$150 Wood Laminate Floor Rescue Into Hottest Look!

After 15 years, my solid wood laminate floors were scarred and worn -- looking milky along the board edges. Near the front door side lights and the deck sliding glass doors, the wood had bleached. I decided replacement was out of the question if I wanted to stay within budget for my kitchen make over. Instead of $5,000 for a new floor, I spent about $150 retail price, using about a quart of Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan and two liters of her Lacquer for floors over about 200 or so square feet!
A wash of Graphite over the floor!
No stripping, no priming necessary. I cleaned the floor which runs from my front entry, down a little corridor to the kitchen and eating area. I used a common degreaser, then hot soapy water using a common dish soap, then rinsed. Ready to paint! The first thin coat was a watered wash of Graphite. I used approximately half a quart....not much!
Dry brushing gives a worn, aged look.
After the Graphite had cured well, I dry brushed randomly Coco throughout the floor space. I worked in my stocking feet to not tear up the thin coat of graphite. After the Coco had cured for several hours, I dry brushed French Linen into some of the areas that only had Graphite on them.
Paint is protected with Lacquer - a varnish.
I allowed the paint to cure for a few hours, then applied a thinned coat of Annie Sloan Lacquer -- a floor varnish without a great deal of shine. Thin with water for first coat. Let it dry for a day before doing a second coat. Voila! Huge savings that will last for many years! For more photos and greater explanation, please visit my blog!
TLC Vintage Collection
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  • Darlene Darlene on Jul 29, 2018

    steps for white washing using Annie Sloan, please.

    Do I use dilated paint or do I paint and rub some off?

    Thank you

  • Patti Patti on Jan 03, 2019

    What is coco? I didn’t get that one.

  • Lynn lundgren Lynn lundgren on Jan 07, 2019

    have dark laminate floors in my living room and light laminate in my kitchen and bedrooms, I want them all to be a grayish color, what should I use to get that look in all the

    same

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  • Jess Sell AL Jess Sell AL on Sep 05, 2018

    Informative post! Thank you for sharing. I love your floors.

  • Jess Sell AL Jess Sell AL on Apr 29, 2019

    Excellent post. Painting would also save the backbreaking labor and expense of refinishing, not to mention the disappointment when they inevitably ended up still looking like beat up old floors. It was a winning proposition from all directions. And, it turned out beautifully.

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