DIY Disaster!!!!

It seemed like such a good idea at the time... three, 3 foot long, white, photo shelves, spaced evenly along the 15 foot hallway wall! Easy Peasy, right? NOT!!!!!! The Ikea Photo Shelf nightmare has officially begun!!!

* Ikea shelves came WITHOUT hardware, quelle surprise!

* managed to scrape together 9 flat head screws and 9 mollies

* Charged the drill

* found the correct drill bit

* measured and re-measured accordingly

* drilled the 1st hole ONLY to discover CONCRETE, behind the drywall!

* don’t have a concrete drill bit!

* screws are too long for the hole

* mollies are too big for the hole

* drill bit won't penetrate concrete

* now have 3 rather large, very obvious holes, in the long hallway wall!

* have to go to hardware store for assistance!

Husband due home Sunday. : o

We've got trouble, trouble I say... trouble with a capitol "T"

Damn it..... I should have gotten a piercing!!!!!

*********************************************************************

UPDATE - 2 HOURS LATER

* went to hardware store

* was talked into larger/longer screws

* was talked into longer larger mollies

* was talked into a HUGE concrete drill bit

* came home, started all over again with new, bigger, better larger "stuff"

* NOTHIN

* my rechargeable drill is not powerful enough to get through the concrete

* the holes are wider, but NO deeper

* there is dry wall dust everywhere

* shelves on the floor

* screws, mollies, hammers, tool box, crap.... everywhere.

Screw it... I'm going to take a nap and then go get a new piercing!!!!

[peace_lover]

You have 3 options:

1. Blame it on a pet ( or someone else’s pet), rampaging squirrel or rats.

2. Deny all knowledge totally. Absolutely.

3. Draw, paint abstract doodles around each of them and say you were inspired.. or do a quick wallpaper job. Oh that’s four, never mind, someone else will have the solution, possibly.

5. Blame it on the Pred

[Hidden in reply to peace_lover]

Hahahahahahaha! Blame it on the PRED!!!!!

[Rugger]

Does DYI stand for 'Do Yourself In'? Other suggestions on a postcard!

[Hidden in reply to Rugger]

YES! It must! I just realised what I did! D_Y_I hahahahaha

[nevagivup]

I

Kannot

Ever

Assemble

........ would rather DYI as rugger suggests, or rather DMI :))

[SnazzyD]

Unlike cooking disasters the trouble with DIY disasters is that you can’t just rename it.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Blame it on the hot weather! Obviously made the plaster disintergrate! 😳

[Hidden in reply to DorsetLady]

...yes, in perfect 1/8 inch round holes, spaced exactly 9 inches apart!

He'll buy that! I'm sure of it!!!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Hidden]

Well the weather has bee n pretty phenomenal this week! 😉

[Hidden in reply to DorsetLady]

...this is true!!!!!

[Rimmy]

Ruth says just 'decoupage' 'everything' - hides a multitude of sins and bury all evidence of shelves, drills and bits . Hubby will SO appreciate the fact you've only managed to 'do' the hallway in the time he was gone and not started on the rest of the house - he will be VERY grateful in fact and LOVE your 'creativity' ....

XX

[Hidden in reply to Rimmy]

I like it... a 15 foot 'decoupage' wall! Skulls and roses, me thinks!

...and yes, hopefully, by the time I'm done nattering at him, he'll be thanking the gods that the hallway is all I managed to get done! ; )

Thanks RUTH! xxxx

[Telian]

Why not simply pay someone else to do it!! I know it's extra cost but you've already paid for the shelves - OR ask hubby as soon as he gets back from his relaxing break!!

Good Luck!

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

I did.... I reached out to Landlord and asked if I could pay his "his guy," to help! He said he'd send "his guy" over, and "...wouldn't dream of asking me to pay!"

(He's so lovely!)

He also laughed and said that he personally had "....spent a lot of time and energy trying to drill into those walls!!!"

Now ya tell me.... : (

PS _ I LOVE doing DIY stuff and have always been very handy with tools... Youngest of 3 kids, only girl! I HATE asking hubby to do stuff, and usually I can do it better than he can!!! He's a "brainiac," I'm the "hands on" do-er!

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

Our walls are like yours, nothing like a good solid house - until you want to drill 'em!! As Rokerman says you need a hammer drill but it will hurt you to do it, get the landlord to help - I'm amazed you didn't get told off for trying to hang in a rental - usually you're not allowed. Once again good luck! Will wait for the next instalment...

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

We have the best landlord!!!! He loves us and we love him! We sold a fabulous seafront flat 4 years ago, across from the Hove Lawns, and moved in here. We were supposed to be here like a year or so... but properties are so crazy £££££ in Brighton, and we like here so we've stayed! He lets us do anything we want, and is super receptive to anything we need! : )

Colour me happy in Hove!

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

That's lovely he's like that..

My nephew lives in Hove, a one bedroom apartment for £250k! another in lives Shoreham and another in Haywards Heath, their Mum, my sister, lives 10 miles out of Brighton. We were supposed to be coming to Shoreham tomorrow to a birthday party but can't make it. I too love the area. We nearly moved to Brighton when OH went for his first teaching post, the Essex post came put first and that's how we came to be here!

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

Seriously the prices for flats around here is CRAZY! £250 for a 1 bed! We were 'on the ladder," sold because it was a Grade 1 Listed building, that was falling down around us (although our top floor flat was AMAZING and perfect); made a nice profit, but could not afford to get back in the market as prices had jumped so much in the 3 years we were there. : ( ...so we rent, while we figure out where we want to live!

[maria40 in reply to Hidden]

I'm in Worthing partly because I couldn't afford Brighton but I still take the 700 bus along the seafront as frequently as PMR permits. Going tomorrow if weather is as good as it's forecast to be .

[Hidden in reply to maria40]

Do you ever go to the Brighton PMR/GCA meet-ups?

[maria40 in reply to Hidden]

No, I don't because we have one in Worthing fortunately.

[Hidden in reply to maria40]

Ohhhhh... maybe I'll check that one out!

[Suet3942 in reply to Hidden]

Jealous!!!

[Hidden in reply to Suet3942]

HA! Don't be! Renting is okay... and we do have a GREAT landlord! ...but each month you see £££££ flying out the window, with NOTHING to show for it. : (

[Suet3942 in reply to Hidden]

True.....but I so love Brighton. ⛱⛱

[Hidden in reply to Suet3942]

Oh... yes a lovely city. Although after 9 years I am ready for a change.

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

York?

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

I love York... but hubby cant decide what the F he wants. He applied for (an got a promotion) here in Brighton... so we ain't leaving yet! That's the problem with marrying a guy 10 years younger... he still has to work! I'm retired!

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

Lucky you - 10 years younger eh....

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

Same here a real 'brainiac, he's useless with DIY (or should I say doesn't like it - no shame in that if they own up to it) BUT I always say they're only as useless as they want to be...or should I say as useless as we let them be.....years ago when the boys were young OH started plastering in the lounge, needless to say he got fed up/was making a mess, you name it.... always blames being left handed!!! so we swapped roles, he made dinner (nearly) while I plastered and the rest is history as they say...but like you I enjoy DIY I re-grouted the downstairs shower last week!

The only girl eh! that explains a lot, you must have had to 'fight for you life' sometimes or did they love their baby sister and spoil her? I'm the eldest of 7... 4 girls/3 boys so that's where my motherly instincts stem from...

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

Hahahahaha! I love the story about your OH plastering!!!! ...and yes, "useless as we let them be!"

Oh my goodness I was Daddy's Little Girl and ADORED my big brothers... Spoiled? Me? No! I worshiped my brothers. They only tolerated me until I was in my late teens and then we all became friends and hung out... I was very, close to both of them. Lost Charlie when he was 59 to pancreatic cancer.... that almost killed me. Tommy died las year, lung cancer. I was the medical proxy for both of them and had to make final decisions about their healthcare and ultimate treatment options... Gosh I miss them! ... but yes, they were instrumental in making me the tough, independent, outspoken, opinionated, TomBoy, woman I am today... THANK GOD! xxxx

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

Daddy's girl and big brothers how lovely...

..but I am soo sorry you lost Charlie and Tommy and no age either - and you had to deal with all the finalities...that must have been tough for you - afraid life just isn't fair sometimes. The good thing is you are soldiering on admirably, I have to say and yes thank god xxxx

Take care x

[Hidden in reply to Telian]

Yes I am! I am soldering on!!!!! I saw how heroically they dealt with terminal illnesses (along with my Mom, who also had lung cancer) and SHIT, PMR/GCA ain't got nothin on CANCER!

Every time (and it's not often) I hear myself ask "why me," I remember my brothers and my Mom and give myself a good kick in the butt! : )

[Telian in reply to Hidden]

Well done you...x

[Canygirl61]

Find a professional to cover your tracks— STAT. FYI; I bought a nice white Pottery Barn shelf from someone in a parking lot at a re-use store (long story). However, I hired someone to hang it. #lifelessons 😬

[Hidden in reply to Canygirl61]

Yeah... when I estimated it at a 45-60 minute job.. I should have know EVERYTHING would go wrong! I miss Pottery Barn!!!!!!

[Rokerman]

I’d liked to have seen the expression on the assistant’s face when you asked for ‘mollies’....?! ( hope you didn’t ask if he’d been watching the ‘soccer’......)

Rechargeable drills are good for getting thro’ marshmallows - not much else in my experience

You need the ‘hammer-drill’ setting on the chuck.

I admire you for having a go (did you mark the hole positions with a level or by eye?

Why not pour yourself a drink, put Billy Joel on the hi-fi and leave it for another time?

By the way, my sons still have a good laugh about the time I put a wall-cabinet up (solid as a rock) - only trouble was, my brand-new spirit level was - errm - adjustable (I still haven’t figured out why you would have an adjustable level??) - we all stood back admiringly - and noticed a slope of 20deg.......

[Hidden in reply to Rokerman]

Hahaha! I did call them mollies!!!! What are they called in the UK? Where are you, Rokerman?

Did I mark the hole positions with a level or by eye.... what am I, a ROOKIE?

A LEVEL! ...a non-adjustable level of course! OMG! That was hysterical... an adjustable level!!!!

I once installed a garbage disposal! My friend came over, we opened a bottle of wine, she read the directions while I was scrunched under the sink and voilà; turned it on, it worked, and no leaks!

[karools16]

What's a mollie???

[Hidden]

Ahhhhh, I don't know what they are called here!

It is a round plastic thing, that is the same shape as a screw. It goes in the hole in the wall (after you've drilled the hole) and then the screw, screws into the molly. The molly opens up, because of the screws pressure against it, thus securing it in the wall. (?)

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Rawl Plug! 😉

[Suet3942 in reply to Hidden]

Think I prefer Mollie😄

[Telian]

Think they're called rawl plugs......

[Mikb in reply to Telian]

We call them rawl plugs in Canada too.

[Hidden]

GOD HELP US ALL!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

[SheffieldJane]

You are wonderful, no matter what Muck says!

[Hidden in reply to SheffieldJane]

xxxxxx

[linda49]

I vote we rename rawl plugs as mollies in the UK too!!

[Hidden in reply to linda49]

I agree!

[SheffieldJane in reply to Hidden]

Oddly I needed a mollie today to fix my curtain tie backs. My husband said we need a what? 😉

[Hidden in reply to SheffieldJane]

Hahahahahahahahaha!

[Oldman-1]

Lol ... in the trade there a saying, a little knowledge is dangerous. There IS a drill bit from wholesalers very capable of doing the job. You need to buy one of the correct depth. Rawlplugs to suit the screws which have to be correct to start with. The Electric Drill needs to have an impact facility built into the drive gearbox. An ordinary Electric Drill is of little use. Hope this is of some help.

[Hidden in reply to Oldman-1]

I have enough knowledge to not be dangerous... I used to work in a Woodworking shop and I know my way around tools, screws, nails and even woodworking equipment. Pretty good at plumbing too! I had the right drill bit and the right mollies, the screws were for "concrete" as well... it was my good for nothing "couldn't drill into butter," drill that was the problem!

[Oldman-1 in reply to Hidden]

Lol ...OK, my apologies. Didn`t mean to debase your knowledge.

[Hidden in reply to Oldman-1]

Hey Oldman-1, No worries! No apology needed.... I didn't feel you were debasing my knowledge, just making an assumption (that in this case) wasn't correct! : )

“A man (woman) is only as good as his tools.” ~ Emmert Wolf

[JanetGarrettN]

Good morning mamici 💐

Oh, I am so sorry for the debacle that has ensued on this project BUT you and I must be genetically related! I can so relate to this. Thanks for such a laugh 😆😅 this morning, greatly needed.

It is to feel like 105 to 108 🌅today here in Virginia. We are experiencing what they call the "Heat Dome" 🌋 🔥started Thursday and expected to go through most of this coming week. Have a good weekend.

Janet

[Hidden in reply to JanetGarrettN]

105 - 108?????? Crazy! It is a lovely 77 here in Brighton... Feels warmer, but it's lovely just the same. I'm happy to make you giggle... : )

[teesher]

Tell hubby that due to the intense heat and pred head, you needed instant ventilation. That should sort it.

[Hidden in reply to teesher]

Hahahahahahahahaha!