The Kitchen Floor - Finally

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Well, I know some of you have seen some photos of the kitchen floor via facebook and instagram, but I have yet to do a full on blog post about the process and final result.  And I know it is eagerly awaited. After some serious overcommitment and some resulting stress-induced sickness (and a toddler with two ear infections) I've come back up for air and made time for a few blog updates.  So here goes. 

I showed you the whole glazing process a few weeks back (this was before I was thwarted by the flu).  Well, that was by far the easy and fast part.  To recap, here is what the floor looked like before.
And here is what it looked like with the glaze

And this was the idea for the final concept.
So, I received my Shipibo Allover Stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils and flattened it out to get ready for the the stencil process.  I started at the top end of the room toward the middle and then worked out using a very dry firm mini foam roller and not much pressure (as per their suggestions). 

Because I wasn't worried about an even coat  - I wanted a patina'd look afterall - the first few rows went fairly quickly.
The edges and corners, however got a little rough.  Paint was starting to goop under the stencil despite how little pressure I was using and there was more going back and wiping both the floor and the stencil. The edges weren't quite as crisp because of all the goopage and the fact that paint started drying around the edges of the stencil openings causing the lines to be less straight (although that doesn't bother me so much and I'm glad that the middle, most noticeable portion looks the best).  By far the most challenging part was going in and out of the corners. You can bend a stencil to pretty close to a 90 degree corner but try bending it 90 degrees in two directions and it does not want to cooperate. I ended up having to use a brush and doing some hand fudging.  Here is what it looked like further along.
By the time I finished all the edges and corners the center was dry enough to walk on (especially since so little paint was used).  I was pretty happy with the results and was debating leaving it at that.  The black squares in the above concept seemed like a commitment.  But I had a couple of hours left (like an hour and a half) before picking up Bryan at daycare and I figured I'd go for it.  Minor glitch - I had not purchased black paint.  Oops.  So I opted to use the dark charcoal grey that I used for the glaze. I had so much left over and in undiluted form I figured it would contrast nicely and maybe be more subtle than the black. Other minor glitch - I didn't end up looking at my original diagram, so I opted for a different square to stencil.  This ended up being a blessing in disguise.  Instead of stenciling over a white square that had already been painted, I stenciled over a negative space grey square.  This was better because it allowed for more error on the edges. Imagine if I'd stenciled my grey square and had a little white edge poking through all around?  Anyway, I used a file folder and traced my floor with a sharpie, cut out my stencil and went at it (this time with the brush only).  I think the results were better than if I had gone with my original plan!

Nice job! You were probably so happy to be done in time to pick Bryan up from day care.... is probably what you are thinking.  But no, there is more.  Polyurethane!  A couple of days later, I moved on to the next step  - clear coat. This was a tuesday night (first coat), wednesday morning (second coat) affair involving a baby gate for the cat and one minor freak out when I decided to touch up a spot in the middle of the floor and skated over the wet and very slippery polyurethane barefoot. 
In the end it turned out great and will hopefully prove to be both pretty and durable - and WAY less expensive had I gone the route of the encaustic tile which I was trying to mimic.  I'd give stenciling two thumbs up - definitely something I'd do again especially on a floor where the impact and difference was so large. Stay tuned for a stencil giveaway tomorrow!!!!!


46 comments:

  1. Kudos to you! What a major accomplishment. The floor looks outstanding. It took me 10 hrs to stencil my powder room...I can imagine how much this took.

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  2. Very cool. The white parts almost look like marble in the photos. Can't wait to see it in person!

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  3. I LOVE your floors. I cannot wait to see the finished product! What are your countertops??!? They are beautiful!

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  4. What type of base flooring did you start with?

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  5. LOVE it! You did an amazing job and deserve a massage after all that kneeling and bending!

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  6. I found your project on Hometalk and it really caught my eye. Love how your floor turned out and your color choices.

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  7. OmG it is soo beautiful, just purchased property in Palm Springs and will try this on the hideous floors there. Do you think it would stand up to a small bathroom??

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  8. Unbelievable and beautiful transformation! You have me SO stoked now to do something similar in my basement! I was looking for an inexpensive fix.
    One question, that amazing pendant light fixture looks like a head banger. LOL!! Is that just the perspective or does something go under that?

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  9. Amazing transformation and technique. What did you use for a primer and what line of paint for the floor? SW porch and floor paint?

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  10. Thanks for all the great comments. The base flooring is a plywood with a finished veneer to make it smoother. I used a SW Armorseal treadplex for the base coat, although I think since I used normal latex for the stencil and then polyurethaned over top, you could probably use a normal flat latex (flat is better for a stencil base) . I think it would definitely work in a small bathroom! And I wish I knew the stone for the counter. I actually think it's a granite of some kind that looks like a marble.

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  11. Just saw your floors over on Little Green Notebook and came to check out your blog. Well done...amazing! Your hard work paid off.

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  12. Absolutely fabulous! It looks so simple, yet has a huge impact, I am so impressed!
    Cathy @ Room Rx

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  13. Breathtaking result! Just LOVE it! It looks supercool!!!!!

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  14. I'm incredibly impressed with your amazing DIY. Congrats! Are people allowed to walk on it? (I'd probably say no...at least for a month or two!)
    J

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  15. Oh my gosh, Jessica, this is amazing! Your kitchen looks beautiful. Love the pendant, too.

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  16. This is stunning! So worth all your efforts!

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  17. That is really amazing - great job!!

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  18. Wow! The floor looks amazing! I am really impressed. It looks like tile but not quite as hard and defined. Thanks for the inspiration!

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  19. Holy cow, that is awesome. A pretty serious DIY with seriously great results.

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  20. Stunning. Are you for hire?
    Great job.
    pve

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  21. Your floor looks amazing! I'm so inspired--filing this idea away for future use!!

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  22. What a project to take on! Looks amazing! All your time and hard work paid off. How do you go about cleaning your floor?

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  23. Your floor is beautiful! Great job!

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  24. wow, really well done. it looks fantastic.

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  25. this is beautiful!! i started a stencil on my bathroom walls almost a year ago, and you arent kidding about folding the edges. its such a pain that i STILL have one small part to finish (around the sink)...and im just dreading it. kudos for such a quick finish...it must be really satisfying!

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  26. Thanks everyone! Unfortunately not for hire. I think one stencil project a year max after that one. I'm still recovering! As far as cleaning - I'm using water and Murphy's Oil Soap. So far so good. I guess it's like cleaning any other polyurethaned wood floor.

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  27. Jessica, this floor is amazing! Seriously considering stenciling thanks to you.

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  28. How is the poly holding up? We are currently in the middle of a similar project and debating over what type of sealing product to use. Thanks for the help!

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  29. Hi Jessica:
    Amazing job on the floors - a perfect substitute for the tiles!
    Quick (unrelated) question: Where'd you find your sleek, brass sink faucet? (Please don't say Waterworks ;) Looking for something similar in a little lower price range.
    Thank you!
    ag

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  30. Absolutely amazing! I am so impressed, and just love finding your blog. Do you mind sharing - paint color on the walls in the kitchen and source for the light pendant by the door? I love both!

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  31. GORGEOUS!!!! Something is getting stenciled in my house!

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  32. Wall paint color is Sherwin Williams Dovetail. The pendant is from arteriors. As far as cleaning I swiffer and then use a microfiber mop and a spray bottle with water and murphy's oil soap mixed together. Seems to work so far. I do the same on the wood floors

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  33. Oh my goodness! I wonder if I could make this work on our patio...sure would add some "attitude" to the space!

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  34. Love it love it love it I'm definitely doing this. But I think I will try it on my back hall first really glad I saw this

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  35. This took some serious commitment and it turned out really, really awesome! First time I've seen something like this so now I am so intrigued I feel like I have to do it :)

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  36. Wow! What a great before and after. We're pinning to our Flooring board on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing! -Whitney, Senior Editor @ Home Depot

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  37. Wow - beautiful! Saw this on the Home Depot Board. Where did you get your brass hardware and sink? Looks wonderful!

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  39. Hello Jeassica

    I really admire your kitchen floor and I have been thinking for a while now about doing something similar in my home.

    My question to you is: what is the secret for achieving a antiqued encaustic tile type of look. Your glazing coat has a 'non-flat' almost marble looking appearance. How did you achieve it? In understand you mixed half glaze (what type of glaze?) with half paint (what type of paint?)

    Did you just not mix thoroughly this half half mix in order to achieve the 'non-flat' appereance?

    Thanks in advance

    Valeria

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  40. This piece of blog shows dedication of writer.
    My page Anchor

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