Farmhouse Bathroom floor

Margaret E
by Margaret E
Painting the floor in an old house - it was uneven, so using tile was out of the question, and the homeowner didn't want linoleum.
*Options I considered for this project:
It's a high-traffic area on a farm, so it needed to be durable and washable.
*Questions and unexpected events that arose during the project:
How to apply the !@#$%^&*() little diamonds without taking hours to tape them out. Using the Milk Chocolate paint for the diamonds was actually my mistake - I had picked up the wrong can of paint! However, my sister thought the "mistake" was a great idea, especially when she painted the vanity with the "Biscuit" (intermediate color, the color of the small diamonds). We agreed that the vanity would have been overwhelmingly dark in the Milk Chocolate, and having that dark color on the floor actually made the small room look larger.
* Cost Comments:
My sister had selected the color combination to harmonize with paint already on the walls. She used Sherwin Williams Porch and Floor paint, a quart each of Bisque, Bisquit and Milk Chocolate, as well as picking up the painter tape for masking.
*My motivation to do this project:
The floor in my sister's master bathroom desparately needed a new look, but she and her husband couldn't agree on what product to use. After he passed away, I wanted to do something special for her, so I suggested this project. I offered her several ideas (a variety of painted floor effects from magazine articles); the one chosen seemed most suited to the small space.
*Project Steps:
The floor had already been painted with a couple coats of the lightest color chosen (the entire project required three different colors of paint) when I arrived to do the large diamonds. I created an elongaged diamond template to the desired size from kraft (brown bag) paper, then washed the floor and drew out the diamonds using a straightedge ruler and pencil. Once there were diamonds drawn on the entire floor, I used Sherwin Williams yellow "Frog" tape - which gives a crisp edge but can be laid over fresh paint after 24 hours without damaging it - to mask the areas to be painted. Then I painted the appropriate diamonds with the selected color and allowed the coat to dry (at least 4 hours a coat; overnight is better). As it was a dark color (Sherwin Williams "Milk Chocolate" over SW "Bisque") over a very light color, three coats were required. After the final coat had completely dried, I removed the yellow tape, using a hair dryer to help loosen the adhesive. This step of the project was done over a 4-day weekend; I returned at a later time to paint the small diamonds to finish the job. I used a "stamp" cut from a cellulose sponge for this step. There also were a few spots that needed touch-up from unexpected paint runs.
Advice:
If I do this job again, I'll take the time to tape out the small diamonds, as the stamp didn't give the crisp lines, points and edges I would have liked. The homeowner was pleased with the overall job, however, so that's all that mattered. This job can't be rushed! Paint dries however long it takes, so be sure there is another bathroom to be used while it cures. Also, next time I'll use a small foam paint roller instead of a 1 1/2 inch craft foam applicator. I wasn't please with the streaks the foam applicator left.
All taped out, ready to paint. This was probably the most tedious part of the job!
This photo shows two coats of brown paint. I originally thought two coats would be enough, but it was still so streaky I knew I had to do another coat.
Floor with three coats of Milk Chocolate paint, and all the yellow tape peeled away. I'll go back at a later date to paint small diamonds at the intersection of the large diamonds, using a third, intermediate, color.
This is a long shot of the finished floor.
This is the finished floor, close up to show detail of the small diamond decoration.
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  • Terry Kennedy Terry Kennedy on Mar 18, 2013
    I love the floor stenciling! My daughter-in-law done her patio and it looks like a beautiful rug!! Thanks for the brilliant idea!!
  • Margaret E Margaret E on Mar 18, 2013
    Thank you, Terry. The paint's held up really well since I did the floor, and still looks really nice. I'm glad to inspire your daughter-in-law! That's what Hometalk's all about!
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