Amnesty on the stupid things we've done!

[Bob225]

A few days ago I got some emulsion out of "storage" 2.5l and 5l - Dulux, check - Pale Citrus, Check

Popped both cans open to make sure they where still ok - quick stir with individual stirrers, Check





Then the penny dropped






5 litres of matt and 2.5 litres of silk

[Argyll]

I used to work in a chipboard/MDF factory back in the 90's.

I was whizzing about in the forkilft and forgot to change over to the shorter forks to lift some smaller packs. I tried to lift some packs of chipboard but they also caught some packs at the back and the whole lot came tumbling down like a stack of dominos.

About three stacks went through a wall and ripped out the sprinkler system. I panicked and bolted but decided to come clean later.

I was convinced I was getting the sack but the manager praised me for my honesty and I only got a verbal warning.

[rps-plasterer]

Can I join in the fun please.
After many costly mistakes over the years I may have just set a new record.
Doing a small extension at the back of a house ,end of terrace, not a lot of room , everything has got to be done by hand.
So I hand dug some footings in the process of I dug across an old salt glazed pipe , running from a disused outside toilet .
Shoved an old cement bag into the end of the pipe , didn't give it a second thought , building control officer comes and go`s. 4 cubic meters of concrete in the trench , all is good. Block work up to DPC and continue , decided to go in on a Saturday morning to do a little ground work and connect up the new soil pipe into the manhole . Lift the lid of said manhole to find the 3 ft hole is now only 1.5 ft deep , the other 1.5 ft is now solid concrete . Oh Christ what have I done. Set about it with a shovel pick and breaker , completely dig out the manhole and follow the pipe. Theres only about 2ft before it goes under the boundary wall and under the road. After a couple of hours cursing and swearing it becomes apparent that I cant sort this , at least not on a Saturday afternoon , get on the phone to the water board , who come out on the sunday with a jetter told them that , that was no good as ive got concrete in the pipe , shant mention what the response to that was. After a few hours messing about , becomes apparent the concrete has got as far as and dropped into the main sewer. Now digging up the road. The final bill , I dread to think. Hope to Christ my insurance pays for it.

[ayjay]

Can I join in the fun please.
After many costly mistakes over the years I may have just set a new record.
Doing a small extension at the back of a house ,end of terrace, not a lot of room , everything has got to be done by hand.
So I hand dug some footings in the process of I dug across an old salt glazed pipe , running from a disused outside toilet .
Shoved an old cement bag into the end of the pipe , didn't give it a second thought , building control officer comes and go`s. 4 cubic meters of concrete in the trench , all is good. Block work up to DPC and continue , decided to go in on a Saturday morning to do a little ground work and connect up the new soil pipe into the manhole . Lift the lid of said manhole to find the 3 ft hole is now only 1.5 ft deep , the other 1.5 ft is now solid concrete . Oh Christ what have I done. Set about it with a shovel pick and breaker , completely dig out the manhole and follow the pipe. Theres only about 2ft before it goes under the boundary wall and under the road. After a couple of hours cursing and swearing it becomes apparent that I cant sort this , at least not on a Saturday afternoon , get on the phone to the water board , who come out on the sunday with a jetter told them that , that was no good as ive got concrete in the pipe , shant mention what the response to that was. After a few hours messing about , becomes apparent the concrete has got as far as and dropped into the main sewer. Now digging up the road. The final bill , I dread to think. Hope to Christ my insurance pays for it.

OOOps!!

Keeping my fingers crossed for you on the insurance.

[fin]

ohhh...... thats deffinately not good. good luck with the insurance though.

[Rorschach]

Have you considered leaving the country?


Seriously though that is not good, hope things work out well in the end.

[Megaross]

There's been a few but I had one saturday.

Working at a friends house just siliconing some tiling I'd done round the bath, I think "I'll just fit that shower rail and call it a day" so I go ahead, drill the tiles and fit the rail.

I then realised the idiocy of what I'd just done, tile dust all over my fresh white silicone, time to start again!

[54aardvark]

Been there - done that!

Rather like when you've put the final coat on the skirtings and lift the dust sheets - having forgotten to hoover & dust before you start.

[4x4]

Haha.... I glossed all the stairs one night..finished about half 4 in morning. Went bed, got up about 9 and thought sod it, I'll sort that damp wall up the stairs and hacked off all the old plaster.
The handrail on the stairs still has the special non slip paint finish on it.Lol

[Argyll]

My mum once asked me to hang a bathroom mirror cabinet for her. No probs and ten minutes later it was up.

The problem was I'm 6'2" and she's only 4'11". She couldn't see the bloody mirror....doh!

[ex_nail_knocker]

We were working at a rather large and prestigous office building in Solihull. As an "extra" we were asked to cut a new double doorway through a brick wall in the reception area. It could only be done out of hours to minimise disruption. Up goes a temporary frame, covered in visqueen, check, tape up the fire alarms, check. Wall cutter out and away we go - now the bricks were fancy hand made jobs, looked lovely but were nearly as soft as aircrete blocks. The dust was horrendous and creeping around the frame as it was tough to get a seal on the raked joints. So we decided to do a little, wait a bit, do a little, however the dust built up enough to activate the next nearest sensor ... Next thing three fire engines turn up, piling through the the door screeming and shouting "everybody out NOW". The fire brigade weren't up for a chat just yet - we get outside and looking back realise that the reception frontage is floor to ceiling glass, In the half light of dusk the light fog of red brick dust is drifting out off the door, just like smoke, with a nice warm glow, it really did look to be ablaze from outside. The fireman (person these days) in charge wasn't too impressed.

We used to fit out Barclays Banks. Any front of house work was only done at the weekend, with a "hit squad", so they didn't have to close. The alarm systems were dealt with by the banks alarm company. Early Saturday morning - in we go, "Is the alarm sorted? 'Yes' is the reply" So we rip the wiring off the old counter. About 3 minutes later 4 squad cars screech to a halt outside

Regards,
e_n_k

[newbie8881]

worked with alot of trades throughout my days and know a thing or 2 in construction thou when building my own house, ive 4 bathrooms (2 main and 2 ensuites) but when tiling my last ensuite i done it full drunk and made a balls the floor. It was a summers day amd few friends came over to help paint the outside of my house while i tiles though we ended up on the drink while doing it and by the time i had to tile the floor, i was half cut and messed it up. The wife keeps busting my clinkers to redoit but just havent got around to it, keep putting it off thou hopefully in spring time itll get done.

[ultimatehandyman]

I only remembered this yesterday when a guy at the gym split his pants when squatting

A few years ago I split my shell suit bottoms at the gym (this was before Chavs started wearing them). They split on the seam and had a lime green liner so the split stood out a mile.

My mate text me to see if I was going to the gym so I needed to fix them quickly. I got out the super glue and put some on the seam and held it together and successfully repaired the seam but glued my fingers to them at the same time

I had to text him to say I was going to be late, he text his sister in law who is a paramedic and she said run it under a warm tap with soap, after 15 mins my fingers were free and I could go to the gym

[Argyll]

I'm fitting a new WC today and bought myself a Fischer toilet pan fitting kit. I noticed the plastic collar was a really tight fit but typical me I carried on regardless and then CRACK! I broke the pan. I automatically assumed the hole diameter was too small so I drive up to the place in Glasgow to complain.

The guy reckoned I over screwed it which I tell him I didn't. You did use the fitting kit in the box didn't you he asks? I tell him I never saw a fitting kit so I used a Fischer kit. I'm getting no where so he gives me another one at cost price (£42). I'm not happy but couldn't be arsed arguing.

I get home and look in the box and there's the fitting kit. It turns out the plastic collar on the one supplied was a smaller diameter and it wouldn't have cracked if I had used that.

lesson learned is to look in the box in future.

Worse thing is I won £48 on the bonus ball at work yesterday and most of that was gone by today :-(