15_painted_floor_ideas

Hey everyone, I have a very special guest for you today! Her name is Caitlin and she is a fabulous interior designer. She lives in the San Jose, CA area with her wonderful husband and their two adorable daughters.
caitlin_pic
She and I share a similar design style and I use her as my sounding board. (Maybe more often than she would like.) She’s arguably one of my best friends, but she and I have been known to fight on occasion too. I also know a lot of embarrassing things about her, but she’d kill me if I told you them like she used to be able to belch like a full grown man when she was TWO!
Big_burp
Why am I embarrassing this poor gal? Because that’s what sisters do! It’s true, she’s my littlest sister and Caitlin has agreed to fill in for me on occasion when I need a break.) Please welcome her with open arms (or I’ll have to beat you up…that’s sister talk for you better not mess with my baby sis.)
Hi everyone, this is Caitlin, a loyal admirer of Pretty Handy Girl from the start.  One might argue that I am one of her biggest fans.  Thank you Brittany for allowing me to pop on over and visit you and your Pretty Loyal followers.  As an interior designer, I am a sucker for all things home design and today I wanted to give overdue attention to the workhorse of our homes.  Day in and day out the floors we walk all over don’t get enough love. Sure, the walls are the first place we typically think of dressing up with paint, wallpaper, artwork and stencils.  But many times our poor floors get covered up and forgotten about. Not anymore! Today we are celebrating those hardworking horizontal surfaces we couldn’t do without.  Here are my top fifteen picks for hand painted floor treatments and even one for those of you afraid to commit.  But be warned, you’ll love these floors so much you might want to get rid of all your furniture just so you can appreciate them even more.

1. Let the Old Shine Through

No need to sand out the imperfections of a worn out front porch, just create a cardboard stencil and paint over it to add sophistication and charm. I’m a sucker for the bare wood showing through.

Remodelista_painted_floorSource:  Remodelista

2. Geometry – Taking it Out of the Classroom

The beauty in repeat patterns is undeniable. A classic white, yellow and black color palette helps keep this painted floor from looking outdated. A little bit of painters tape and some paint and you have yourself a fabulous new floor.

Source: Cottage Living via My Home Ideas

3. Floral Fantasy

Fresh flowers fade over time but not this stunning floral stencil design. I’m in love with the fact that the pattern winds its way around and under the furniture and drapes. Ashley created her own template from a fabric pattern and stenciled her floors. 

4. Rug Inspired

Oriental rugs can be pricey, especially if you need an odd size or one to fill a large room. Roeshel from The DIY Showoff really saved her pennies by stenciling this faux wool rug.

Source: The DIY Showoff

5.  Lift your spirits (and cabinetry)

This fantastic floor is such a show stopper that the designer chose to float the cabinetry to show it off even more.

6.  You Are My Sunshine

This stenciled masterpiece has stolen my heart and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to try this out at home.  I love how the rest of the room is neutral and non-descript so the floor becomes the true show stopper.

7. Everyone Loves the Chevron 

Simple and sophisticated.  This chevron design can work in any room in any color combination to create a subtle or bold look you won’t soon forget. Am I the only one who swoons over the pink and orange color palette?

8.  Straight TalkI’ve been known to use horizontal stripes in my designs to create drama and interest.  Here’s a perfect example of how to call attention to the floors and tie in the wall and trim colors from the rest of the room.

Source: My Home Ideas, photo by Robbie Caponetto

9. Stripes, A Change of Direction

This is the design that goes straight to my heart (ha, ha, get it? Sorry, Brittany and I get our Dad’s sense of corny humor.) Kristin painted over her worn floors using a floral inspired color palette.

Source: Better Homes & Gardens Digital

10. Words to Live By….and Stand on

Everywhere you look there are wood plaques, wall decals and framed art with inspirational words to live by.  Check out this ingenious floor application that would make me excited about doing laundry.

Source: DIY Showoff

11. Dog Beat and Little Boy Feet

Holly’s floors were destroyed by her dogs and her young boys. Instead of ripping out the old and installing new, she turned to her trusty Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to hide the imperfections.

Source: Storywood Designs

12. The Artist

If you have the ability to draw and paint by hand, why not show off your skills like Alisa Burke did in this amazing trompe l’oeil floor runner.

Source: Alisa Burke

13. Solid Baby, It’s Solid

I get it, the tedious task of taping or painting hand drawn designs is holding you back. Have no fear, this next idea is cut out for you. One color, one floor, lots of character!

Source: Cottage Living via My Home Ideas

14. Taking it to New Heights

Still apprehensive? Are you fearful of walking on your art? This amazing painted staircase was painted only on the rises, no feet will weather those brush strokes.

Source: Close2MyArt

15. Commitment Phobic – Elegant Bamboo

We don’t all have the luxury of being able to paint our floors.  Whether you are renting or don’t have hardwood floors to paint, that shouldn’t stop you from being able to customize them to your liking.  Here is a great DIY tutorial for creating a custom handpainted area rug.

Instructions for Painting Floors:

So you are ready to get the paint brush out right away? Whoa doggy, there are some important steps that should be taken to insure your masterpiece stands the test of time.  The initial prep work can be tedious but it is important not to skip this step.

  • Clean – In order for the paint to stick well to the existing flooring, it is important to thoroughly clean the flooring to remove any dirt and grime. A powdered cleaning agent works really well.
  • Sand – If you are painting over hardwood make sure to lightly sand the floors down first.
  • Prime – Be sure to prime your floor if you are using regular paint (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and other Paint + Primer paints may not need this step.) The primer will act as a bonding agent and will also protect any stains or knot holes from bleeding through.
  • Paint – Latex paint is the easiest to work with, but oil paint will be more durable. However, given the length of time it takes oil paint to dry I’d stick with latex.
  • Varnish – Allow at least 24 hours between coats and follow up with several layers of floor specific varnish that works as a protective top coat. You should try to avoid putting your furniture back on your newly painted floor for at least a week.

So what do you think?  Do you have a room that needs a floor makeover?  Or have you already taken the plunge and painted yours?  I’d love to see what you’ve done or other ideas for show stopping floors.

Have a great week!

caitlin_signCheck out Caitlin’s Interior Design site for more information.

27 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.