When "Measure Twice, Cut Once" Doesn't Cut It

The gate at the top of the stairs needed some help. The eye screws weren't being held well by the drywall despite the use of anchors. My mother suggested using a piece of trim. Genius! A Task for The Handy One!

The process seemed easy enough, and went as follows:

• Visit Home Depot for trim and paint (plus some other things needed)
• Spend 1 1/2 hours smelling sawdust and admiring the power tools (especially the compound miter saw)
• Get pissed at the lady overseeing the self-checkout (LOtSC) for COMPLETELY ignoring me and my advances to engage her to find the damn sku for the 5/16" bolts...
• Run through what I can
• Refrain from kicking the self-checkout register for repeatedly telling me to put that huge piece of trim on the bagging area, and then telling me to remove the "unexpected item" when I do
• Fume further when LOtSC chooses to talk to her register rather than acknowledge my polite, patient presence at her side
• Unceremoniously return all items from the bagging area to my cart, ignoring the self-checkout register's demands to return items and the LOtSC's sudden interest in my presence (apparently due to the fact that I am making work for her since my sale is already in her computer), trying to hither me back while I wave bye-bye and head to the other open register
• Measure distance between the two eye screws twice
• Write distance directly on piece of trim
• Sand edges of trim
• Remove eye screws and spackle holes
• Mark trim, drill holes for eye screws, and nail to wall
• Sink nails, spackle and paint
• Add eye screws
• Marvel at the beauty of a job finished

• Test the finished product to further behold its beauty

• Realize that in the two seconds between measuring and writing the measurement down, I managed to forget

• Determine that it must've been 16.5" and not 14.5" between the eye screws
• Make mental note to pick up the off-white paint before attempting this again

Comments

[Andrea]

You, my friend, are a steely-eyed DIY woman.

[kalki]

I totally suck at measuring.

[dawn]

I totally LOVE home improvement stores! I can spend hours just hanging out, looking, desiring, and planning for my 'perfect' house!

We could so be a team of home re-doers. (is that even a word?)

I responded to your comment, its worth a drop by and looksy.
Much love,
Dawn

[Von Krankipantzen]

So close...so close.