Battle of the Sexes
Ok dear readers and friends of mine I need help. I know my husband probably doesn’t have the easiest life with me it’s not easy to be married to a decorator. Pretty much every night when he comes home I ask him , “Will it be possible to do __________” in the house. The majority of the time I’m meet with a big fat NO!
Mostly because while I’m the brains behind my design vision he is the muscle and it normally means another project will be added to his honey-do list.
There is one project though that I’m now campaigning for and I won’t give up on it.
I want painted floors! This is always met with, “No not everyone is going to like that and what will it do to the resale value of our house”.
See the house we are now isn’t that big so it’s won’t be our forever house so my hubby is always thinking about what potential buyers will be thinking.
Ok fine I won’t paint all the floors, but the kitchen use to have linoleum, which we ripped out to find wood baseboards, which were then stained and sealed in the hopes that they could come back to life, but they don’t look so hot. Very shabby not so chic.
I keep trying to tell myself if I saw that look in Anthropology I would love it, but it’s just not working anymore.
Here is what I want to do, but it in a more jadeite green color:
Image from Windsor Smith
Ok if you are still reading. Thank you! I had no idea how long it would be to explain this.
I went on to My home ideas and here are their top 10 reasons to paint a floor:
1. Easy weekend project. All you need is patio paint and a brush.
2. Less expensive than refinishing and staining old floor. (Ok we already tired that and it didn’t work)
3. Hide flaws and imperfections! (Did I mention one of our pups decided it would be fun to try and chew up the floor)
4. Suits any look.
5. We love patina and not only does it withstand everyday use, but also gets better with age. (Jon is so not going to go for this one)
6. It helps define small spaces.
7. Fun conversation piece.
8. Instantly brightens a room!
9. No better way to add large pattern to a room. (I don’t need to have a pattern so this won’t help my argument)
10. Easy to maintain. Just soap and water.
Ok now I need everyone to put on their thinking caps and help me think of more ideas as to why this is a great idea. Help! Also Jon thinks it’s going to be a huge project, because we’ll need to sand the sealer off first. Thoughts? Can we do something and still just paint over it?
Big round of applause for you getting through this massive post.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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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.
the kitchen picture you posted is also in my ‘kitchen inspiration’ photos on my computer. lovely!!
xox
Oh boy can I relate to this! I think you’ve got all the good arguments there. The only thing I can suggest is that if his biggest concern is resale value, maybe try going with a more neutral color which would appeal to most people?(If it’s the color that’s scaring him.) Good luck and let us know how it all turns out!
I fully support your idea! I love painted floors and was working on a post about them actually. I’ll get cracking and you can show your husband how beautiful AND practical they are! Plus Diamond Baratta does them so….I think I’ve made my point. 🙂
I love painted floors, especially when they are a pop of color. And if I were a potential buyer, I would think that I always have the option to go back to wood floors.
If he is thinking about resale and still doesn’t want to do it- it’s just painted. Someone can lay new tile, wood, vinyl- whatever on top of it. Or paint it another color that they would prefer. I say do it! LOVE LOVE LOVE the photo.
Wow – are we on the same page or what? Thank you for the Top 10! Handy ammunition.
However, since I am the DIYer in the house – I do admit I’m hesitant about the sanding dust (however I think with good precautions, even that would be okay).
Personally – I love the idea! But I know this is a tough sell! I’ve already tried to sell it a FEW times already 🙂
It sounds like the arguement I have with my BF everyday! I want something, he hates it, and so and and so on.
Since the floors in your kitchen were a rip up anyways I say go for it!! What if you just started painting them one day while he was at work? I know, I’m evil.
Tell him that before you sell it you might have to put in new floors anyways to up the resale value, and painting them now (while you can enjoy them) would be fine. If that doesnt work, do what I read another blogger did, just ask your hubby where he got his interior design degree from anyways, then start to paint girl!
Good luck- xoxox
i like your idea…a lot. if the floor is in poor condition, keeping it that way isn’t doing anything for it’s resale value. when you all are ready to sell, you could repaint it a neutral color or redo the floor (if it’s really going to help the value). for now though, the pups will be a lot less tempted to eat a painted floor.
My husband and I have this same stupid debate every day. I say…LETS and then he thinks of 20 reasons why we can’t. Wait until I show you the garage that, literally, has taken over your backyard. It’s atrocious. He thinks it ‘increases our value.’ I think it’s one board away from falling over.
My point with him is always this: people who like your style will buy your house. Quite frankly, if you think about how you buy a house, you walk in and see if you LOVE it. This typically means that someone designed the house in your style. So, not everyone will like your house, regardless of what you do. So PAINT THOSE FLOORS!
I loooove your inspiration pic – I have that one tagged, too!
I painted my enclosed-porch-come-laundry-room in our NC house. My thinking was that it would be easier to clean…and it would’ve been, if I had used OIL-BASED porch paint.
If you’re hoping for the high-gloss look that’s in the pic, you gotta go oil. 🙁 I know, but trust me, it’s soooo worth it!
Can’t wait to see pics if Jon buys the idea!
I painted the floors in my office, so I have a little experience. To answer your questions 1) yes you have to sand the existing floors. 2) I used an exterior house paint (water based) – oil based (if white or light in color) will yellow over time AND take FOREVER to dry, you would have to move out because of the odor too… and clean-up with oil-based is a pain. 3) After I rolled on 2 layers of paint I then put on 2 coats of polyurethane – I did a satin, you could go semi-gloss if you wanted them shiny. You cannot just paint over them if they stain or stratch, because of the polyurethane. I have been very happy with mine. Mine are Benjamin Moore Camouflage (not sure on the #)… A friend painted the floors in her house this color and she has not liked it, because it shows streak marks from tennis shoes… but I haven’t had that problem – depends on what kind of shoes you wear I suppose.
I love my floors and have been very happy. Pick a color you can live with though, because after that poly is on, you dont want to sand them down again.
Best of luck!
erika
doooo it!!
Is thinking its really pretty a good one? Probably not too helpful but it looks lovely to me!!
And I would love you to guest blog if you dont mind. email me at bklimestoner@aol.com
Ok I just stumbled upon your blog and I already love it. I love painted floors because they are unique and stylish. Your future buyers might like them too!
PAINT YOUR FLOORS!!! I support it 100% because I have done it in two rooms of my house and love it. I went with white, which was a bold move and people thought I was insane. Although white is hard with puppy paws/hair, I still love it. Clean up is a breeze. A little windex or 409- spills and dirt come right up.
My one piece of advice is go with a color, darker rather than lighter perhaps. We will probably go back and repaint, darker, more neutral for resale purposes.
Your husband may think you are crazy, but once he sees the result, he will thank you! My husband gives me that look every time I propose another decorating idea…and he almost always comes around in the end.
Good luck! Can’t wait to see what you end up doing. Keep us updated 🙂
Beautiful image by the way.
dave said he’d do it. tell jon.
xoxo
ps- this should work, right?!! (but seriously, i did ask him 😉
hahah
xoxo
Pure and simple, painted floors are sexy!
That oughta get him!
pve
Yeah I am excited you are thinking about this! We are painting the kitchen floor in a clients house and I can’t wait to see it!
paint is the cheapest way to add color and interest to a room.
“cheap” usually works on my hubby 🙂 good luck!
That floor color is sublime! I’m glad you won the battle, can’t wait to see the final outcome. Good luck!
Anna over at Door Sixteen ( http://www.doorsixteen.com/ ) painted the floor in one room of her house. Hope this helps!