Painted & Paisley Stencilled floor

So.........................
What do you do when your budget will not allow you to get new floors in a room where the floors desperately need to be changed?

Well you get down on your knees and pray
And while you're down there you grab a tin of paint - a roller - and a stencil.
Multi tasking ladies - it's all about multi tasking.

I first gave the floor 2 coats of a deep grey -with Behr patio and porch paint.
The floors were practically varnish free so I didn't even bother priming this time ( plus I was going with a dark color - I would never have attempted this with a light color )
NOTE:  If there are traces of varnish on your floor you MUST prime - ( or remove it entirely )

AND you're only allowed to look at the floor - nothing else - because this entire room was/is a work in process ( that's still not quite finished by the way - but pic monkey takes care of that )
Between installing a plank wall - making built ins - shutter window coverings and the floor - I was all over the place in this room
Anyway I painted 2 coats - allowing each one to dry for 24 hours

You can purchase the stencil through  Cutting Edge Stencil  ( I was not paid to do this post but thought I'd provide a link in case anyone wants to attempt this ! )
Here's the stencil ( s ) the large one - and the small one on top is to edge it off.

CUTTING EDGE STENCILS

And so I started - this is far easier than you could imagine - time consuming - actually very time consuming - but super easy.

(You can see that the board seams almost disappear with the pattern)

Where I've indicated the arrows are where the " repeat " is for the pattern - simply placing the stencil so that part is covered allows you to continue on your next " stretch "

Like this

i
Now most people use craft paint when painting with a stencil -
I chose to use Behr Porch and Patio paint ( which is the only product I use when I paint floors )
So the paint was a little thicker -
To make sure I didn't get any bleed through - I would paint 1 section ( the size of the stencil ) and then hang it up to dry LOL

20 minutes or so and I was ready to use it again -
Also note, eventually the paint will get thick on the stencil - any paint - and it has to be washed ( otherwise it will compromise the pattern.)
Craft paint can simply be washed off with soapy water - what I did was peel it off - which was quite easy -
I'd scrape an end a little and simply peel it off in long strips
I only had to do this twice for the entire floor.

You don't have to have an ounce of talent to do this project - only patience.
Oh, and a stencil

and a small sponge roller and tray
roll out the barrel roller and remove as much of the paint from it as possible

And scott towels or such to roll out even more of the excess

It probably took me a week or so to do this -
( mostly because I was working on other things in this fixer upper at the same time )
But I'm thrilled with the outcome

We've since added a white sofa ( Ektorp - Ikea ) into the space and I LOVE how the white sofa highlights the white paisley

Last night while we were watching t.v. in there

Suzan says - Don't you love the floor?
John says - You've asked me that at least 3 times every night since you finished
Suzan says - I have?
John says - Yes - and I keep telling you I like it
Suzan says - Well that's the problem then - it's not registering - you can't just like it John - you have to love it

We had to remove 2 layers of carpets - 2 layers of linoleum - and one layer of what appeared to be rotting cardboard and then scrape for days - what a sickening job these floors have been in this house - truly - I've never seen anything like it and I hope to never bear witness to anything like it again in my lifetime.............

Cost for this makeover:

Stencil - 54.95
Paint - ( grey - I had the white on hand ) 34.95

I put a coat of Polyurethane on top for protection - and that's it -
A lot cheaper than new floors, right?

We each have our own ottoman in front of the couch - I had to move one so that you could actually see the floor - the room's small so really only the edges show - but I'm still liking what little I get to see LOL

Have a wonderful day everyone !
Hugs,
From me to you

Looking for Inspiration?
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Ivy & Elephants                              Too Much Time on my Hands    Funky Junk Interiors                 
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson             My Turn For Us                        Life on Lakeshore Drive
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DIY Metal Leaves

1)  TAKE A USED TEA LIGHT

2)  SCRAPE OUT THE WICK AND ANY WAX RESIDUE

3)  FOLD IN THE MIDDLE

4)  FLATTEN DOWN WITH YOUR HANDS

5)  TURN OVER

6)  HAMMER FLAT

7)  TURN OVER AGAIN -  YOU'RE READY TO SPRAY PAINT ( OR NOT )

USES ?

HANGING MOBILES  ( NURSERIES MAYBE - PAINTED I N PASTEL COLORS )
WREATHS ( ANY COLOR TO MATCH DECOR )
SCATTERED ON RUNNER FOR THANKSGIVING DINNER
FLORAL ARRANGEMENT ON BRANCHES ( HANGING BY THREAD )
GREAT FOR OUTDOOR - WEATHER PROOF GARDEN ART !
YOU COULD CUT OUT A CIRCLE - AND USE THESE AS PETALS ALL AROUND THE
PERIMETER AND CREATE FLOWERS
SPRAY PAINT WHITE AND USE FOR WEDDING CENTERPIECES AND RUNNERS
and probably thousands of uses I can't think of at the moment !!!

I spray painted mine gold - but the possibilities are endless ( and they won't be staying gold - that was just for the tutorial )

Now I have to do enough to make a wreath..................................

I saw artwork done from this method once - and can't find it anywhere ( I'm not even going to tell you how long I searched the internet ) - so I'm going from memory ( which is most definitely NOT what it used to be )
If anyone knows please drop me a line?
I'd like to give credit ( where credit is due ! )
________________________________________________________________________________

John says - Why the hell are there so many candles burning all over the house ?
John says - It looks like a witch's coven ..............................

But this witch is on a mission now.

Have a wonderful day everyone !
Much love,
Me


Looking for inspiration?  Join me at these fabulous parties !

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Homestories A to Z                                               The DIY Dreamer
Savvy Southern Style                                            DIY by Design
Beyond the Picket Fence                                       Have a daily cup of Mrs. Olson
From My Front Porch to Yours                             I Gotta Create
The Charm of Home                                              French Country Cottage
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One More Time Events                                         I Should be Mopping the Floor
Adorned From Above                                          Uncommon Design

SO close...................................

Oh my poor aching knees LOL

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone

Hopefully this will be finished sometime this week to show you all - in the meantime I'll just bore you to death with progress !

More details to come when I'm finally up off my knees and can call this room done

Much love,
Me

Come check out these fabulous parties - tons of inspiration!

I Should be Mopping the Floor                                Between Naps on the Porch
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Kathe with an E                                                        An Extraordinary Day
Home Stories A to Z                                                 DIY by Design
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson                             From my Front Porch to Yours
The Charm of Home                                                French Country Cottage
My Turn For Us                                                       My Romantic Home
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A Stroll Thru Life                                                     Cedar Hill Farm House

Adding Planks to a Kitchen Table

Good morning everyone -

It rained cats and dogs here yesterday - and when it does that - for some reason my brain starts getting a little creative...............( think of trying to entertain a child on a rainy day - ain't easy )

Smack in the middle of working on the plank wall - ( because I seem to have a huge problem with finishing anything lately ) another idea was born................what if I took my little farmhouse table ( which does in fact open up to double the size in the photo below - you can see that post HERE ) and added planks to the top to make it even bigger - a real " work station " type of top?

in our previous home

I quickly ran to get the left over planks - there were 5 left over - and would you believe it - 5 fit perfectly for what I wanted to do - ( if that's not a sign that it had to be done I don't know what is )  I'm not sure why it looks lower than the counter top in photos - they're almost the same height

Suzan says - OMG John - I just had such a fantastic idea
John says - Oh no............
Suzan says - I want to plank the antique farmhouse table in the kitchen
John says - ARE YOU INSANE?  THAT'S AN ANTIQUE - I'M NOT SCREWING ANYTHING INTO THE TOP OF THAT..................
Suzan says - But
John says - NO - N.O. - NO WAY - FORGET ABOUT IT

I have a thinking ( SHOWER ) cap that I keep in the linen closet - ( you can actually see me wearing it HERE ) I sometimes use it when I'm painting - seriously - especially if I'm painting a tall piece where paint may end up on my hair -  but it also works for thinking strangely enough - and within minutes I had a plan ( because I'm nothing - absolutely nothing - if not determined.

Suzan says - What if I had a way where the original top would not be affected at all?
John says - Well that's impossible - how are you going to stop the piece from sliding all over the place without screwing it into the wood?
Suzan says - LIKE THIS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First we put brackets underneath the planks to hold them all together

Next we flipped it over and ran a pencil along the underside where the " real " table ends

And put a piece of molding on either side to hold the plank top in place - like this

Ideally we would have put molding on all 4 sides - but I couldn't afford the space it would take to make the table larger in depth - only length - but a piece of anti slip rubber ( like you use under carpets ) will hold it perfectly.
This is how it looks underneath - locking it in

Next I painted the top with ASCP Pure White...............again imperfection is fine - this is only the first step

Once that was dry - I made a wash with French Linen ( I eyeball it at this point - but half water - half paint is usually a good rule of thumb )

This took very little paint - maybe 3 tablespoons - this little bit was all I needed

After brushing it on

Next - ( and I don't have a photo of this step ) I took a damp cloth and wiped the entire surface.
I'm a very fast painter - if you aren't - this last step should be done in sections because a " wash " dries very quickly.

When you're done you should have a piece that looks like sun aged driftwood

This piece is now large enough for me to have a small prep area

I feel like I should have my own cooking show now !!!

Suzan says - can you take a couple of photos for me?
John says - of what?
Suzan says - of me, in the kitchen, in front of the new table
John says - Okay

I hurriedly pulled together some accessories

John says - Oh for God's sakes, I don't have time for this nonsense
Suzan says - c'mon - it'll be funny

Suzan says - Wow - I thought I was the world's lousiest photographer
John says - Is it bad?
Suzan says - Well it's very blurry which I don't mind at all - but I don't look anything like Giada de Laurentiis
in this whatsover..................
John says - Who the hell is that?

Are you impressed with my planked table idea?
No?  How about if I told you I painted it and white washed it in my favorite  little black dress?
Yes I did - I most certainly did!  ( I like to live on the edge like that )  I used to go dancing till the wee hours when I felt like having fun.  Now I sometimes paint in " good " clothes instead.

John says - that's the last thing we're doing to that table, you understand?
Suzan says - yessir ( but only because I can't think of a single thing more I could do to it myself.

We added a shelf on the bottom HERE

and height to it HERE

and now we've added some " girth " lol
and it's removable if and when we choose to take it off
NOT A SINGLE DROP OF THE ORIGINAL WOOD WAS DAMAGED IN CREATING THIS POST...................

Have a wonderful day all !
I'm going to chop and dice up Corn Pops and have a bowl of cereal at the table now - and then I'm going to put polyurethane on it to protect it.  ( 4 coats - since it will be getting a lot of use )
In my little black dress.

If anyone from the Food Network wants to contact me please drop me a line here on the blog - we can discuss salary.
Have a wonderful day!
Much love,

Partying here !
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