11 hours ago
- Climate
- Irish Daily Mirror
The €4 hack to paint garden fence faster and better than any brush or sprayer
Ireland is basking in a rare burst of sunshine this week as a mini-heatwave sweeps across the country. Temperatures are expected to climb to a sweltering 30C in some parts today, and Met Eireann has said the warm spell is set to continue into the weekend - offering the perfect excuse to spend more time outdoors.
For many homeowners, that means tackling the long-delayed garden jobs, whether it's dusting off the BBQ, trimming hedges or finally getting around to giving the garden fence a fresh lick of paint.
But if you've ever tried painting a fence under blazing sun, you'll know that it can quickly turn from a satisfying job into a sweaty, painstaking chore - especially when using a small brush or clunky sprayer.
Luckily, one clever DIYer has shared a game-changing trick that promises to make the task much faster and easier - and it costs less than the price of a chicken fillet roll.
TikTok user @mrsclarehoops, who has over 130,000 followers, regularly shares practical home and garden tips, and her recent video has gone viral for good reason. Clare revealed her go-to method for painting fences doesn't involve brushes or sprayers at all - just an ordinary yellow sponge, which you can pick up for around €4 (or even less in some stores).
She said: "Just a reminder, if you're painting fences this weekend, you should try the sponge method. Take a big yellow sponge, I like to chop it in half, but you could use it full. So then you have two sponges."
Clare recommends wearing rubber gloves to deal with the messiness, but says the payoff is well worth it. She explained: "It's a bit messy, so you are going to want some rubber gloves. I've tried so many different methods of painting fences over the years, and this is by far the fastest. It's not the neatest, but it's definitely the quickest, and sometimes speed is what you need."
She demonstrates how the sponge "just glides on" the paint and gets into all the "really bumpy bits" of a wooden fence far more efficiently than traditional tools.
You can pick up a suitable sponge for the hack without breaking the bank. On Amazon's newly launched Irish store, the Vitrex 10 2904 Yellow Tiling Sponge is €3.67. Alternatively, they offer a six-pack of QEP grouting and cleaning sponges for €15.67, which works out at just €2.61 each.
If you'd rather shop in-store, most DIY retailers across Ireland stock similar options - for example, Lenehans sells an All-Purpose Jumbo Sponge for €3.99.
The viral video has since racked up thousands of views, with users praising the hack as a true time-saver.
One user commended: "Thank you for this. I have to do mine this year, and I use a big brush, but it's always so uncomfortable."
Another added: "This is absolutely genius, paints fences in minutes, but I would recommend cleaning the fences of algae first."
