Shed Building Plans: hardwood

Showing posts with label hardwood. Show all posts

Foyer Makeover Painted Hardwood Floors I love them!

Here is the finished product with the high gloss varnish for floors. Wow - it really made them POP when I put it on. Just when I thought they couldnt look any better... I love this! It actually kind of makes me laugh - when I came up with the crazy idea, I had no idea they would turn out this realistic looking. So much better than the white ceramic tile... I wasnt a fan. :-)

Ok this is a work in progress but I am so excited that I had to share before they are completely done! How funny is this? This is my underlayment after tearing up tile! I totally love it so far....

I love the deep brown color against the bright white baseboard and baby yellow walls.

Here is more of a close up picture - I know they are EXACTLY like hardwood floors but for the price - which was about $50 including a can of poly for $40, I think they look pretty cool! .

Jumping off point - lovely underlayment flooring complete with staples and paints stains. :-)

This is the typical floor I started with. Big gaps, staples, nail holes, etc. I didnt fix everything because would have taken so much time and it wasnt important to me that they be perfect. As long as they looked great, the holes, scraped and such add character and they look "hand scraped" like in an old Irish tavern.

This type of can opener is my secret weapon for removing staples. It works WONDERFULLY! You put the bent point under the staple and push down. The pointy part can even be used to pry them up. I bought one at GoodWill for a quarter. Try it - you will be so happy they come up so easy will virtually no damage to the floor.

Any of the large gaps and staple holes, I did fill in with DAP latex wood filler. I used a lot of this stuff along with a putty scraper to make sure the surface was as smooth and level as possible.

After it was all filled in, it looked like this. Then I primed right over it for a smooth surface.

This is where I left off on day one when I got to this point. Fixed and primed with white primer - a smooth surface just waiting for something....

So I found brown Porch and Floor paint on clearance at Wal-Mart for $5.00 a gallon - YUP - only $5 bucks so I bought two gallons. It helped but still wasnt what I was looking for.

So I bought a pack of thick Sharpies and proceeded to add "plank lines" to see if that would give it a more realistic look. Well it helped but it was still so BROWN.

Enter the faux woodgraining kit. I have seen everyone use this on doors and tables but never on floors but I figured why not - if it as disaster, I can always paint over it. I made a black glaze out of black paint and a touch of water and started to experiment.

I brushed the glaze on and then used the woodworking tool to make knots and lines. It was actually fun! And when I stood up and looked at the progress - R U KIDDING ME? They looked Sweet!

This is the result I came up with. The floors are dark, the holes and dings and other imperfections make them look like they are "hand scraped" how funny is that?

I still have to touch them up and add a few coats of poly but I think they are awesome! Someday I will be able to afford real wood floors but until then, these will do just fine.

I absolutely love the result and will probably continue it into my living room and dining room as well.

Linking up:

Blissful and Domestic

Foyer Makeover Painted Hardwood Floors I love them!

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!