Asked on Nov 06, 2017
What’s the worst DIY tip you’ve been given & how badly did it end?
DIY is serious business and when our projects turn out as great as we imagined, there’s no better feeling. But not all DIY advice and tips are created equal. Some should have never seen the light of day. The resultant project is usually a hot mess...but sooooo funny!! So please share your funny, unfortunate failure so we can all have a good laugh.
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DIY failures are one of the best ways to become a more experienced craftsman or woman, and if there's a funny story to go with it even better! Thank you for this, what a great way to celebrate the lessons we learnt the hard way!
My father was wonderfully creative and could, successfully, apply his vast knowledge to a myriad of tasks. He designed and built our family home, including a wrap around, landscaped garden. He even invented labour saving tools for mum who had arthritis.
Imagine his frustration then, when one of his DIY projects turned out to be a disaster?
Years earlier, my two younger sisters shared a bedroom. Dad had previously made wooden headboards for their cast iron, sprung beds. Deciding that the room needed more space, he cut through both bed frames (including the springs) at mid-point, overlapping then securing with bolts.
Looking upon his handiwork with a sense of pride and satisfaction, Dad then lifted a mattress into place! Correct width, but now too long for the frame to accommodate!
The solution? Dad cut a rectangular space in each wooden headboard which the mattresses were squeezed into. The sheets were difficult to fit, thereafter, but the girls were happy with the extra space he had created!
It was one of those 'family' stories told many times. I miss him lots!
Re Lessons Learned....