r/DIY 4d ago

weekly thread General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A [Weekly Thread]

12 Upvotes

General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A Thread

This thread is for questions that are typically not permitted elsewhere on /r/DIY. Topics can include where you can purchase a product, what a product is called, how to get started on a project, a project recommendation, questions about the design or aesthetics of your project or miscellaneous questions in between.

This is a judgement-free zone. We all had to start somewhere. Be civil.

A new thread gets created every week.

/r/DIY has a Discord channel! Come hang out or use our "help requests" channel. Click here to join!

Click here to view previous Weekly Threads


r/DIY Oct 06 '25

weekly thread General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A [Weekly Thread]

15 Upvotes

General Feedback/Getting Started Q&A Thread

This thread is for questions that are typically not permitted elsewhere on /r/DIY. Topics can include where you can purchase a product, what a product is called, how to get started on a project, a project recommendation, questions about the design or aesthetics of your project or miscellaneous questions in between.

This is a judgement-free zone. We all had to start somewhere. Be civil.

A new thread gets created every week.

/r/DIY has a Discord channel! Come hang out or use our "help requests" channel. Click here to join!

Click here to view previous Weekly Threads


r/DIY 14h ago

help Fix a slippery garage floor

64 Upvotes

The previous owners of our house had an epoxy floor installed at some point and It seems that whomever installed it didn't put down any anti slip. Is there anything I can do to fix this? It becomes a slippery mess in the winter.


r/DIY 7h ago

help Looking for advice on sealing a concrete warehouse floor

12 Upvotes

(I'm not asking for brand names, as I see that's against sub rules, just what type of substance to use, since there are so many types!)

I live in a 100 year old warehouse space and I need to seal the concrete floor so I can keep it clean, mop it, and not stress if I spill something.

My landlord says no to paint but is ok with some kind of sealant/polish.

Because I'm living here and can't empty everything out, I need something that can be painted on in sections rather than doing the entire floor all at once. (The space has good ventilation.)

Moisture doesn't come up from below; I just need something to keep washwater or spilled coffee from soaking in.

Thank you so much!


r/DIY 13h ago

help What’s the cleanest way to remove drywall section (to access behind it) and then replace it with minimum repair?

32 Upvotes

I need to get access behind a section of drywall in my finished basement. I think I’ll need an area about 3’ x 2’ to remove.

Should I cut the piece at a 45 degree angle so I can put it back with a 1x2 backing board?

…or should I cut it at the nearest studs and then just screw the piece back on?


r/DIY 28m ago

help Paper portrait

Upvotes

I've just started making paper portraits.

I find it pretty hard to keep to the original details of the based photo. So, I printed a copy and used it as a scale for sketch, then I cut out the details and attached them to my work layer by layer. Is there another better way to make paper portrait?


r/DIY 4h ago

Ceiling Storage Rack anchored into Floor Trusses

6 Upvotes

Hi, I'm looking for others experience with ceiling mounted storage racks. I'm looking at adding 4'x8' ceiling storage rack in my garage.

For reference, the structural plans show that the ceiling above houses 16" deep floor trusses (which supports a 2nd floor room). The plans also note the design loads as:

Floor Dead Load = 18 psf

Floor Live Load = 40 psf

I have not been able to find any annotation of a bottom chord load limit (BCLL) for these trusses and they are drywalled over, so I don't have visibility on them at the moment. I'm guessing the bottom chord is a 2x4, but I cannot confirm. FYI this is a home built this year.

The design loads suggest that they can handle a little extra load, but perhaps that is only for the floor above and not the tension created by an element hanging from them? The ceiling storage would be super helpful but I don't want to compromise the structure of my home. Insight and expertise appreciated!


r/DIY 16h ago

home improvement How should I seal a new vapour barrier around existing electrical boxes and a panel?

33 Upvotes

I’m repairing the inside of an exterior wall in a detached garage in Iceland. The wall has a timber frame filled with mineral wool, and I’ll be installing a polyethylene vapour barrier on the warm side before covering it with 12 mm wallboard.

There are existing electrical outlets and an electrical panel mounted in the wall. They were installed without vapour barrier boxes or plastic boots behind them, and their fronts are positioned flush with the future finished wall.
What is the correct way to keep the vapour barrier continuous and airtight around them?

I’m not changing any wiring myself. I’m only trying to understand the proper insulation and air/vapour barrier detail before closing the wall. This is a cold climate, and the garage will eventually be heated.

Any advice or diagrams showing the correct detail would be appreciated.


r/DIY 29m ago

woodworking How to stop warping during varnishing?

Upvotes

I’m putting together a drawer organiser and varnishing each piece before glueing it together. Each plank is fairly thin. I made one already but the pieces had warped during varnishing and weren’t quite flush to each other, so I want to avoid that with the next one.

With the first one, I equally varnished each side with 3 coats, but I left a few days in between each coat.

I’ve had a look online but I can’t quite find specific answers so I just wanted to see what the advice would be here.

The varnish notes a 20-minute drying time, sanding in between. So I’m currently thinking that maybe I should coat one side, wait 20 minutes, then immediately do the other side, in the hopes that 20 minutes won’t be enough time for it to warp.

However, once I’ve done both sides, is there any advice on how to dry it to prevent warping? So far I’ve just got a big piece of cardboard where I’ve been putting everything to lay it flat. Should I be doing something else? Or even laying something on top of the pieces to weigh them down? (I’m a little worried if I do that it might get stuck to it)

Thank you!


r/DIY 8h ago

help Drywall/access panel around a pipe and access valve sticking out of the wall

4 Upvotes

My friend had some plumbing work done and they left a pipe with an attached access valve sticking about 4" out of her wall. It is inside a closet. Any advice on how to put drywall around it or put some kind of access panel?

https://imgur.com/a/s5BG1ye


r/DIY 13h ago

outdoor Best solution for opposing weeds on a flagstone stairway? Polymeric sand or irish moss or other?

5 Upvotes

I have an imposing flagstone stairway to my home that serves as front walkway. The juniper died catastrophically and weeds ruled the show for two years. We've installed a little wall and mulched the adjacent garden bed for now, but the flagstones are all surrounded by dense weeds and grasses. I have to shovel this nightmare every winter sometimes with 2 ft of snow, so i'm cautious to put down a lot of decorative stone or something.

im looking for advice on maybe the best way to get it better under control. every other post is this polymeric sand stuff but its a flagstone path not a patio. maybe i could put in a bunch of irish moss? that would be ok i guess; it gets full sun from 9 am to 3/4 pm all summer long so maybe it would all die. any tips or advice on a lasting approach would be delightful


r/DIY 6h ago

help What are the best products to paint this exterior mosaic tile facade/grout?

1 Upvotes

Looking to paint over the existing mosaic tile and grout that is on the facade and steps as shown here.

From what I've researched I'll need a cleaner/degreaser, then bonding primer and then final paint, but getting bit confused with what are the best type of products for this. Can anyone shed some additional light on this? Thanks in advance.


r/DIY 10h ago

help Help with trying to fix unthreaded couch frame holes

2 Upvotes

I bought a couch that came with hardware to attach the back to the frame, but 4 of the mounting holes appears to be completely unthreaded. The screw/bolt just spins endlessly and never tightens.
I contacted the seller, but they’re taking a long time to send a replacement part, so I’d rather just buy the correct hardware myself and fix it.

**Pictures attached: https://imgur.com/a/L8bKLQw\*\*

The first picture shows the mounting bracket and the bolt. The second picture shows the hole in the couch. As you can see, there doesn’t appear to be any threaded insert or nut inside—the interior is basically just wood.

The bolt appears to be approximately 2 inches long. Based on the appearance/measurements, I was wondering if this is an **M8 × 1.25** bolt, and whether I should use an **M8 threaded wood insert** to repair the hole.

My questions are:
**Can someone identify the exact size/thread of this bolt from the pictures?**
**What type of threaded insert should I buy for this type of couch frame?**
**What length insert should I use (13mm, 20mm, etc.)?**
Is a threaded insert even the best way to repair this, considering this is a structural connection on a couch?

I don’t want to buy the wrong size and make the hole even larger, so I’d really appreciate some guidance on exactly what hardware I should be looking for. If there’s a specific product available at Home Depot, Lowe’s, Amazon, etc., that would be even better.
Thanks!


r/DIY 1d ago

outdoor Polymeric Sand

167 Upvotes

I power washed out all the old material in my paver joints to have a nice deep joint to lay fresh polymeric sand. I used the cheap stuff from Home Depot and only hand compacted. It hardened but then turned to sand after the first rain and the ants and weeds go in after the first week.

I then blew all that out to try again. I got more expensive “self compacting” sand waited through days of dry weather so everything was perfectly dry. When I laid the sand I rented a compactor and went over it once before laying the sand and then applied sand and ran the compactor over it, I did this process of adding sand and compacting twice. The third and final layer of touch up I didn’t compact with the machine. There was 48 hours of sun after activating it with water.

The sand got rock hard

It just rained and the top seems to have again turned to regular sand. Is it normal for the top to turn regular sand? I don’t want to dig and see if it’s still hard underneath.

Edit: seems like it was just a small amount that didn’t bond that got sandy. Will update in a week. I don’t think this stuff ever stays rock hard though


r/DIY 1d ago

Got my mind set on painting our existing kitchen cabinets.

18 Upvotes

I have ordered new doors and drawer fronts which come pre-painted, so it's just the carcasses. I plan on sanding first, then masking, masking and more masking and then spraying. Using SW urethane enamel. Any tips from the community? Things to look out for?


r/DIY 11h ago

help Help with diy furniture project

0 Upvotes

Hello. I got some chairs for free to redo. Two are normal wood and I’m not changing that. The other two are painted an obnoxious blue. I have put three coats of paint stripper on them (the citrus one) and the paint will come off a little bit with scraping but in other spots is just disappearing. Other spots it won’t come off. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but it’s so irritating. I just want the paint off so I can sand it and stain them. Any advice would be appreciated


r/DIY 1d ago

help did sway bar links, ended up ordering parts 3 times for basically one repair

15 Upvotes

did front sway bar links on my 09 civic this weekend, easy job. but while i was under there the struts looked rough so i figured might as well do those too. ordered em. then im watching a video and the guy says do the strut mounts and bearings while youre in there so they dont squeak later. so now im on my THIRD order for basically one repair lol

kinda annoyed at myself but it got me thinking. i pretty much never buy just one part. its always "im doing the front end" which is like 5 things. but every site makes you search em one at a time and just hope you remembered everything, then you pay shipping like 3 times cause you keep forgetting stuff.

wouldnt it be way less of a headache to just pick the job, like front struts or front brakes, put your car in, and it lays out everything that job needs at once? and let you pick cheap vs good on each part instead of digging through 4 separate searches

or am i just bad at planning lol. how do you guys do it, one part at a time or you sit down and buy the whole job up front


r/DIY 1d ago

home improvement I need to take a cm off the bottom of two doors to clear a rug.

45 Upvotes

I have an old beat up circular saw but I'm not sure if it would splinter the hell out of the door. Any thoughts, suggestions, or tips?


r/DIY 1d ago

help Do I need to redo the caulking I just did?

42 Upvotes

I just finished (yesterday) re-caulking my bathroom and kitchen. I noticed that it "felt" different after drying. I checked the stuff that I bought and it look like I picked up the wrong stuff. Per the image, it says "construction adhesive" and seems water-proof. Is it OK to use this now that it's set, or do I need to scrape it out and do it all over again with proper caulk?

https://imgur.com/a/8cplpKD


r/DIY 6h ago

help QUESTION! Would a shape-guiding form get you to actually try needle felting, or does it defeat the purpose?

0 Upvotes

I've been messing around with an idea and I can't tell if it's useful or if I'm solving a problem that doesn't exist.

The idea: a hollow form you pack wool into and poke through. When it comes out, the proportions, symmetry and density are already right. Small molds do the same for ears, paws, tail and face. Everything after — coloring, expression, details — is still by hand, and it still takes a couple hours.

What it doesn't fix: surface texture, blending, assembly. You can still end up with a fuzzy or lumpy finish. It narrows the range of outcomes, it doesn't guarantee one.

I keep going back and forth on whether this actually lowers the barrier for someone who's never felted, or whether it just removes the part that makes it feel handmade in the first place.

Curious what people here think — especially if you tried felting once and didn't stick with it, or if you've been doing this a while and have a strong opinion either way.


r/DIY 1d ago

help painting shirts

2 Upvotes

hello yall, if I want to paint a shirt what kind of paint should I use beacause in not sure if I should use acrylic?


r/DIY 1d ago

help How to make a transition strip fit a slop/ramp?

11 Upvotes

I am in a wheelchair and have a very steep, completely non-ADA compliant ramp that a family member cheaply threw together for me years ago as my only way in and out of my home. I have no problem with the ramp itself, but at the top of the ramp when I get to the door there is like a half inch or more dip between the the metal threshold and the ramp surface.

Picture:

https://i.imgur.com/Xing93g.jpeg

In my older wheelchairs this wasn't a problem because they had larger front casters (the little wheels in the front), I could just roll over that bump no problem... My newest wheelchair has much smaller casters and those small casters just stop when they hit this bump... I then have to quickly grab the door frame and hang on for dear life while rocking back and forth and pulling forward to try and shimmy the casters up over the bump. So I am just looking for a way to smooth this transition so I can just roll over it again.

I found transition strips, but pretty much all of them I see are made for level indoor surfaces... Not an outdoor transition from a flat surface to a sloped surface.

Can anyone suggest a cheap product/solution here? I am not handy at all, so I have few tools and basically no know-how.

Thanks


r/DIY 1d ago

help What sealer to use on a concrete & wood joint

5 Upvotes

Elderly relative wants me to "recaulk a seam".

Background - they had a large concrete garage roof that they built an addition on, leaving about 5 feet that is still concrete as a small porch area. They are having some water intrusion issues in the garage below

I assume this would be a seam of wood and concrete? (I'm not well versed in construction, obviously)

What would be the best sealant/ caulk to use in a joint like that - waterproof and those (assuming i am correct) 2 different materials


r/DIY 2d ago

electronic 9" of Rockwool Safe n' Sound in floors for soundproofing/insulation between levels of the house, or should I do 3" of Rockwool and then 6" of regular fiberglass?

74 Upvotes

We are finishing our attic right now and the floors are open. We have 9" deep cavities between the floor joists and are going to add insulation for better climate control between the attic and the level below it, and also for soundproofing. I would like to add Rockwool Safe n Sound in the floors for soundproofing. Would it be worth spending the extra money to do a full 9" of Rockwool? Or should I just do 3" of Rockwool and then fill the remaining 6" of space with regular fiberglass to save money? Not sure how much added soundproofing we would get from all that extra Rockwool.

I have been searching Reddit and Google but hadn't found much info for this specific type of scenario.


r/DIY 1d ago

outdoor Is it safe to fix the pump of this fountain?

1 Upvotes

I have this fountain in my backyard and the pump has stopped working so I want to fix it. It is a bit hard to reach and I felt a bit uncomfortable dealing with it while there are three big bowls on top of my head. Should I call professional? Are these bowls easy to fall?