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Maintaining a home's condition is no easy feat, especially in apartments that are repeatedly used year after year by a variety of tenants. Each tenant might have their own way of maintaining their space, or sometimes none at all. Eventually, both landlords and tenants end up either repairing or concealing damages. More often than not, neither are home improvement experts, leading to DIY repairs that are more comical than effective. However, there are rare occasions where DIY fixes lead to unexpected success. Below are ten peculiar ways people have concealed home damage, from the brilliantly creative to the downright sloppy, ranging from the petty to the surprisingly charming.
10. Paying for a Creative Fix to Conceal a Wall Hole
Have a hole in your wall? One former Redditor shared an unusual, yet incredibly creative, solution to this problem. After a water leak caused the wall to crumble, a gaping hole was left behind, surrounded by rough plaster and mesh, with paint peeling beneath it. The mess looked like a tiny sewer explosion, and that's exactly how the owner came up with their fix.
Four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures now reside in the hole, turned into a makeshift diorama shelf. Their energetic poses make it appear as though they’re bursting through the wall, transforming the damage into a quirky piece of decor. Other users have shared similar repurposed fixes, using figures, Legos, and creative collages to cover up holes, cracks, and dents. The key takeaway: sometimes, great DIY fixes embrace the chaos and turn it into something entirely new.
9. The Magic of Pine Sol, Baby
Got a worn-out kitchen to fix? How about adding a little extra satisfaction by getting back at your penny-pinching landlord? Reddit user u/InLikeErrolFlynn shares how he accomplished both with one perfectly passive-aggressive move. As he was preparing to leave, his landlord, already stressed about finding new tenants, decided to be spiteful. He threatened to withhold the full security deposit unless the kitchen was spotless, a threat he would soon regret.
The tenants did indeed clean the kitchen thoroughly, covering up any lingering unpleasant smells, but they took it a step further. They gave the entire kitchen—especially the fridge and freezer—a good scrubbing with Pine-Sol. Not only did it mask the bad odors, but now the only scent anyone will smell for the foreseeable future will be Pine-Sol. A lesson for DIY enthusiasts: repairs can be surprisingly effective when used with some creativity (or vengeance).
8. Socket Surprise
Need to swap out a broken outlet? There’s a proper way to do it—and countless wrong ways. Reddit user u/grimyseabutt shared a photo of how his apartment’s previous tenants tried to hide some outlet damage. Unfortunately, their attempt was… let’s say, uniquely creative.
An outlet in their apartment had completely come out of the wall, and the previous tenants tried to replace it with a new one. They managed to do so, but the new outlet was installed upside down and not fully connected, leaving a large hole in the wall. They didn’t stop there, though—they covered the hole and the surrounding area with packing tape. It was an attempt that was as much of a failure as it was a success, highlighting the fact that DIY fixes often walk the fine line between the two.
7. Prepare for the Blackout
Tried to paint over damage? And your landlord’s not having it? User u/RandomRavenclaw87 recounts the story of a landlord who took his demands for repairs one step too far. The renter was moving out, and his lease included a clause requiring him to repaint the apartment on the day of his departure. The renter followed the rules, picked out some fresh colors, and repainted the whole place the day before the moving truck showed up. That, however, turned out to be a mistake.
According to the renter, “the landlord showed up waving their contract and yelling. The contract specified the day he moved out, not the day before. The landlord was sure the movers would scuff up the freshly painted walls.” So the renter did as requested and re-painted the entire apartment on the actual day of his move. He touched up any potential scuffs. But this time, he added a touch of rebellion and chose a new shade: solid black—on every wall, and even a few ceilings. Sometimes, the technically right fix is the spiritually wrong one—and sometimes, that’s perfectly fine.
6. White It Out
Got an unsightly and potentially hazardous issue but want to do the least amount of work possible to fix it? Here's a great example, shared by the landlord of user u/RIPNightman, who decided to tackle a wasp nest in the renter’s closet… by simply painting it white.
The sizable nest, multi-tiered and protruding from the wall, is undoubtedly home to quite a few wasps. Yet, the landlord thought a quick coat of paint would solve the problem. Spoiler: it didn’t. Holes have appeared in the paint, suggesting the wasps are still freely coming and going—right in the renter’s closet. The repair is awful but oddly inventive; credit where it’s due for creativity. Or at the very least, a lesson on what not to try.
I’d definitely withhold rent for that one.
5. Tighten That Belt
Ever busted a chair seat? Maybe you dropped something heavy on it, sat too hard, or, in a moment of poor judgment, used it as a step-stool and kicked right through it. If you’re dealing with borrowed furniture, the damage is even more stressful than if it were your own beaten-up chair. Either way, a bizarre yet brilliant fix went viral not too long ago.
Some creative DIYers found a way to repurpose old belts into a whole new seat cushion. By weaving the belts over the empty seat frame and buckling them together, they created a soft, flexible, and durable cushion that looks surprisingly good. Of course, anyone who originally owned the chair would easily spot the difference up close. But from afar, it might just pass as a clever fix!
If you ever find yourself in need of a seat, keep in mind that second-hand stores often sell belts for just a dollar.
4. Cat Scratches Transformed into Art
Is your cat destroying your sofa? You’re not alone. Many DIYers facing this dilemma have come up with a variety of creative and adorable solutions to combat their feline's destructive tendencies. All you need are some old doilies—ask your grandmother for a few, and you’re all set.
Most of these fixes involve lace, as stitching lace into the open rips creates a quirky and stylish thread collage. Other DIYers get even more inventive, using wool, gold leaf, denim, and even small geodes. The takeaway here is that cracks and damage can open the door to new, organic, and beautiful patterns.
3. Reframe the Situation
Sometimes, after all the fixes—whether out of desperation, cunning, or creativity—the best solution isn’t necessarily to repair the damage, but to embrace it and make it part of the narrative. Sometimes, the best fix is to put the damage on display.
That’s exactly what Reddit user u/Rwolinski did when her boyfriend “tumbled down our stairs on Thanksgiving day.” Instead of patching up the hole, they decided to get creative. Where his hand had smashed through the drywall, instead of hiding it, they framed it and added a plaque reading, “First Thanksgiving. 2015. Medium: hand, drywall.” DIYers, take note: sometimes home improvement isn’t about fixing things, but about embracing and celebrating the damage.
2. Flip It and Reverse It
Electrical issues can be a nightmare, especially when landlords have 'their own guy' who comes to ‘fix’ them but never quite does. A former Redditor shared how his friends, frustrated with continuous electrical problems, called an electrician in—not their landlord’s usual. They discovered that the landlord had set up the wiring so that they were essentially paying for the landlord’s electricity. As the Redditor put it: “the son of a b*tch had the building wired so that we, his tenants, were having our electricity siphoned for his place.”
Rather than rewiring the building to separate the two units, they had the electrician reverse the siphoning in what can only be described as a stroke of pure evil genius. As the user puts it, “For the last few months they were there, that guy had to pay their electric bill.” With a combination of creativity and some mischievousness, they not only solved their electricity issues but also got a much-needed financial fix.
1. Collaborate
Much like cats, little children can be relentless little forces of mischief. One of their most notorious habits is decorating the walls with their crayon masterpieces, often with no regard for neatness or restraint.
Reddit user u/jerschneid shared a brilliant solution to the dilemma of unexpected child art: don’t erase it—make it work. After their child created a chaotic blue crayon streak on the wall, their crafty mother turned it into something beautiful. She transformed the disordered line into a flowing design of leaves and paisley, turning the ‘mess’ into a charming decor piece. Now, she can proudly display her child’s art without having to cringe at its initial chaos.
