or properly weatherproof, never leave something in between.