My Biggest DIY Mistakes: 4 Projects That Went Wrong
Not all of my DIY projects are successes. If your current DIY project isnβt going well, donβt fear β we all have failed before! We usually donβt share our failures, but thatβs changing today. Check out my biggest DIY mistakes. Spoiler alert: One of my fails still sucks!
Recently, I was reading Better Homes and Gardens magazine when I learned about the concept of FOMU β fear of messing up. According to the mag, 68% of their polled DIYers have hired professionals to do a job for them as a result.
I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. If a certain project scares you and you’re able to hire a professional, then do that! They are the best option for a reason!
However, the truth is that many of my readers know they can do certain projects safely. They just become discouraged at the first roadblock or failure.
Admittedly, I don’t divulge when and how often I make mistakes when I write up my DIY tutorials. I’ve always hesitated to share what I’ve done wrong or what doesn’t look good.
Well, dear reader, I’m here to say failure is part of the process when it comes to doing it yourself. Read on to find out my biggest DIY mistakes: 4 projects that went wrong.
Carpet
First of all, I knew from the very beginning not to attempt this DIY. But, my dad insisted that we could do it ourselves. Well, when my dad says what he wants to get done, we all try to make it happen! So, after hours of teamwork, we as a family installed the carpet!
Like Iβve stated before, I will not try this DIY ever again! You can read why Iβll avoid this project again here.
Attic door
We installed a new set of attic stairs some time ago. The swap was pretty tough and physically taxing. However, this attic door is driving me crazy!
My problem is that the attic door needs a cover. It has to look really nice so that the bolts connected to the attic stairs are covered. Therefore, I needed to cut down quarter inch plywood for an attic door cover.
Unfortunately, I messed up the cut so much. I messed it up twice, actually. So, I got extremely frustrated and irritated each time I discovered that my cuts were off. As a result, it remains incomplete to this day.
Ceilings
As a part of the One Room Challenge, we tore down the old popcorn ceiling and replaced the drywall. I felt like most of that project was working on the ceiling!
Mistakes were made for sure. For instance, I can see spots where I should have added more joint compound to some seams and more. I can definitely tell I rushed to finish despite the long amount of time we worked on it.
Painting
Finally, I tried to hand paint a leopard print in my shoe closet. It looked utterly awful! The colors clashed, the size was too small, and I wasn’t able to move in such a small space to paint all the patterns! I was so dissatisfied with my painting, I barely showed my epic fail online. π€
As a result, I abandoned the idea and opted for one color. Needless to say, I’m very happy I pivoted!
In conclusion
It’s okay to fail. I know it’s cliche, but it’s so true. Don’t let FOMU stop you from tackling a project you want to try because it’ll all be fine. I hope after reading my biggest DIY mistakes: 4 projects that went wrong, you’ll be inspired to push past your failures.
Sincerely,
Felicia.