DIY Home Improvement: The Good, The Regrettable, and The Hilarious!
/Hardwood Specialties salutes weekend warriors, and DIY-ers of all descriptions. But we also know that sometimes, well ... projects don't go as planned.
Blame it on HGTV, or on Pinterest! Those DIY-ers make it all seem so easy. Longing for a new bathtub? Seasoned designers on TV would just rip out the old one and fit a new one in, finishing up the tile and power-drilling a new medicine cabinet above your sink, all within a 30-minute show. Ready to modernize your kitchen? Your favorite home improvement blogger would have it gleaming with trendy blush stainless-finish appliances and pristine marble countertops by the end of a blog post.
DIY home improvement looks so easy!
What the professionals (and the seasoned amateurs) don’t tell you is that something.
Always.
Goes wrong.
With DIY home improvement projects.
AND, they always take longer than you think! That doesn’t mean you should panic when things get tough. It does mean you should take lots of pictures, so you can laugh when all this is over! And then get some professional advice.
Pro tip: At Hardwood Specialties, we love DIY-ers! And, we’re happy to give you advice on how to get started, or how to solve your home improvement challenges. Just stop by. (No judgement, we promise.)
Enter: our favorite DIY fails.
Every home improvement project creates a moment of “Oh no! What have I done!?” Usually, it’s when half the room is painted and you suddenly decide you hate the new color, or when you smashed a hole in the wall because you really want an open concept for the living area … and, OMG, that’s a hole in the wall!
Sometimes, you just have to power through the moments of doubt and get the project done. Nine times out of ten, it’ll look great when it’s all over. But, occasionally, there comes a time when you probably are right to freak out, because that half-bath you though would look great added to the bedroom really, really doesn’t. Here are some great examples of DIY that shouldn’t have happened.
Nailed it.
When we’re first imagining your new, updated home, we usually think it will look something like this:
Or this:
And sometimes, in pursuit of saving money, we try to make do with the materials at hand. But that’s not always the best course of action. Take a good look at the pictures above, and compare to these unfortunate outcomes below. We’d like to take a moment to offer a few pieces of advice:
Ask the experts at Hardwood Specialties.
Before you jump into your DIY renovation project, stop in to Hardwood Specialties. We have flooring samples, paint, lighting, cabinets and anything else you could need to get inspired for your updated home! Plus, we’ll be happy to give you tips on the best materials for the job. And, if you’re feeling overwhelmed, we’re always here with design services and even expert tilers and contractors to help you get the gorgeous home you want — without tearing your hair out.