My favorite home projects are the ones that make a huge impact with a simple DIY change, for little cost! Here’s how to accomplish a big floor change under $100 by painting it!

Did you say “paint the floor?”…why yes I did! The guest bathroom in our new home is a nice size, however very dated, especially the floors. Because I have no budget to make big changes in this room, I wanted to find a way to get a “wow” impact without needing to spend too much money. The simple change to most spaces usually involves paint, and that I can do!

Here are a few of the before’s then I will give you my tips on how to paint a vinyl floor

 

 

 

 

 

I started by painting the walls a soft gray. The look I was trying to accomplish is just a clean, sharp urban farmhouse feel. So I went with a black & white color scheme. However, I wanted a soft color on the wall, so I chose a color by Sherwin Williams called light French Grey at 75%. With the bead board on the large wall, I wanted something soft to pop against the white trim.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I painted out the mirror and cabinets with a chalk paint by Waverly (purchased at Walmart) in the color Ink. I used it previously on my dining room cabinet and loved how well it worked. You can see that before and after here http://hipandhumblestyle.com/2017/06/05/frumpy-fabulous-still-work-progress/ Then, it was time to tackle the floors.

 

 

 

These are the supplies I used and recommend for painting a floor

Swiffer, broom or vacuum

Bronners Castille soap or a degreaser soap

Kilz primer paint in white

Waverly Chalk paint or your favorite chalk paint (I used the color Ink)

Small roller brush with foam pad for smooth surfaces

Slim edging brush

Small paint tray

2 large rollers for smooth surfaces

2 large roller trays

Clear satin (or gloss if you want a heavy shine) polyurethane

Painters tape

Q-tips or a very small touch up brush

Damp rag(for touch ups)

Fan or hairdryer

Your favorite stencil. I purchased mine on Etsy from Pearl Design Studio  https://www.etsy.com/market/pearl_design_studio

 

Here are the steps I used

First, I vacuumed any debris off the floor(mine are always covered in dog hair!) Then, thoroughly wash your floors and dry them well. I recommend from here on out wearing painters booties or very clean socks while walking on the floor. If you aren’t planning to paint this day, I would shut the door to keep anyone from walking on it

Next, trim the edges of the floor with your first coat of the primer. I made a mistake by not taping off my trim until I started the stencil process, so I recommend doing this first! After edging, paint your first coat of primer then let it dry completely. I used my brush to quickly apply it on the entire floor but a roller would be faster. Once dry, apply your second coat of primer using your roller and be sure to completely cover up to the edges.

 

I gave my floors an extra day to dry to be sure when I walked on it I wouldn’t mark it up. You may need to take a damp rug and light wipe the floor once dry before you stencil. Be sure to wear your clean socks or booties before you walk on it.

Once you are ready to stencil be sure to place a drop cloth down to place your wet rag & paint roller on- in case of any drips or spills. Be sure to use a fabric cloth not plastic or it could stick a little to the floor! Place a piece of painters tape on two opposite sides of your stencil to hold it in place on the floor.

*Tip*

{Place a soft, clean towel down to kneel or sit on as you move along the floor to keep it clean and protect yourself as well}

 

To stencil the pattern, I used the natural faux grout lines from the vinyl underneath. The most important part of this is to line up your stencil each time. This will be tedious but it’s important. Don’t get too obsessed with it being perfect or you’ll make yourself crazy. Stencils naturally look a little off so just look at it as character rather than a mistake! If you look closely at mine, they are off in certain areas.

 

*Tip*

{There will be run over on the other side of the stencil so when you place your stencil down to do the next square you will mark the floor in the wrong place. To avoid this, use a fan or hair dryer each time you lift the stencil and dry it off before laying it down again. I tried wiping it each time and after the 4th time, I was over it and it was a mess. When I started drying it, the process went much quicker!}

Place your stencil in place, load your small roller with paint, then be sure to “unload”it on the dry area of the tray first. You want there to be a light layer of paint on the roller. Be sure your stencil is adhered well then start rolling the paint taking care to not go close to the edge of the stencil or you will apply paint where you don’t want it!

 

 

 

 

Lift the stencil, dry it then place back down lining up with last square. I did all the full squares first leaving gaps for partial squares, like this

 

 

 

Once you have all the full squares painted and complete, it’s time to do the edges and fill in empty spaces. To me, this was the hardest part about the project! The reason you do the full squares first is because you will now need to gently bend the stencil to conform to your empty spaces and you don’t want to have a crease in it. I carefully lined the stencil up with the square and gently bent the stencil against the wall or trim and pressed the roller up against the edge where it stops. This part is very tricky to manipulate, so take your time or do it the next day when you are fresh and not tired. It’s a little time-consuming!

*Tip*

{Keep wet q-tips, a touch up brush and damp cloth close by to wipe up boo boo’s! I had several to wipe up and it was fairly easy to fix.}

Once your floor is completely dry, you can put your polyurethane on it. Because it is chalk paint, it will dry very quickly. This process went very quickly. Then I shut the door and told no one to enter until I said so! I wanted to give it 24-48 hours.

If you look closely, you’ll see that the paint isn’t even on each square. I like having some areas lighter or more worn looking on each stenciled square to make it look more natural and aged. If you want a really crisp pattern, just be sure your paint is evenly distributed and dark on each square when you paint.

Here is the project completed

Overall I’m very happy with the results, especially for the low cost aspect. It definitely was more difficult than I had anticipated. This is a project that you have to be patient with and in no hurry to complete. Don’t start it if you’re having guests the next day! lol

I still need to add the cabinet hardware, a new faucet and light fixture. I just haven’t found what I want yet. So, stay tuned on that post later! If you have suggestions or a great resource for bathroom fixtures, I’d love for you to share in the comments below or send me an email….

 

 

 

 

I’d love to know what you think. Feel free to share your experiences or tips with painting floors or bathroom projects below!

Happy Painting!!