My fiancée and I have been working on some drawer pullouts under our stairs in our townhome. We've spent the last two days double-checking the measurements for the front panels before making the cuts. Just as we completed the last panel, I discovered online that the pre-finished birch plywood we bought has a UV coating that won't accept paint. Now we have to redo all our cuts with a new sheet that's paintable. This led me to wonder: what's the most time you've ever spent on a project, only to realize you made a critical error early on that forced you to start over? I want to show her that these kinds of mistakes and do-overs are pretty common for DIYers like us, even if we're not professionals!
3 Answers
Honestly, if you're enjoying your hobby, you can't really consider any time wasted. Each mistake is just another lesson learned that makes you better the next time around!
I recently spent a full day on a project and ended up scrapping it because the engineering was off. I was trying to make a wheeled cart for my market stand, and it just wasn’t working right. Now it’s on my list to break everything down and salvage what I can today. Gotta love DIY, right?
Is it possible that the UV coating might just need a light sanding before it can take paint? Some people have had success that way. But if things don't work out, remember, even the pros make mistakes too!
For sure! And if you make a huge mistake, at least it can be a learning moment. Just keep at it!
Totally agree! If you just sand it down a bit, you might avoid all that extra work. But if everything goes south, think of it this way: the next cuts will be easier since you've already done the math! It just stinks because it's more time and more wood.