This lesson came from a renovation project in a single-story home in Phoenix, Arizona. The goal was to update a hallway and adjacent room with new paint and trim. It sounded simple, but one mistake made it more complicated than necessary.
The mistake was rushing the prep work. I skipped properly sanding one section of the trim, thinking the paint would cover it. Once the paint dried, the uneven texture stood out immediately, especially under bright natural light.
Fixing it meant scraping, sanding, and repainting that entire section. It added half a day to the project and was honestly frustrating, especially since it could have been avoided with better prep.
Smooth finished trim.
The final result looks fine now, but I still notice the area where the mistake happened. If you’re renovating in Phoenix, where sunlight shows every flaw, don’t rush the prep stage. It matters more than you think.
Real Takeaway
Trying to save time upfront usually costs more time later.