Here's a project I'm about to try on my own apartment. A friend recently saw pictures of some of my other painted floor projects and said, oh can you do that for me?
The big question here is that this is a rental in Brooklyn and renovation is really out of the question. The walls were just painted, which made the floors look all the uglier.
This had to be done fast--no week long project, which meant Bin Primer, acrylic floor paint and felt pads on the chair legs. Part of me wishes we had time for oil paint, though lately that's a bad word in some quarters, and this had to be done in a day.
That said, we wanted grey on grey (instead of black and white) and chose a base coat of Benjamin Moore Gunmetal 1602 , and painted squares of Adagio 1593. It was the easiest thing in the world to make a checkerboard pattern out of the lino grid and we didn't have to draw a thing. And I swear, once the base coat was down, it took two people and hour two times to paint light over dark. Who knew...
(Images: 1, 2. Mark Chamberlain, 3: Brian Gilmartin, 4:Alec Jackson)
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That looks remarkably good! I wouldn't have believed it. I'd love an update, though, on whether or not it holds up to scuffs and scratches.
awesome. well executed. that must have been tedious! good job staying in there.
great before and afters as well. i, for one, appreciate the before and afters with the same decor throughout. in this case, none, so i can focus on the change and see how it changes the same space!
I just did the same over the weekend. In order to replace my floors I need to do some big budget plumbing work first and so in the mean time a 20 dollar quart of paint was much more doable. I just sanded the floors, cleaned them with TSP and then deglossed them. Followed this with three coats of Ben Moore porch and patio paint. I would have also liked to have used oil base, but same as the author didn't want to drag the project out past a day. Three days in and they are holding up great. May put a coat of high gloss poly on top (for the shine more than the protection).
Looks great. If for some reason you have to return the floors to their original condition, is the process for doing that complicated? I am debating do something similar to our powder room floors, but I'm nervous about the removal process if we decide somewhere down the road the end result is too horrible to live with.
Would like to know why paint light over dark and not the other way around?
THANKS FOR THIS POST! I've been contemplating painting my small entryway but wasn't sure where to start. Now with this post as well as EMILYRYZ additions, I will be doing this to my entryway. Thanks all!
Wonderful project, well worth it. And as obinux said, it is nice for once to see a real before and after, and not one where the angle is cheated and the viewpoint is completely different.
Wow. Good idea and well done!
EMILYRYZ I would NOT put a coat of poly on over the paint. If you want to make any changes or touch ups down the road, it will have to be removed which will strip down the entire project. Just use Mop N Glo or similar floor polish.
it looks really great. in the last photo, it may have just been the lighting...but parts of it almost look like a slate/stone tile.
i might have to steal this idea for my hideous rental linoleum.
I've wanted to do this but am scared that I might get into trouble with my landlord.
I don't supose you would post a more detailed tutorial? I have been dying to do this to my kitchen floor (rental) with horrible, seen better days lino.
Did you sand before painting? De-greese? How many coats of paint? Did you have a problem with not taping the titles for the lighter color...detail....I want details!
I've been thinking of doing this too, but since the kitchen is a high traffic area I'm concerned it wont hold up too well. I have a small kitchen too, so putting down new tile or linoleum wouldnt be cost prohibative.
My linoleum has a few chipped out sections. It also has an engraved design in it. Do you think I could use some kind of spackle to fill in the chipped areas? And do you think this method would work on engraved linoleum? Some day I'll replace the flooring but not just yet. In the meantime, I'd certainly like to clean up the look. Would love any suggestions.
Oh, and I live alone so there's not much traffic and I wouldn't mind taking more than a few days to accomplish it. Would oil paint be the best? I painted my cabinets with white oil paint and within a year they yellowed. @emilyryz, how is porch and patio paint different? Would you suggest it? Sorry, one more question...should I buy high gloss (I'm assuming so)?