The Viral Fence Painting TikTok Hack That Isn't Worth Your Time

Chores are usually no one's idea of a fun time. While fixing up the house by furnishing and painting woodwork can be exciting at first, after a while, you just want things to get a move on. There are a lot of DIY paint hacks out there that promise to make painting surfaces a breeze, especially on TikTok, the do-it-yourself capital of the internet. However, just like not all that glitters is gold, not every trick and tip is worth applying in your household. A fence painting hack on TikTok that substitutes the traditional paint brush with a sponge is making its way around the internet, but after a closer glance, it might not really be worth your time.

When it comes to painting your yard fence, there are a lot of useful tricks out there that could help you save time, such as using a spray gun to do the job as opposed to the usual paint brush. However, using a sponge to make the job easier doesn't seem like the hack you need.

TikTok user @reno_at_95 went viral after posting a quick and easy trick for painting your fence. In the video, the renovator uses a sponge instead of a brush for the paint job, gliding over the wood with ease. At face value, the results make it seem like they've unlocked the ultimate fence-painting hack.

However, when Facebook DIY page On A Budget decided to try out the so-called time-saving hack, it didn't quite go as planned. In the video, the tester dips a sponge into a paint tray and attempts to paint the fence, but runs into a few snags. The texture of the sponge doesn't mesh well with the splinters on the fence and ends up crumbling after a few strokes. Also, she comments that it was difficult painting into the cracks of the wood, whereas a brush would've made it simpler. "I'm not going to lie, I went straight back and used a brush after this," said the tester. "There was paint flying everywhere ... which felt like a bit of a waste because loads of it was just falling on the floor."

Basically, using a big sponge instead of a brush will have you ending up doing double or even triple the amount of work than if you had just used a brush from the onset. The jury's verdict? This viral TikTok hack isn't all it's cracked up to be. Use the brush.

If you're feeling dejected from the sponge painting hack being debunked, don't. There are lots of other ways to speed up the paint job on your fence that are more feasible. You could use a paint sprayer to hasten the process, but it comes with cons as well as pros. With a sprayer you can shorten the time of application, but the paint could fly through those gaps between the planks and end up on your neighbor's lawn.

Your best bet may be to utilize a paint roller to get a similar spongy sensation while maintaining a thorough job. TikTok creator @catherinegilmore16 demonstrates using a large paint roller for the first time and captioned the video with: "Why have I never used a paint roller to paint the fence before?!?? Sooooo much quicker and easier!!" First, she paints the top and bottom borders of the fence with a brush where a roller would go blind, before going in with the roller for a seamless finish. TikTok user @kay.we13 also uses a roller, albeit a much smaller one that only covers each individual plank of wood in the fence for a more precise application.