Shed Building Plans

Ugly carpet gone I painted underlayment to look like tavern floors!

Im going to share one of my favorite home improvement tricks on the cheap!  Im on a limited budget so I cant exactly go out and pay thousands of dollars on hardwood flooring for every room in my house.  And yet the dirty and dated carpeting has got to go.  What is a girl to do?



I recently made over my cluttered guest room which was covered in Victorian wallpaper and green carpeting.  It all needed to go.   The rug found at Target was perfect - perfect color, price, and size.  But I didnt want to put it on top of the ugly green carpet in the room.  So I decided to removed the carpeting altogether.



Then I removed the padding below, the tack strips around the perimeter, all the staples and nails so the underlayment was nice and smooth.




The first thing I do is to paint the flooring with a brown porch and floor paint.




Once dry, I take a long straight edge and a Sharpie marker and make lines across the floor to simulate planks.








Next, I take basic black paint - even craft paint - and mix it with water in a bowl.  I then dip a rag into the paint and water in the bowl and wipe it on the floor.  I blot it and swirl it with a towel which I also use to towel to wipe the excess.


After the floor is covered, I simply let it dry.  Then I sweep it one more time in order to prepare it for the poly coating.






Then I simply add two coats of polyurethane.  To me, they look amazing.  I throw an area rug on top and I must say you really cannot the difference from actual hardwood floors and they actually cost me nothing other than one afternoon of work.







The icky, green carpeting is gone and the room feels updated and clean.  And if eventually I do have enough money for wood flooring,  the surface is ready to go.  But I must admit I like the painted underlayment so much, I dont feel the need to spend the money to get the same look.  :-)




Ugly carpet gone I painted underlayment to look like tavern floors!

Carpet is Gone! Time To Paint Some Faux Hardwood Floors!

The holidays are coming.  Slowly, but surely, the holidays are basically upon us.  And so is the nagging little head that says hey!  We need new drapes, new carpet, new sofas, etc.  So I decided to tear up the carpeting.

Ok - carpet is gone.  NOW WHAT?  I want hardwood floors but I really cannot afford them.  I want those awesome, distressed hardwood floors that have been around for a hundred years!  Like the ones Paul Revere walked upon or were once in a local pub in Ireland.

Alas, my budget cannot afford any of the above so I decided to PAINT my version of these floors.  And I must admit, they didnt turn out too badly.

I swept the dust and dirt away, removed all staples and tack boards and wiped the underlayment wood down with a very damp cloth.  I used a scraper to remove any globs of paint or glue.  Then, I used a basic brown porch floor paint and rolled it on.  Then, I took a 6" wide piece of wood and used a thick black magic marker and drew lines to simulate planks.


Then, I took a small bowl and added basic black paint and added some water and a darker grey paint.  I swirled it all together - I didnt mix it together - I wanted the colors to stay separated.  Then I used a sponge craft brush and painted the paint onto the floor, let it dry for about 30 seconds.  Then I used a damp rag and gently wiped the floor to create the desired effect.  I left some darker patches and some lighter areas to create the worn, vintage tavern floors I so desired.



Once that dried, I added a coat of polyurethane gloss to make them shiny and complete!  I love the look and the price even more!  They make the room turn out exactly as I had hoped.



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Carpet is Gone! Time To Paint Some Faux Hardwood Floors!