What was your worst DIY disaster ever?

Question

I am about to do a little DIY this weekend and I am just awful at it and have had to many disasters to mention! So thought it would be fun to hear of some other folks nightmares.

Answer 1

THE EVILS OF EXPANDING FOAM!!!!!
The very first prehung door I ever installed was set on a concrete floor that sloped about 3/4 of an inch across the opening. After the usual plumbing and leveling of the unit, I discovered I had a large gap under the composite threshold.
Amazingly enough I had heard about this new product just out in an aerosol can that on could use to fill such a void.
So after a quick trip to town for 1 can of foam and 6 cans of suds, I was fillin` holes!!!
Needless to say, after a few cold ones, while allowing the product to do its job, I discovered I could only close the door about half way.
Guess what I had to do? Yep reset the door!!!!!

Answer 2

I was seventeen and it was New Year day. I was on leave from the Navy.
I thought I'd do mum a favour by painting the dining room ceiling.
Balancing on top of the step ladder with paint and roller, I was suddenly disturbed by my visiting best friend who kindly passes up a rum bottle, I lean back to take a swig.
The ladder collapses and I fall on my back to the ground, still clutching the bottle. The paint tray and roller quickly follow and land on my face.
I swear vehemently as the mater enters the room.
She stares at me, at the mess, and bursts into tears before saying "that's the first time I've ever heard you swear"
She hurriedly leaves the room.
I start giggling.
My friend starts giggling.
We 'loose it'
In waves of hysterical laughter we roll around in the paint, until the whole room is mono-colour and we can't breathe or see for the fumes.

Answer 3

Pulling a toilet that was leaking from the second floor and finding the sub floor and the joists were completly gone ---rotted!! of course I discovered this by stepping on the floor near the waste opening, which had been covered by the base of the toilet, and putting my foot thru the ceiling of the bath below removing in the process about 4 sq ft of ceiling plaster & lath.
It was a 2 flat. Most embarassing.

Answer 4

I fitted a bathroom cabinet on the wall above the bath and after the room had got steamy a few times the cabinet fell of the wall into the bath putting a hole in it fortunately there wasn't any water in it at the time or anyone having a bath. A very expensive mistake to repair.

Answer 5

Halfway through building my last extension I was barrowing up some waste on scaffold boards to tip into the skip, I got more or less to the top of the planks and could not manage to tip the barrow, so it went one way and I went the other into the skip and ended up with a bit of metal angle bead in my elbow. Went up the hospital everything alright now. The moral of this story is never overload your barrow and know your limitations!

Answer 6

While sanding a large door slab, with a belt sander, a breaker tripped. Naturally I walked over to the panel box, and re-set the breaker. Immediately the belt sander started to bounce between the stiles and rails, putting huge dents and grooves. I had left the trigger locked on. Those things can really move!

Answer 7

This was my ex-husband's DIY disaster (hence he is now my ex-husband). A few years ago when the Sony Wide Screen flat Screen TVs came out, i was determined to get one so i saved up for ages. I eventually bought one and he said he'd fix it up on the wall in the conservatory. He took ages but it looked great once it was up. I came home from work and fell asleep on the sofa in the conservatory cos i'd just done a 12 hour shift and was tired. I nearly died when the damn thing fell off the wall and smashed to bits on the stone floor - thankfully it wasn't switched on at the time. I was so upset as it was in bits, all smashed up. It had only been on the wall for about 20 mins when it pulled half the wall down too. Never got another one after that and i didn't even have the chance to watch it before it smashed! Good luck in your DIY this weekend!

Answer 8

I just do little things around the house like mudding & painting the walls. hub does the major improvements.
we have a loft in our garage (which is awesome--it's a double sized garage). when we bought this house, the only access up to the loft was by going up a homemade stepladder left by the previous owners.
we decided proper steps were needed & went & bought all the supplies. Hub worked hard on them & called me out to look once finished.
the opening to the loft is approximately 3 feet wide. For whatever reason, hub decided to make the steps half as wide. I looked at them & said it doesn't look safe, someone will fall. Nonsense! said hub. ya just gotta pay attention when you're using them.
Later that day, it was hub who fell from the loft (I heard him land from the kitchen) I rushed out to find him in a pile on the cement floor. he was ok--very shaken up tho. his butt landed on a metal pail & smunched it pretty good. had a massive bruise from that but suprisingly, no broken bones.
The stairs are now spanning the full width of the opening.

Answer 9

Highlighting your own hair can be hard but its possible. (Its easier if you have someone's help) You need one of those head mats with holes (?) (If you buy kit from wal-mart or something it comes with one, but since you are vegan you probably want to go to a hair store like Sally's and see if they have vegan dye) The dye you want, which is bleach. (I use Loreal, but I'm not sure if its vegan) Gloves. Toner helps maintain the color too. Pull out the pieces you want to dye (which is where the help comes in), bleach it for 30-60 depending on your hair than tone it. :-) Took me a couple times to get it right... Good Luck. It would also look really cute if you dye your hair dark brown.

Answer 10

Wrestling a PVC sump pump line. It broke and a jagged edge jabbed me right under my left eye. I bled like a stuck hog. An inch higher and that eye would be gone.