Revisted: DIY Painted Wooden Floor
I get numerous questions from readers asking me about the current state of certain DIY projects that I have tackled from my DIY library. I decided to take some time out this week to revisit some of these projects.
Two years ago I was inspired by this kitchen floor designed by Windsor Smith.
I was obsessed with it. My kitchen floor was a not so attractive honey oak tone that needed some patching up with wood filler due to a very active puppy.
Before:
After:
For DIY steps on this project head here.
Two years later I have some good and bad news to report. Some of the floor now looks like this up close:
When you are not inspecting the floor though it actually looks pretty good and you don’t notice the chipping:
Length of project: 3-4 hours
Cost: $50 for paint, $10 for roller/painters tape
What I would do differently: If you are going to paint your wood floors try really hard to get oil based paint. In the state of NY due to green laws it is impossible to do this. So in order to still do my project I ordered the paint that Ms. Windsor Smith says she uses. It’s a line called, Breakthrough. When I contacted Breakthrough they told me that I wouldn’t need to do a protective top coat. According to them the paint is suppose to dry and work like an enamel. For a long time it was perfect like a baked on enamel, but after the wear and tear of two dogs and all of those paws/nails the dogs one the battle. I’m not giving up on my floors. I already have a new gallon of paint ready to go and this time I’m going to have it professional sealed to preserve it and not have to re do it every couple of years.
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My living room is one of the rooms that evolved drastically from when we first moved one. Originally I painted the walls chocolate brown and did accents of white, blue and orange. That lasted maybe 2 years.
Our dining room sat empty for months. Okay maybe it was empty for just a handful of weeks and then we couldn’t take it anymore and put in a folding table and plastic outdoor chairs, but in my mind that was still empty.
On the main floor of our house we have a Florida room. Being that it’s a Florida room it is a considered a 3 season room, because there is no heat in the room. The previous owners used it as an indoor patio with outdoor furniture and it looked like this when we moved in.
I think it’s lovely and I don’t mind the distressing, either–but I can understand wanting it to be perfect.
I’ve loved this project for 2 years! I think it looks great, the scratches don’t bother me. I’ve got some ceramic tile floors I’m itching to paint…this it’d work the same?
I love the idea of painting wood floors. The distressing does give it some personality, but having them perfect does give them a more “finished” look.
has anyone ever thought of using deck paint?its made for abuse and harsh conditions
Hi Camilla,
We are creating a “teen room” for our son. We removed the yucky carpet to reveal unfinished hardwood. However the previous owners knew they were going to install carpet so they weren’t careful when they painted.
We decided to paint the floor and stumbled upon your blog:) The salesman told Dear Hubby that the gloss would be slippery and suggested satin. Did you find the floor slippery?
Also thanks for the update regarding the wear and tear.
Hi Chelly,
I have actually had no problems with the gross finish. It’s not like you are going to get a gym floor finish so it’s really not slippery, but you do get a nice shine to it. I have had that people that go with satin finishes on painted floors or stained wood floors really have a problem with satin. Satin finish shows off every little scuff. You get marks all over!
C