The TikTok Design Advice That We're Begging You To Avoid

Are you tempted to paint your walls a dark and moody color, DIY a colorful mural on your ceiling, or cover your rental with painter's tape before installing peel-and-stick tiles? If your TikTok feed is encouraging you to attempt a whole-room renovation, you're not alone. The #hometok hashtag has over a billion views. While there are countless TikTok tutorials and aesthetic videos to inspire you, it's important to remember that old adage: if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. From biting off a bigger DIY project than you can chew to being unrealistic about how long it will take you to finish it, we spoke with House Digest's Design Historian Sarah Bilotta to discuss some of the TikTok design advice that we're begging you to avoid.

The expert said she's just as fascinated by room transformation videos as the rest of us but agreed that videos showing the entire design process in a matter of seconds can give viewers unrealistic expectations. "I think DIY 'shorts' can especially mislead new DIYers," Bilotta said. She raised particular concerns with molding or wainscoting installation videos. "Installing wainscoting in a living room can take up to a week if you are working on your own and being very careful," Bilotta explained. "It's also really hard on your arms if you are not used to this kind of labor," she added. Along with being realistic about your physical abilities, don't forget the woodworking safety precautions you should be taking for your next home project (whether it's inspired by TikTok or not!)

Wainscotting isn't the only DIY home decor idea that gives our expert a moment's pause. "I'm also always baffled at how peel-and-stick wall and floor tiles and wallpaper are made to look so easy-to-install, cheap, and temporary," Sarah Bilotta told House Digest during her exclusive interview. "The truth is: really nice, textured stick-on wallpapers can be very pricey." Bilotta did her own peel-and-stick project using a textured Portuguese wallpaper in her living room and said it rang in around $400. "If you don't invest in high-quality papers, they can be difficult to remove," she explained. The design historian also said that renters should use a lot of caution because removing peel-and-stick wallpaper can be an extremely frustrating process.

Not every TikTok hack is worth trying, but some offer really creative and interesting ideas you may not have considered. "These videos inspire people to try something new, and there's no better way to become a better craftsperson than learning by doing," Bilotta told us. Our design expert admitted being extremely biased but said that when she sees a TikTok hack she wants to try, she always checks House Digest to see if we've covered the DIY. "Because our writers are DIYers themselves ... you can expect to get more insight from an article than from a 10-second clip," she explained. 

It's important to be realistic about your skill set and timeline to make sure you won't be left disappointed by the outcome of your TikTok-inspired design project. In her exclusive interview with House Digest, Sarah Bilotta told us that when she was a newbie crafter, she started small. "The first DIY project I ever did was customizing and weather-proofing some terracotta flower pots," she said, explaining that the project gave her more confidence with clay and ceramic decor. "You learn as you go, so don't expect to tackle an expert-level project if you're not an expert — even if the video makes it look easy," Bilotta stressed. 

She went on to tell us that her favorite way to tackle a new project, especially a larger one, is by enlisting help from a friend. "Tackling something new with a friend is a great idea because you can put your combined experience and knowledge together, and approach the project from a more informed perspective," Bilotta told us. When that's not possible, she said to make sure you have a strong plan in place. "If you're flying solo, take things one step at a time," Bilotta advised. "Even drawing up a daily plan can help you minimize frustration when you jump in all at once and realize you've missed a step or gone over budget because you needed to buy emergency supplies," she added.