3 Common DIY Disasters and How to Fix Them

Several of our viewers recently attempted to DIY projects in their home – to disastrous results! HGTV’s “The Cousins” John Colaneri and Anthony Carrino stepped in and turned their nightmare into a dream!

Jessica of Fairfield, New Jersey, attempted to create a feature wall of photos and mementos in their home’s stairwell, but she missed the mark. Anthony gave her the following tips, and put them into practice, resulting in a beautiful and cohesive feature.

Tip 1: Keep Everything at Eye Level

Anthony recommends that when you’re hanging art in a stairwell, to follow the line of the stairs, so as you walk up the stairs, the artwork is continuously at eye level.

Tip 2: Group Your Items Together

Even if you have a big space to fill, Anthony recommends keeping everything grouped closely together, and adding new items in an outward direction as you get them. This way, it looks cohesive.

Tip 3: Use the Same Style Frames

If you use the same frames for all of your artwork and photos, it will bring the whole design together.

Meanwhile, Jessica’s husband Greg made a big DIY booboo by ripping out a cabinet, and not being able to find a replacement to match. John took on the task of solving the error, and shared the following advice.

Tip 4: Don’t Try to Match Cabinets

If you can’t find a matching cabinet, why not try something completely different, and make a focal point by using a different material?

Finally, two more viewers Skyped with us to show us their half-finished basement disaster, and “The Cousins” had lots of suggestions to improve their space.

Tip 5: Paint Basement Paneling to Brighten the Room

The cousins reveal that you don’t have to tear out ugly wood paneling – you can paint over it with a light-colored paint! They note that it’s important to sand the panels first so that the paint will adhere.

Tip 6: Install a Light-Colored Carpet in a Dimly Lit Room

The cousins recommend putting down a light carpet if you want the room to seem bigger and brighter.

Tip 7: Use a Spray Device to Paint the Ceiling

Even if you tear out your ceiling paneling, you don’t need to install a replacement, the cousins tell us. They suggest just spraying the beams with white paint!

What’s your biggest DIY disaster? How did you fix it? Share below.