A woman has shared why she regrets listening to DIY tips from internet users when she decided to refinish her own floors.
36-year-old Jennifer McCann from Philadelphia went against her gut when she decided to refinish her own floors instead of using LVP flooring and quickly regretted it.
She and her husband had bought a duplex in 2022 with the intention of renting it out. However, after their two tenants moved out, they decided to do renovations themselves to save money.
"I've been DIYing my whole life but got into more woodworking and learned more construction type projects from my husband, he's an engineer with construction background, back in 2018 when we bought our first duplex," she told Newsweek.
"We bought another duplex in 2022 with the intent to house hack (live in one unit and rent out the other) but it needed a full gut renovation. Both units had all of their original features from when the house was first built back in the 1960s.
"Shortly after closing on the building, one of the tenants moved out & a couple months later the other tenant moved as well. Since we were on the hook for the mortgage & wasn't receiving rent from either unit we decide to do the renovations ourselves to try and save money."
That proved to be a mistake, as McCann took to TikTok to show the final result, with her video garnering 1.4 million views. After working hard at the floors, they came out shiny and somewhat bubbly.
"I watched some YouTubes and TikToks about it and felt confident enough to give it a try because the videos made it seem really simple and straightforward," she told Newsweek.
"We went to Lowe's and got a sander and got to work but when we got home, realized it was the wrong sander. We took that back and went to Home Depot for the correct sander. We sanded the floor and attempted to stain it a really light color.
"That didn't work out well. We went back and sanded again and stained it a darker color. That also didn't work well. After several attempts to stain the floors we ended up just covering them with luxury vinyl plank. It took approx 3 weeks for the whole ordeal since we both work full time jobs outside of this.
"Hopefully, my video shows others not only that DIY isn't all glitz and glam."
Remodeling and renovating remains popular in the US. In 2022, total U.S. home improvement expenditure amounted to $566 billion, according to Statista.
People took to the comments of McCann's video to share their thoughts.
Chase wrote: "Home improvement projects are a lot to take on, and failing from time to time is part of that. I'm proud of you for trying something new. Even if it didn't work out, you learned something."
"I sand and refinish floors professionally, and this make my head explode," said @bassnweights.
Clinton Snoddy commented: "I used to sand and refinish gym floors. This is an art! It takes touch and "the eye". Sand it again, and put a clear finish on it. That old flooring is beautiful in itself, no need for stain."
Has your home ever turned into a nightmare? Whether it's a burst pipe, unexpected renovations gone wrong, or any other house disaster, we want to hear your story. Let us know via life@newsweek.com, and your experience could be featured on Newsweek.
English (US) ·