Last Saturday I was at Ace Hardware on Main Street grabbing some lightbulbs and I mentioned to the guy behind the counter that my bedroom door has been squeaking like a haunted house prop for weeks. I was about to buy a can of WD-40 when this older gentleman stocking shelves nearby just looked over and said "son you don't need that mess, just grab a pencil." I thought he was joking but he walked me over to the aisle and showed me how to rub the lead from a regular number 2 pencil right into the hinge pin. He said graphite is a dry lubricant so it doesn't collect dust and gunk up like oil does. I went home tried it on all three hinges and honestly that door hasn't made a peep since. Has anyone else run into those random one-line fixes from old timers that just work way better than the fancy stuff?
Had a nail pop out in my hallway last week and left a dime-sized crater. I was about to drive to the hardware store when my neighbor knocked and said just mix baking soda with super glue. I was super skeptical but tried it. Filled the hole in 2 minutes, sanded it smooth, and you can't even tell. Has anyone else tried weird household combos for patching stuff up?
After tearing it apart twice and buying two different replacement cartridges, a neighbor who used to do plumbing told me I had been putting the little rubber o-ring in upside down the whole time, has anyone else had a simple install mistake cause weeks of frustration like that?
He said just wrap it tight around the base and it'll seal right up, so I tried it and now I've got a sticky puddle every morning for three days. Has anyone else had a supposedly quick fix turn into a bigger mess than the original problem?
Tried his trick on a living room wall and it cracked out after three days. Anyone else have a "home remedy" that just made more work for you?
Finally figured out why my patches kept cracking after a few weeks. Turns out you're supposed to feather the compound way past the hole, not just slap it on and call it done. My neighbor Dave watched me do it and literally laughed, then showed me his method that's lasted 3 years without a crack. Anybody else have a 'wait I've been doing this stupid this whole time' moment?
I noticed the door was scraping the frame about three months after I put on a new coat of latex paint. Turns out the extra thickness pushed the hinge out of alignment, so I filed down the bottom edge by maybe 1/16 of an inch and it swings fine now. Has anyone else had paint layers mess up door fit like that?
Was complaining to old Mr. Garza about a nail hole in my hallway last Saturday and he laughed, grabbed a tube of plain white toothpaste from his pocket, and filled it right there. Said folks used to do this all the time back in the 70s when they didn't have spackle around. Dried overnight and I sanded it smooth, now you can't even tell where the hole was. Has anyone else tried weird household stuff in place of actual repair products?
Been patching up some holes in my living room from an old shelf... wasn't sure which to grab. I went with joint compound since I had a half-used tub from a bigger project last summer. It took like 3 coats to get smooth and I left it too thick on the second try, had to sand forever. Still, it blended in better with the textured wall than spackle would have. Anyone else have a clear favorite for small holes or am I overthinking this?
I had this little nail hole (like 1/4 inch) from a picture frame I moved last week, and I stood in the hardware aisle at Lowe's for way too long trying to decide. Wood filler seemed too heavy and spackle felt more right for drywall, so I went with spackle - the pre-mixed tub kind for like $4. It worked fine, but it shrank a tiny bit after drying, so I had to do a second thin coat. Has anyone else found that spackle always needs two passes or am I just being impatient?
I spent about 6 years cussing at my deck screws for stripping out, thinking the wood was just too soft. Then my buddy Bill came over to help me hang a gate and watched me set my drill clutch. He asked if I knew the 2 setting was for drywall and I felt like an absolute fool. How many of you guys ever found out you were just using the wrong tool setting for years?
I bought one of those dripless caulk guns from the hardware store thinking it would save me time on my bathroom trim... instead it locked up halfway through the first tube and I had to fight it for 20 minutes. Anybody have a good cheap model that actually works?
Tried to fix a 2 inch hole from an old outlet box in my kitchen last week. Grabbed wood filler first since it was closer, but it dried all hard and cracked because the wall is drywall not wood. Should I just use spackle next time or is there a trick to make wood filler work on drywall?
So I tried to fix a small hole in my living room wall about 6 months ago with just spackle and a putty knife. It looked fine at first, but now there's a crack running down from the patch and the edges are lifting. I'm guessing I should have used joint compound and tape instead? For a hole about the size of a quarter, which one actually holds up better long term? Has anyone else had a quick fix turn into a bigger mess later on?
I was poking around my basement trying to figure out why the hot water runs out so fast and I saw this little yellow sticker on the side of the tank that said it was installed in 2016... I bought the house 2 years ago. Does anyone else find hidden stuff like that when they finally look close enough at their own appliances?
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?