Weekend Project: The Painting of a Porch Floor

One of my more hands-on projects for my space at the DSID showhouse at The Knoop House at Lost Creek Reserve was to paint the porch floor a pretty pattern that would mimic an old farmhouse rug. This was a fun and inexpensive project that made a big impact. You can paint your own wooden floors (inside or out!) using Sherwin Williams floor enamel paints. The paints dry just as quickly as regular paint but are more durable and have a nice gloss sheen that makes it easy to keep clean. They can also be mixed to any color in their vast pallette.

Prep: Design your rug. I designed mine in autocad with a layout of the floor so I would know exactly how to lay it out later. I also made templates from cardboard that made it easy to trace lines for each layer of paint. Then: Clean the floors. Get them as clean as you can with soap and water, scrubbing if you need to. Since this was an outdoor porch I had to remove everything from dead spiders to bird droppings....yummy. Let dry thoroughly and then measure and layout your design.

Step 1: Paint your first layer of paint. Mine ended up being one solid block of color.

Step 2: In between each layer of paint, make sure the previous layer is completely dry. I let each layer dry for 24 hours so that it was safe to walk on.

Step 3: For smaller shapes, its easier to use painter's tape to get clean lines and corners.


Step 4: Once all layers are complete, touch small spots or areas where the paint may have run. This particular porch was difficult because the antique floorboards were uneven from time. Paint tended to run into the grooves which required more touch ups.

Step 5: You're finished! Now, sit back and enjoy.