A TikToker shared a 'doomed' bathroom makeover, but the spectacular DIY fail could still be salvaged

• TikTok user @graceoheeron recently shared a popular video about their "terrible" bathroom DIY fail.
• The TikTok user used a stencil to paint a bathroom floor, but the result was less-than-perfect.
• But there's still hope. They could try sanding or repainting the floor to give it a new, clean look.

A TikToker recently shared that they want to throw in the towel after a DIY disaster, but many commenters said there's still hope.

The TikTok user who goes by @graceoheeron shared their "doomed" bathroom makeover saga, where they attempted to paint a patterned floor using a stencil.

"After two and a half weeks and five paint cans, I finally realized that I just needed to give up," the user said in the video.

The video that was posted on April 28 had more than 600,000 views and 97,000 comments at the time of writing, and many TikTokers are sharing their strategies and tips to help salvage the bathroom floor.

TikToker @graceoheeron did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The TikToker soon realized the DIY was not so easy

In the video, @graceoheeron said that they planned to use a stencil to paint a patterned-tile look and created one out of cardboard.

They said they stenciled over their black bathroom tiles with white paint, but the stencil quickly fell apart due to the wet paint.

The user said they then made new stencils using a $300 cutting machine they bought for the project. Almost three weeks after beginning the DIY, they said in the video that the finished floor looked "terrible." Viewers can see that the paint bled through the stencils, which resulted in a lack of clean lines and an overall messy look.

"It was at this point I realized that I was pretty much doomed," they said.

In the comment section, one user wrote "it still has more pizzazz than the remodeled homes I've seen on here though."

Another sympathized: "literally this is why I refuse to do any of these 'easy' DIYs on TikTok."

@graceoheeron replied, "I regretted it right away. Please hire professional."

The bathroom may be salvageable

But @graceoheeron's bathroom still has potential. As other TikTokers commented, there are things they could do to salvage the DIY transformation.

User @jutme0my suggested sanding the floor to "make it look worn" and then sealing it.

If @graceoheeron wanted to start over, one TikToker Arwen Harvey recommends painting the floor white instead of black; printing out new, inverted stencils on the cutting machine; and then painting over the entire stencil in white paint before stenciling with black paint.

Harvey said that would keep the black paint from bleeding through the white paint, "and it will give you crisp, clean lines."

Another user suggested using an acetate sheet, which is a flexible, ultra-versatile material, for the stencil. For the paint, they suggested using a sponge or spray paint to help get the desired sharp, clean lines.

As Insider has previously reported, it's also a good idea to practice on a smaller surface first.

"It would be a good idea to do a sample board to work out all of the issues," Iantha Carley, an interior designer and owner of Iantha Carley Interiors, previously told Insider.

Interior designer Richard O'Gorman previously told Insider that it's OK to mess up ambitious paint projects. And the good news is that paint "inexpensive and paint over-able."

"Sometimes messing up leads you to the right decision," O'Gorman previously said.