HOW I CREATED THIS PAINTED BUFFALO CHECK FLOOR & AN EASY BATHROOM UPDATE

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Hey friends, I’m so glad you’re here! I’m excited to share with you how I updated this very tiny bathroom with a very tiny budget. The best part about the bathroom, is the fun checkered floor. You can totally make a big impact in a room with a little budget and some paint. Just don’t be afraid to add prints and texture. Even little spaces like fun patterns and design! So, I hope you’ll follow along as I share the details…

Before

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This tiny guest bath was very outdated and boring, so it was time for a little “makeover”. I started by painting the cabinets for some character. I cleaned them and primed them with Kilz, then painted them Gauntlet Gray by Sherwin Williams.
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Next, I painted the walls Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. Since the space is so small and the floors were going to be busy, I thought a nice creamy white would brighten up the space and help it feel a bit larger.
For added texture, I added a removable peel and stick wallpaper in a white brick pattern behind the toilet. I love this easy to use wallpaper from Target. It’s a fun and easy way to add some character and texture to a room.
The best part of the makeover is the painted pattern on the floor. These boring beige vinyl floors needed a little pick me up and since replacing them wasn’t an option, paint was the easiest choice. Since the room is so small, I felt like a fun print on the floor would be a great addition. However, I didn’t want the stenciled look of the other two bathrooms. You can see how these projects turned out here MASTER BATHROOM UPDATE REVEAL  and here My Painted bathroom floor project. The buffalo check print was so easy to do ( just very time consuming)

Supplies for the floor

*Degreaser cleaner (I used goof off floor cleaner).
*Primer base coat (I used Kilz brand in white)- photo from a previous project using the same product
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*3 colors of chalkpaint a light, medium and dark color
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I used Waverly brand in Silver strand, Elephant and Ink
*Painters tape
*Small foam roller and paint tray
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*Ruler and level
*Minwax Polycrylic matte finish top coat sealer

Here are the steps for the floor

1- Thoroughly clean, wash and prep the floors (I used Goof Off brand floor cleaner)
2-Tape off trim and any areas you don’t want to get paint on.
2- I started with two coats of Kilz primer as the base coat.
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3- Measure off the floor -I wanted my squares to be 6″ in size. So determine the size you want your squares first.
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4-Tape of the area every 6 inches. Be sure to use a level to get your lines very straight. The first line is the most important.
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5- Paint your first color every other line ( you can pencil an x in each line you want to paint so you don’t get confused)
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6- Once this dries you can remove the tape and then tape across the other way (horizontal) the same distance as you did the first lines.
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7- Then you will paint your second color or the medium shade inside these lines. Technically this should be all you would need to do for a buffalo check. However, since another coat is needed for the medium color to look good, doing that would make the med and dark look too close in shades.(as you can see, the medium color is still a bit blotchy and needs another coat, but that would make it too close to the darkest shade where the colors have crossed.) So, in order to get the darkest color and medium color definition, I did the second coat for the medium shade and added one more step to get the darkest color.
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8- Once this second coat has dried, I then taped each square I wanted to darken in each place. I mixed the medium (elephant) with the black (ink) just so it would have a hint more gray than just pure black in it. I then painted this last color in each square in the photo below.
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9-Once this is fully dry, remove all the tape very carefully. I had a few areas where some of the paint peeled right off so remove it cautiously. You may need to go back and touch up any areas that may peel up a little.
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10- Seal off the floors with 3 coats of  Polyacrylic top coat. Be sure to let each coat thoroughly dry and use a small foam roller to apply it. Using a brush may smear your hard work. Once the floor is sealed, you can easily clean it with simple soap and water.
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I also added a fun shower curtain in front of the ugly shower door to add another style element and camouflage the door. Using an additional print in the space gave it even more character. You can see the fun details the wallpaper added here as well..

Sources


I’m so supper happy with how the project turned out and since I had most of the products already from previous projects, it hardly cost anything to do.
I hope you enjoyed this little DIY makeover and please let me know if you have any questions. I love hearing from my readers and enjoy the feedback. Also, feel free to pin any of the photos to save for future reference or to share with others. I appreciate my readers so much ~~xoxo

Happy Decorating!

May 18, 2018

  1. Pat says:

    I just saw this and love it!! You did an amazing job on it, especially the floor. I can only imagine what my attempt would look like! Lol Just taping the floor made my head hurt. 😊😅🤣

  2. Kyndale says:

    Well done!! The floor looks amazing! I have seen this look with tile but never thought it could be painted to look like that. The whole room is very nicely done!

    • txbittons@verizon.net says:

      Hi Kyndale,
      Thank you I’m so glad you like it. I thought it was a fun and different way to jazz up this boring little bathroom. It was pretty easy to do too, just a little time consuming with all the taping. Thanks for following and your kind comments.
      ~Deborah

  3. Cindy says:

    Please do a how to for the cabinet you used the chalk paint on.

  4. Laura Kellogg says:

    Such an easy to follow and great tutorial!

    • txbittons@verizon.net says:

      Hey girl,
      Thanks so much! I’m so glad it wasn’t confusing cause it was a tough one to explain lol!!!
      Hugs xoxo

  5. Portella says:

    This is awesome!

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