Monday, August 22, 2011

DIY White Washed Wood Floors For Less


Okay so I promised I would share with you my how to on our porch floors.
So here goes.

DIY Plywood Floors
  1. We started with sheets of CDX plywood.  (The Cheap Stuff.) Tip: If you try this make sure to pick through the lumber pile to pick the best pieces.  Try to get the sheets with less ink writing on them.  If the sheet has a little ink...don't worry no biggie, you can sand it out.
  2. Travis cut each sheet into 6 inch wide pieces. 
  3. Then he laid the first piece against one wall to make sure they were all cut square. 
  4. Then he staggered his cuts to be laid out like a traditional wood floor would be.  You do not want all your seams lined up in a row.  Trust...this is my hubbies pet peeve!
  5. I wanted an aged rustic lived in cottage look, so I wanted the seams between the boards to have a little gap.  About the size of a penny....maybe just a touch bigger in random areas.
  6. We simply nailed the floor right over the original sub floor.  To stay with the aged look I didn't even fill the nail holes.
White Washing a Wood Floor

First.....let me just tell you I'm a first timer! 
It actually wasn't too bad of a project.
  1. Start off with a white satin finish paint.  I have a thing for Behr paint from Home Depot, so that is what we went with on this one.
  2. You need to mix about 2 cups paint to 1/2 cup water.  (Stir it up!  The paint will sit at the bottom.  You will need to continue to stir up the paint as you go as not to let the paint portion over power the mixture.  It will leave the floor uneven and too heavily coated in white paint.
  3. We used a roller to roll on the paint.  Be careful not to leave the floor too wet in one place.  Even it out to avoid streaking.
  4. Our floor took a total of 2 coats.  In some areas we painted and wiped the paint away where it seemed to be just a little heavy.
  5. Do not paint yourself into a corner.......obviously;)
  6. Wait 24 hours before walking on or placing furniture back in the room.
And......we did it all for under $150 bucks!
Viola!!!!  There you have it folks! 
Our budget friendly white washed wood floors!

Let me know if you try this one.  I'd love to hear about it!

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6 comments:

  1. It looks awesome! Leaving the gap is what really made it work!

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  2. Your floors turned out beautifully! I would never have thought of cutting plywood down to make planks. Brilliant!

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  3. Fabulous! How do you find it wears? Would you recommend using polyurethane it? I found you via The Shabby Nest party.

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  4. Love it! So I'm curious... almost a year and a half later, how has it worn?

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  5. Very nice tips, always needed when you want to do flooring without hiring professional services for it, this really helps to save some money but requires basic skills for installing a wooden floor.

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  6. Having a new look for your flooring does not have to be costly, and this blog post can prove it! You may prefer wood or concrete for your home or business establishment - you can have a washed look for it just like the one shown in this post. It definitely add appeal to the overall look of the room.

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I love your comments! I appreciate each and every cottage visitor and hope you willll come back again soon! Carrie

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