Updates On A Budget – Painting The Floor
When we bought our house years ago, I had no idea that home ownership was so expensive. It seems that when something needs fixing, it’s never just one thing that’s broken, the repair is never easy and it always costs more and takes longer to fix than I anticipated.
Some projects, like replacing old wood floors, seem daunting and can quickly drain your wallet. To give yourself a bit more time to save up, you can extend the life of your floors with a fresh coat of paint! Below are some of my favourite ideas from Pinterest. Scroll though to get inspired and don’t forget to check out my floor painting tips at the bottom of this post.
Okay, let’s start with the basic white floor. My Pinterest and Instagram feeds are full of the trendy Scandinavian look, a clean and crisp palette in shades of white. Pair with grey cabinets (LOVE), simple white tile and a greige wall colour like Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter and you’ve got yourself a stylish new kitchen like this one.
If you want to make a statement, you can’t go wrong with black. This contrasting black and white kitchen also has white tile and grey cabinets but feels completely different. Since a black floor on it’s own can feel heavy and out of place, trim the windows and doors in black to tie the look together.
If you want to add a pattern, start with a simple one like this grey and white diamond. Measure carefully, plan out your design and invest in a quality painter’s tape to prevent bleeds.
If you prefer your look to be less polished and more rustic (this is a great way to hide major floor imperfections) distress lightly after your paint has fully dried.
Diamonds are a great place to start but if you want to get really creative, make a temple then repeat all over the floor using a complimentary colour palette. For more of this stunning space make sure to click on the images below.
Feeling super fancy? I don’t know how long this floor took but this space takes painted floors to a whole new level.
If you prefer your look to be more sweet and simple, look for stencils in round feminine shapes and cheerful colours. I love how this bright pink stands out against a crisp white floor and is mirrored in the corner chair.
In high school I had a teacher that drilled into us the five P’s – Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance. It has stuck with me for 20 years. These painted floors are all beautiful but they won’t last unless you do a lot of prep. Life is messy – floors get dirty. And paint doesn’t like to stick to dirt. Remember you’ll be walking over these surfaces for potential years to come and you don’t want all that hard work to wear off after only a couple of months.
The first step would be to take everything moveable out of the room. You might be tempted to painted around that bookcase (trust me – I’ve been tempted) but in the long run you won’t get a nice finish and will never to able to move that bookcase to another part of the room.
Now that everything is cleared out, time to get cleaning. Normally I would recommend a solution of water, white vinegar and a drop of dish soap but that won’t cut it here. Get a commercial degreaser and start scrubbing. Make sure to open windows for ventilation and wear a respirator when dealing with harsh chemicals. Try not to soak the floor since it will not only cause the wood to swell but might also seep between the floorboards and make the wood rot. Wait overnight for the floor to dry.
After your floors are squeaky clean, you really should give them a good sand. I would recommend 180-240 grit paper. If you have a machine – great. It will make an unpleasant job end faster. This step is no one’s favourite but so important if you want your paint to stick around for a while. Sanding creates small scratches in your surface that later get filled with paint, helping the paint to bond.
Sanding creates dust so it’s time to (you guessed it) clean again.
Now it’s time for the fun part. For paint, I would suggest a water based formula which dries faster with relatively little smell, like Muralo Quik Tred. You can get any colour you want, it’s self priming so you don’t need an extra prep step, and dries to a lovely satin finish which is easy to keep clean.
If you’re planning out your materials, remember that one gallon of paint covers around 350-400 square feet. You may need more than one coat for full coverage. When we were painting our shop floor a few years back we also learned an important lesson on painting yourself into a corner. Paint towards the exit and don’t plan on walking on the floor overnight. You can start putting furniture back after a few days.
Also remember that paints may dry quickly but don’t cure (reach their full chemical hardness) for a few weeks. That means no scrubbing or shoes the house for at least that long. You’ve probably had enough floor scrubbing for a while anyway.
If you liked this post don’t forget to check back next week to see what’s new on the blog but if you can’t wait our Facebook page is updated daily with amazing spaces, design tips and DIY projects. Or get a sneak peak at life behind the scenes at the paint store (and more stunning rooms) on our Instagram page here.
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HAPPY PAINTING!
2 Responses to “Updates On A Budget – Painting The Floor”
What about painting a tile floor (as a temporary measure)? Is that possible? And, if so, any tips?
Painting tile is a bit trickier since there’s not a lot for the paint to stick to. I would suggest cleaning the floor will a degreaser, sanding down lightly to get rid of the shine, applying a bonding primer like Insl-x Stix and then painting. You should get another year out of it.