The Fastest Way To Paint Your Deck Is Already In Your Storage Closet

When it's time to give your deck a touch-up, you may need to decide what color will complement your home and what finish suits the situation. You'll also need to decide what supplies and tools to use to get the job done. While you might assume that a simple paintbrush is an obvious choice and your best bet, a TikTok user known as Mike Sneddon (a.k.a. @dad.dancer) had another idea that involved using something you likely already have in your storage closet. Indeed, it turns out that a broom might be exactly what you need to get this task finished quickly and effectively.

"Me painting my decking for 8.5 seconds with one hand whilst filming with the other. This app showed it to 26 million people," Sneddon told social media viewers in the caption of the video, which was a repost of the original. That impressive viewership is surely because the tip seen in the clip is so darn clever. Although the video is short, it shows Sneddon seemingly scrubbing his deck with a typical broom. However, instead of cleaning up the weather-faded wood, he's sweeping on a slick gray paint. Although you might question how well this would work, the result in the video is pretty impressive. Sneddon manages to end up with a full and even coat each time he applies more paint. Of course, there are a few things that you need to know if you want to try out this handy hack on your deck.

Before you run off to your storage closet to grab your broom and start slapping paint onto your deck, you'll want to make sure that you use exactly what you need. For instance, in the original video shared on TikTok by Mike Sneddon (or @dad.dancer), he can be seen using a normal broom that has relatively soft bristles, which seems to help apply a nice coat of paint while also preventing streaks or flicks of color from flying everywhere and hitting spots where you may not want it. The broom also has a plastic handle, which might not be necessary, but would certainly make it easy to clean up when you're done.

As for the painting, Sneddon simply dips the broom into the paint from a pan before applying it to the deck by using the exact same back-and-forth movements that you might use if you needed to sweep it. This, along with the size of the broom, means that he gets the job done in a fraction of the time that it might take him if he used a paintbrush or roller. In fact, when someone suggested the latter, Sneddon replied, "Don't need to [use a paint roller]. This gave full coverage in fifteen minutes and got down into the gaps between boards better than a roller could." Frankly, others have tried this time-saving hack and seem to be just as satisfied with the results.