With budgets tight, many are turning to DIY to save money. But DIY projects can quickly turn into disasters. People are sharing their hilarious and horrifying DIY fails online, offering lessons on what not to do. Let’s dive into ten of the worst DIY projects gone wrong, so you can laugh and learn.
10. TikTok-Inspired Freckles
Fame-hungry people will try anything, right? Take Tilly Whitfield, an Australian “Big Brother” contestant, who tried a TikTok trend to give herself fake freckles. She admitted on Instagram that she “…literally shoved needles deep into [her] skin… lol.”
The results were disastrous. She ended up in the hospital with temporary vision loss and a severe infection. Her face was unrecognizable. Initially, she didn’t think it was a big deal because it “didn’t hurt at all.” She covered it up with makeup or a mask during the show. The lesson? Leave needle procedures to the professionals.
9. Curtains Fail
If you don’t believe in DIY karma, this story will change your mind. Latasha James, confident from watching DIY tutorials, decided to hang stylish curtains herself to save money. She used store-bought brackets, tape, and a curtain rod to attach them to her concrete ceiling. She even documented her process on YouTube. Using tape should have been her first clue.
Days later, the entire setup crashed, taking down her bar cart. Her partner found red wine spilled everywhere and had to scramble to clean it up. Hopefully, a bottle survived—they’ll need it after that mess!
8. 100-Parter Bathroom Fail
Bad decisions can snowball. Grace O’Heeran, a 23-year-old Texan, went viral on TikTok for her bathroom renovation gone wrong. She blamed a car crash and brain injury for her impulsive decisions.
Her choices included a hand-stenciled tile floor and green, sparkled countertops that looked like they had insects in them. Commenters begged her to stop and hire a professional. After spending $1,000 (way over her $300 budget) and weeks of work, she was somehow happy with the ghastly result.
7. Good Deed Gone Wrong
Winter is a time for neighborly kindness, but some good deeds backfire. A user at familyhandyman.com used their new snowblower to clear their elderly neighbor’s driveway. Things were fine until they ran over the garden hose, tangling it badly.
After an hour of trying to remove the hose pieces from the snowblower, they gave up. Later, the neighbor called, upset about a flooded basement. Running over the hose had caused a leak inside the house. What started as a good deed turned into a watery disaster.
6. Shred-splosion
One user at Australia’s handyman.net tried lubricating his shredder. A little lubricant can revive an aging or clogged shredder—in theory. The user “sprayed the shredding mechanism liberally.” That was the problem because the shredder exploded.
The hypothesis? A spark ignited the accumulated vapors inside the shredder. Luckily, they were unharmed except for singed eyebrows and hair.
5. Exploding Toilet
A “Reader’s Digest” reader had a creative solution for a clogged toilet. Their son’s plastic potty training attachment was stuck. They decided to burn it out. They removed the toilet, took it outside, and set it on fire. “I poured charcoal lighter fluid down the trap and lit it up,” they wrote.
But then it exploded. A toilet explosion. The story ends simply: “I bought a new toilet.” Sometimes, you just need to call a plumber.
4. Sump Dump
A user at familyhandyman.com shared her husband’s attempt to prepare for Hurricane Sandy. They were installing a backup system for their sump pump when he cut into a PVC pipe she was holding. She was blasted in the face with “nasty brown water.”
She bravely held the pipe as the rancid spray continued. Her husband had forgotten to unplug the pump. After unplugging it, he saw her laughing hysterically. The pump worked, but let’s hope that water was just water.
3. Trapped in the Closet
Another “Reader’s Digest” reader, an experienced handyman, built his entire house himself. When installing his closet door, he nailed himself inside the room with no way out.
He had nailed blocks at a 45-degree angle to the outside of the jambs to keep the door frame square. Then, he nailed the door shut securely. He didn’t have a hammer or pry bar. Luckily, he had his phone. His brother eventually freed him, and he’s still waiting for the brother to give him a hard time about it.
2. Sun Dumb
This Family Handyman story is like a real-life Wile E. Coyote moment. A construction worker was working alone in 100-degree weather. He needed to cut off “a 3-ft. piece of a rim joist.”
He stood on the rim joist without realizing he was standing on the very piece he was cutting off. He fell. The saw missed him, but he was hospitalized for dehydration and sunstroke. Always think before you cut!
1. Gorilla Glue Girl
In January 2021, Jessica Brown went viral for a disastrous DIY hair trick. Out of Got2b Glued Blasting Freeze spray, she used Gorilla Glue to keep her braided ponytail in place. It was a terrible idea.
Her ponytail was stuck for a month. She shared her story on TikTok, tapping her hair to show how solid it was. The glue wouldn’t dissolve. She even went to the emergency room. A plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael Obeng, performed an experimental surgery to free her scalp from the glue.
DIY projects can be a great way to save money and get creative, but they can also go horribly wrong. These stories show that sometimes it’s best to call a professional or, at the very least, think twice before trying something new. From exploding toilets to glued-down hair, the potential for disaster is always there. Learn from these mistakes, and maybe your next DIY project will be a success.
What’s your worst DIY fail? Share your story in the comments below!
