A woman is going viral on TikTok after recording a funny video message to her future self after trying to paint her own deck.
The video, posted by Erin Monroe (@erin.monroe_), has been viewed more than 489,000 times since it was first shared on May 27. The footage shows a woman standing on a deck next to what appears to be a bucket of paint, holding the head of a paint roller in her hand and speaking into the camera.
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The woman says in the video, “I filmed this video for the future, Erin. Hire a professional, hire a contractor. You're not good at this. You always think it will take less time, cost less, and require less products than it actually does.”
“You don't have the focus, patience, or honestly the drive to finish the project. By the time this deck is finished, it's going to look like lipstick on a pig,” the woman continues.
This latest post comes after it was discovered that home improvement costs have skyrocketed over the past three years, with the median cost increasing by 60% between 2020 ($15,000) and 2023 ($24,000), according to a survey of 32,615 users, including 17,713 U.S. homeowners who are renovating, conducted by home design website Houzz.
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The survey found that more than nine in 10 homeowners who are renovating are hiring professionals for the remodeling work, with the proportion hiring professional service providers increasing slightly from 46% in 2022 to 47% in 2023.
The number of professional service providers employed will remain at an average of 1.7 companies through 2022 and 2023. However, the share of homeowners renovating who hire construction professionals such as general contractors is declining from 44% in 2022 to 42% in 2023, according to the survey.
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“Hire a professional, save up the money to hire someone to do this,” says the woman in the latest viral video. “You're not made for this girl. You're like, 'Yes, queen, you can do amazing, you can do this, you can paint a deck, how hard is that, it's not hard, you just don't have what it takes to do it, come on.'
“I love you. You have so many strengths. DIY is not one of them. Hire someone. Oh my god,” she concluded at the end of the video.
'I love this'
TikTok users were amused by what the woman had to say in her latest video, with many agreeing with her message.
Shinholster posted: “Love this! I'm always asking DIWhy???”
Author Rachel Selwan commented: “This message was meant for me.”
Erin Vogt wrote: “I'm painting my apartment and I'm exhausted and my name is Erin…. universe, I get it!”
“As someone who tried to redo the grout on our patio paver last summer with terrible results, I agree with this message,” @bibliophilebeth added.
Newsweek has reached out to TikTok and the original poster via email for comment. The video has not been independently verified.
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An exhausted-looking woman leans against a wall, sitting near painting tools and a ladder. A woman's DIY painting project has gone viral on TikTok, and she's shared a funny message to her future self. Read more iStock / Getty Images Plus
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