Most everyone has picked up a paint roller from time to time. Changing wall color, painting a bench, these are ordinary projects that most of us are willing to take one. After all, there’s a satisfying feeling that comes from doing-it-yourself (DIY), and your project may even add value to the home. But there’s everyday DIY and then there’s DIY overload. So, those who paint when the wall can’t be cleaned but stop short of tearing out drywall and rewiring sockets can stop reading here. This article is not for you.
If you are the person described below, however, seek help immediately.
1. There is an off button on the TV but you fail to use it.
After a hard day of work you switch on the TV and locate the home improvement channel and leave it on until the wee hours. Is it those inspiring before and after photos? The witty repartee of the guests? The feeling of “I can do that!” when a flea market find becomes an object d’art? Maybe it’s the hosts. They don’t pick ugly people to be on these shows, after all.
2. You know the Home Depot and Lowe’s employees by their first names.
It’s nice to have friendly, helpful, staff when you have questions. But if you know their kids’ names and ages, and you have to be asked to leave the store at closing time, you have a problem.
Read Related: 6 Tips for Home Improvement on a Budget
3. You make your manicurist cry.
If you have callouses from wielding a hammer, your cuticles are black with grout and your rings are coated with plaster, you may be doing just a bit too much. Perhaps your hair has stands of Oyster White or Atlantis Blue or Grey Pearl. It’s not a fashion choice, it’s proof you’ve been painting more than anyone ever should.
4. Your friends avoid you.
Friends see you coming and hide. The last time you invited them over wasn’t for a football party; it was to tear out the bathroom tile. They can’t share your excitement at the purchase of a new drill bit. Worse, they fail to appreciate the difference between Antique Oak and Maple.
5. Your kids write their name in the dust.
Home projects are messy. They’re even messier when you don’t have a staff of skilled professionals to do the work and clean up afterwards. If your kids have eaten so much peanut butter they’re developing an allergy, if your husband’s name escapes you, might be time to tone it down.
6. You’ve lost interest in anything but backsplash.
The kids need to eat, your husband craves a date night, and the dog needs a walk. But you are walking the aisles of every tile shop in town, again, weighing the merits of subway tile over tumbled granite.
There’s hope for your addiction. Take a deep cleansing breath, put the tools down and step away. Fold up the paint tarps, hang up the hammer. There is life beyond home renovation. Just take it a day at a time, and let your nails grow.
And for heaven’s sake turn off the TV!
