GREAT NEWS! spring is on it’s way! BAD NEWS! it’s not coming fast enough. Recently, I have definitely had the “end of winter blues.” Since it’s still too cold to do any updating on the outside of the house, I have been super busy on the inside. One of the projects I did at the end of last month was an update on the wood floor in our hallway. I have to say, this is easily my favorite update thus far.

Ever since I could remember, I have always wanted a checkered floor. I don’t know what it is about them but I just absolutely love them. Pete has never been too thrilled about a checkered floor in a larger place such as our kitchen or laundry room. Trust me, I have tried, tried, and tried. Normally, I know exactly what I want and if I know it’s going to look good I will make the executive decision and just do it. But honestly, I wasn’t exactly sure and I didn’t want to spend the money on a new floor and not absolutely love it.

So I decided to change up our small area of hallway floor. And I was going to do it with paint I already had. And it was going to be a free update which us my favorite kind of update. And I was certain it was going to look GREAT. So I told Pete I was going to paint the floor and he nearly shi-….well, we can say he looked a little scared. But I reassured him it would be fine. With the help of Pat Benatar, everything would be fine.

Wash the floor and gather your materials first. I decided to use a Pat Benatar record to trace because for my project a record was the perfect size. You will also need painters tape and paint (and paint brush, obviously.)

Next, draw your lines with a pencil. When you get closer to the edges of the wall, a ruler or yardstick is super helpful to make sure your lines all match up and then you can take it right to the edge.

Depending on how dark the flooring is, it might be helpful to take a little painters tape and mark the squares you will be painting. Trust me, when you only have pencil lines on the floor things look trickier than they are.

Begin taping out your first square. Place the tape on the outside of the line. This may seem stupid to say but I’m telling you the pencil lines are a little confusing when you first start out.

Begin painting! I had absolutely NO bleeding issues. I don’t know if it was because of the tape I used (it specifically said for use on wood floors) or if it was because of the painting technique I used. Either way, it could not have come out better.

Remove your tape and look at a job well done! I only did one coat on each square because I would eventually be sanding it. Also, I taped out and painted 1 square at a time to ensure the best results. You can place the tape on the painted squares when they are dry to the touch (about 5 minutes.)

I let the floor dry 100% overnight and then the next night I sanded the squares for a more worn look.

All done! Now, I have the supplies to put a sealer coat on but I haven’t done that yet for 2 reasons. 1. I have three dogs and I don’t trust them or myself to make sure they don’t walk on the floor for 3 hours. 2. This paint has been on the floor for 3 weeks and I have had no issues with it. Although I want the worn look- the dogs nails haven’t even scratched it. It’s the best! Hope this inspires some if you to take a chance! Don’t be afraid, it’s just a little paint!