Three Recent Home Oops — What Went Wrong and How We Fixed It

Lately I’ve had a few moments that made me think, “This didn’t go as planned.” We try to share the wins and the faceplants here, so here are three recent oops moments from around the house — what we learned and how we handled each one.

1. The Black Tape Frame Experiment

I loved a page I saw in Domino magazine that showed a mix of black and white frames, and I wanted to echo that look over our living room TV. Rather than paint or permanently alter anything, I decided to try a quick, temporary solution: black electrical tape across the front of a few frames to simulate black-fronted frames.

The tape initially looked great — crisp black fronts with the white edges showing for contrast. I even cut small strips to create a corner detail on one frame. For a while it tied nicely into the TV and felt like a clever, nonpermanent hack.

But after a few days the electrical tape began puckering and peeling. It appears that this type of tape shrinks and loses adhesion on frames, eventually pulling itself off and littering the floor. Even worse, the tape left black smudges on the chalky matte white frames. Goo Gone didn’t fully remove the marks, so my next step will be to try a Magic Eraser — and if that fails, I’ll repaint the frames to restore them.

Lesson learned: electrical tape is not a good long-term decorative finish. Better temporary alternatives would be washi tape, contact paper, or simply painting and using removable mats if you want a more durable solution.

2. Protecting Our Little Maple from Deer

We’ve been moving a small maple with us from house to house — an offshoot from a beautiful tree at John’s childhood home. At first it thrived, but after a few weeks in the new yard we noticed low branches looking nibbled. We suspect deer were feasting on the tender growth.

We tried a straightforward remedy: black garden netting draped over the tree to block access. Neighbors recommended netting as an effective deterrger; other homemade tricks like human hair, soap, or animal urine didn’t sound appealing or reliable. The netting is barely visible unless you’re right next to the tree and so far it appears to be working — the deer have left the maple alone since we covered it.

We’re hopeful the maple will grow taller and out of reach for nibbling wildlife. For now the netting keeps it safe and doesn’t detract from the yard’s appearance at typical viewing distances.

3. Finding Lead on Dining Room Cabinet Doors

This was the most serious discovery. I kept having a feeling to test the metal-framed glass doors on our dining built-ins because I noticed a black, powdery residue in the cabinets when I cleaned them after moving in. Even though we rarely use that space, I didn’t want any potential hazard left unchecked — especially with a little one in the house.

We used inexpensive lead test kits: snap, shake, and rub the testing tip on the painted metal. Within seconds the test turned a bright pink-red — a clear positive for lead. It was unnerving to realize those doors might be generating dust that could be inhaled or ingested.

John removed the doors and moved them to a secure corner of the garage out of reach. We’re hoping to connect with an antiques professional who knows how to handle and stabilize lead-painted elements safely; if that’s not possible, disposal through proper hazardous-waste channels will be necessary. In the interim we cleaned the shelves, floor, and surrounding surfaces with TSP to remove any potential dust and reduce exposure risk.

Note: Common guidance for dealing with lead paint includes sealing it under new paint. In our case, because there was visible black dust inside the cabinets, we didn’t want to risk leaving the doors where dust could fall onto stored dishes or be inhaled. Removing and either professionally treating or properly disposing of the doors felt like the safer choice.

We still like the look of open corner built-ins and have seen attractive examples without doors, so we may refinish the cabinets as open shelving in the future. For now, it’s a relief to know we addressed a potential health hazard and took action quickly.

Final Thoughts

Home projects rarely go exactly as imagined. From decorative missteps to wildlife prevention to serious safety discoveries, we’ve learned to treat each oops as a chance to improve and protect our space. Have any recent oops at your place? What fixes worked for you — a magic eraser, garden netting, or a professional cleanup?