How to Paint Checks Diagonally on My Floor
Far too many homeowners overlook their floors when they come to decorating their homes. Painting the floor in a checkerboard style is an innovative way to make a room seem more dynamic. Checkers that run on a diagonal give an even greater feeling of movement to a room, livening it with energy. You don't need to hire a professional contractor to recreate this pattern for you and you can easily do it yourself over the course of a weekend. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Broom
- Dustpan
- 1/4-cup all purpose floor cleaner
- 1 gallon water
- Bucket
- Mop
- Electric sander
- Latex primer
- Paint roller
- Pencil
- Yardstick
- Painter's tape
- Latex floor and patio enamel, self-priming in two different colors
- Nylon brushes: 3- inch and 1/2-inch
Instructions
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1
Sweep your floor carefully, dragging all dust and debris into a dustpan and disposing of it. Combine 1/4- cup all purpose floor cleaner in a bucket with 1 gallon of warm water. Dip a mop in the mixture and combine it well. Mop the floor thoroughly from top to bottom.
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2
Sand the floor with an electric sander that has a sheet of coarse, 100-grit sandpaper. Sweep up the accumulated sanding dust.
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3
Apply a latex primer with a paint roller to the entire surface of the floor. Allow it to dry completely.
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4
Measure the length and width of your floor. Determine what the best size of checkers would be. Checkers should be at least 12 inches square. If your floor is 9-by-15-feet, 18-inch checkers will fit evenly into the space.
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5
Draw diagonal lines from the far right corner of the floor to the near left corner. Use your yardstick. Space the lines away from each other the width that you decided your checkers would be. Draw diagonal lines from the far left corner to the near right corner. Keep your lines evenly spaced. This will create your designated checkerboard pattern.
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6
Paint the lighter color of checkers with a latex floor and patio enamel that is self-priming. Use a nylon brush to paint the interior of each checker and then paint the exterior of each square with a 1/2-inch brush. Rinse off your brushes and wait until the first color dries.
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7
Mask the squares with painter's tape to ensure straight lines and paint the remaining checkers the darker color.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
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Comments
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wouldn't it be easier to base coat the entire floor with the lighter color, then mark your squares with painter's tape and then paint the darker color squares? Also, I would use a porch paint with a built-in primer. that way you save yourself the time by doing two applications instead of three or more. A porch paint would hold up very well as it is designed for floors. A coat of polyurethane for the final finish would be optional depending on the traffic level of the room or hall. Also, when using painter's tape, might be a good idea to wait several days after applying your base coat before using the tape. If the paint is not completely cured, the tape may pull up the paint.
