Inexpensive Flooring: How to Stencil Concrete Floors
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Yes, this is still a travel blog. I just am grounded and started a basement laundry/mudroom project back in February that needs to be finished asap. I hemmed and hawed about the flooring, looking into a million and one different options for our ugly, uneven concrete floor. They were all not technically going to work or were too expensive for a room that, let’s face it, only I’m going to see. I looked into everything- wood, vinyl, laminate, large tile, small tile, stamped concrete, stained concrete, etc., etc. I was disappointed that the Portuguese tile I really wanted wasn’t going to work out. How fun would it have been to have a tiled floor inspired by travel! Dreams dashed…
Then, a friend suggestion stenciling the floors, so I headed straight for Pinterest. And pretty much assumed that this would be a Pinterest fail for me. But I figured that she had confidence I could do it (and having her as an expert DIY-er in my phone was also comforting), so I should just give it a try. So, I bought the supplies, painted 3 coats of white floor paint, and broke out the stencil and black paint. Deep breaths. If you look closely at the photos, you can see where I started. Look closely, it’s the corner by the lockers that looks like a Rorschach blob. In my defense I did have one child drawing over my head and the other throwing a tennis ball around in the room. But I did eventually get the hang of it and even enjoyed tackling this project.
While we are talking psychology, this was #floorpaintingtherapy for me. You absolutely cannot have OCD tendencies with this project. Don’t get me wrong- be careful, take your time, but understand that there will be mistakes. Just. Keep. Going. When you stand up and look at the floor, it all (mostly) disappears and looks amazing. The mistakes you absolutely can’t stand can be fixed by using a small brush and white paint. Another lesson to learn: Patience is a Virtue. One of my tennis coaches used to say this all the time. This was definitely a test of patience. If you don’t have it, you’ll end up doing more work than is necessary to cover up your rush job.
So, here are the Steps to Painting a Concrete Floor as well as my Lessons Learned
1. Buy the paint and rollers at your local paint or big box store. I chose Porch, Floor & Patio paint because we had used it previously and 4 years later, it hadn’t chipped at all. However, when I looked at the black paint can, I noticed that California warning with which I have a love-hate relationship. (I love that they are so careful and label this. I hate that it increases my anxiety incredibly anytime I am around a product with this label because I have 20 follow up questions swarming around in my head about this warning.). Anyway, if I had been more vigilant and noticed this before the project, I likely would have chosen something different. After a few stencils, I decided to add my favorite paint product, Chalk-tique, to the black paint and this seemed to help it go on more smoothly.
2. Order your stencil and stencil roller. Mine was the Augusta Tile from Cutting Edge Stencils. Because the laundry room was quite large (14×14), I really should have ordered more than one stencil, so I could leave one to dry while applying another elsewhere. Because everyone loves a good Before/After shot, here is the “Before”….
3. Roll your floors white (or whatever the lighter or base color is). Do this 2-3 times, letting each layer dry fully and cleaning the floor (again) before applying the next layer.
4. Apply your stencil. I started on the farthest wall (because that is where the eye initially goes when walking into the room) and along the lockers (because I knew the room was likely uneven and wanted it to at least be even along the lockers). I think I would do this again but would also consider doing at least a few practice squares somewhere less noticeable until I had the hang of it. You could practice on a large square of cardboard; this would also likely help with getting rid of excess paint. You want very little paint on your roller. Once I had 4-5 squares down, I started staggering the application (i.e., I didn’t do them all right in a row). This seemed to help with dry time and bleeding paint as well. In addition, painter’s tape on all 4 sides is very helpful to minimize bleeding. I mentioned this before but it warrants saying again.. Be patient. Let the squares dry for at least 3 minutes before pulling up the stencil. This is a great time to text with friends, clean up your Inbox, or, if you are feeling very productive and are farther along, fix up any mistakes.
5. Stand back and admire your work! (Oh, and text pictures to a few friends for affirmation too :)).
What did I miss? What questions do you have? Do you think you would try this? I actually still have to complete the other side of the room and do some touch ups, so stay tuned… More info to come as well on my budget-friendly lockers, bench, shiplap, and styling plans for this room (Just click here for that post).
32 Comments
Dan R
Wow!!! That is so cool. Love the idea and it looks beautiful.
Mackinaw Road
Thanks, Dan! All credit should go to Kelly for the suggestion 🙂 With her coaching, I may become a DIY-er yet 😉
Jerri Henley
It looks very good. I have purchased the same stencil and getting ready to do my basement bathroom.
What I need to know is, what did you clean the cement floor with? I am confused as to what to clean it with. My first though was to just use soap and water to get the dirt up then let it dry. But do this you several to make sure it’s very clean.
Am I going in the right direction for the cleaning process?
Thanks for any suggestion
Mackinaw Road
How exciting!!! It’s been awhile, but if I’m remembering correctly, I believe that I swept and vacuumed the area really well and then mopped with Pine Sol or something similar…
Angelique Edl
It looks great! I am doing my 12 x 14 den just waiting on ups to deliver the stencil. My question is did you put a sealer on once you were done? Thank you!
Mackinaw Road
How exciting! I didn’t put a sealer on because it really isn’t a high traffic area and I don’t wash the floors in that room as often as in the rest of the house.
Cassie Smallwood
Oh my gosh! This looks so good! When we moved into our house, we were looking for inexpensive flooring options. This would have been perfect!
Mackinaw Road
Thank you so much! I’m loving how it is turning out and am pretty proud of myself 😉
Leanna
Great job. Not only is this a inexpensive alternative flooring its also great for a basement. Flood damage from washers or hot water tanks is always a concern and this type of flooring works very well.. Love how you did it.
Mackinaw Road
Thank you so much! I’m pretty proud of how it turned out 🙂
Daraka
Wow!! So stunning! I want to try this in my entryway now! Thanks for sharing at The Gathering Place!
Mackinaw Road
Thank you, Daraka! I’m not always successful with these DIYs, so I’m feeling pretty good about this one 😊
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Kasey
Looks amazing! Did you put a top coat on after stenciling?
Mackinaw Road
Thanks, Kasey! I didn’t because I used porch, patio, and floor paint but I probably should. I was just worried about the fumes since I used the stencil in a basement room with very little ventilation.
Tiffany
Did you do any type of prep before painting? (Maybe I missed it in your post)…
Mackinaw Road
Hi Tiffany! Our floor had been previously painted, so I just vacuumed and mopped the floor really well before I got started 🙂
Val
Love this! Wondering where you purchased the cabinets? Or are they custom? I’m going to do something similar in my basement. 🙂
Mackinaw Road
Hi Val! Thanks so much!!! I just purchased the cabinets from Wayfair 🙂 I’ll link to the article that has links to the cabinets, etc. below. Because our floor was so uneven, our woodworker had to build a platform for the cabinets and he also secured them into our wall. Good luck with your project!
https://www.mackinawroad.com/2017/07/15/laundry-room-makeover/
Reese
how is the durability been? I would like to do something like this in my foyer 🙂 Beautiful work!
Mackinaw Road
Thanks so much Reese! I haven’t had much of a problem with durability but, honestly, I’m really the only one who goes in there on a regular basis. For the foyer, you may just want to add a top coat if it’s a heavy traffic area. Hope this helps!
Barbara Giardelli
OMg this is amazing!!! Where did you buy the stencil from? Can you share with us?
Mackinaw Road
Thanks so much, Barbara! And of course!! It’s the Augusta Tile from Cutting Edge Stencils. If you click the link in step 2 of the article, it should take you right to it 🙂
nicole
Love it! Gonna try it myself! what paint colors did you use?
Mackinaw Road
Thanks so much Nicole! I think I just used the white that floor paint came in and then just a basic black for the design 🙂
Kristine
How is it wearing over time? Thinking about painting a laundry room that is actually a walk through between two parts of the house. Lots of wear and hoping this will hold up.
Mackinaw Road
Hi Kristine! It has held up really well!! That said, I’m the only one who really goes in this room. For a walk though, you may want to add a few top coats. Hope this helps!
Shannon
This looks awesome! Can you tell me what size stencil you used?
Mackinaw Road
Thanks, Shannon! I used the large stencil 🙂
Cindy H
Wow, Looks great!! I’ve been thinking about doing this in our utility room over linoleum flooring. How has the paint held up?
Mackinaw Road
Thanks Cindy! The paint has help up really well. If it were a high traffic area, I’d probably look into a top coating over the paint but I’m really the only one who goes in there 😉
Jerri
Thanks again. I will try that.