Painting Patterns on Hardwood Floors (or "How I spend My Saturdays")

Ok, so remember how I said a few days ago that painting ceilings is kinda like torture?

I was wrong.

So very wrong.

I learned this weekend that painting diamond patterns on a hardwood floor is much, much closer to torture. Much.

But I got it all DONE!! What a fantabulous feeling. And here's how I did it...

The floor was previously unpainted hardwood but very worn. I painted the whole thing with B-I-N primer, which is the greatest stuff in the world.

Then I painted the entire floor with two coats of the light color - a very, very light blue. I used Valspar porch and floor paint from Lowes. Will give the colors in another post.

Then came the excruciating part, for me anyway. Because it involved measuring. And math. And being precise. Qualities that I don't deal with very well. Lucky for me the hubs installs cabinets for a living and was very qualified to help me with this.

We measured out the diamonds using a carpenters straight edge and traced in out on the floor with a pencil. The diamonds are 14" square.



Then I used Frogtape to tape around each square. This takes a lot of time because each edge has to be very straight. But after I got started and got into a rhythm, it really wasn't so bad.


All done taping! Hallelujah!! This project involved lots of bending over my 5 month pregnant belly, which wasn't exactly fun, but I plowed through the aches and pains. And took lots of breaks.



Then I painted every other diamond with the darker blue paint - also Valspar porch and floor paint. I used a brush for the edges and a roller for the larger areas.



Hey, Jack! How'd you get in here?!

He is saying, "Mommy, come play with me. And feed me. My sister and I are tired of Pop-Tarts."

Poor little guy.



Removing the tape and viola!! It is finished!!


I had to do some touch ups after I removed the tape, but I was surprised how well the tape kept the paint from bleeding through, considering how uneven the boards were.


This was a fairly time-consuming project, but actually didn't take as long as I thought it would. If it would be a high traffic area, I would apply a sealer yet, but this floor won't get used that much and I don't mind if it looks a bit worn. It'll just add to the look I'm going for.

Now onto the FUN STUFF!! I'm so excited to start moving in furniture and accessorizing!