header

header

2.23.2011

Painted Floor Tiles DIY


We are in the home stretch of our basement renovation and last week I devoted some time to my own little studio space! I never wanted carpet or any other type of flooring I could damage with paint splatters down there, so I knew I was sticking with concrete.

I had planned all along to follow this tutorial from DIY Network to stain the concrete floor to achieve a natural stone look. I was sooo looking forward to it! Well, my contractor forgot to tell the painters, and soon I had paint drips and over-spray all over my floor! After some tears, I decided to come up with a new idea...

What if I painted my floor with a faux finish to look like ceramic tiles? It worked! For about $30 I can teach you how!

Painted Floor Tiles (Faux Ceramic Tile)

Supplies:

1-Part Epoxy Acrylic paint (I used Behr Concrete & Garage Floor Paint in "Cold Lager" color)
3/8 inch nap roller
2-3 inch painter's tape

1/4 inch Painter's Tape (I couldn't find this and needed immediate gratification so I cut a roll of 3/4 inch painters tape in half with a saw. Not easy.)
Rag
White and brown acrylic paints


Instructions:

Begin by taping off the baseboard with wide, 2-3 inch painter's tape.



Cut in with a brush, as usual, then roll the rest of the floor (I had a long mop handle that screwed right to the end of my roller that allowed me to stand and roll). Let dry at LEAST 24 hours. I let mine dry about 18 hours and I should have waited until the next day since some of the undercoat pulled off with the tape.

I chose a mid-range color that coordinated with my carpeting, many colors are available.

Using a tape measure, begin to mark off a grid with your 1/4 inch tape. I planned for 16 inch "tiles" and simply started in the center of the room and worked my way out to the sides, much as you would when installing real tiles.



I poured my remaining paint into 3 large plastic cups (any container will work). I left one cup alone, I mixed some dark brown acrylic craft paint into one cup and mixed white acrylic craft paint into the other. I wanted 3 tones of the same color - light, medium, and dark - to create a realistic ceramic tile.

Using a thick paper plate as a paint palette, I poured out a bit of each color, then dipped my wadded up rag so that it picked up some of each color at once.

Then, I simply "pounced" the paint onto the floor. I concentrated on one tile at a time, filling the entire square before moving on to the next. Take a look at an actual ceramic tile to see what you are going for here:



See the light and dark variations? No two tiles need be alike, but if the colors are the same, they will come together to form a realistic faux ceramic tile. I usually started with a bit more dark and determined the pattern I wanted it to take and where I wanted it to originate from and travel to - then highlighted with the lighter colors. For each tile, I tried to create a different pattern and use some dark close to the edges so that there was enough contrast to notice the "grout" lines.

I ripped off my tape as I completed each 3 rows (mostly because I couldn't stand to wait to see it!). Soon, I had a "tiled" floor that cost me around $30 and took about 2 1/2 hours!


**(I did not receive any compensation from Behr for this tutorial - I just loved the paint and the results!)

Scroll down to see lots more tutorials from Tutorial Tuesday!

.

40 comments:

  1. Great idea, at least you're pleased with the floor now instead of having something you hated :)Builders and decorators are so messy!

    Bee happy x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great job and it was faster and less expensive than real tile!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fabuously Faux!!!!

    I had to laugh at the part aboout sawing the roll of tape in half...I would have done the same thing.

    Janet xox

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow - that is so cool and you did it yourself! Your basement is *dreamy*.

    ReplyDelete
  5. cool!!
    i actually painted a "tile" backsplash for my kitchen years ago. i still love it... and with a quick coat of polycrylic it still looks great and is very washable :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. {Clapping hands!} Jennifer!! Job well done. :) Looks fantastic. I'm going t feature this on Friday and Stumble it as well. :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Blogger almost didn't let me comment. Stupid Blogger.

    Anyway...

    I LOVE this idea. I've been wanting to pull up our vinyl flooring and stain our concrete. I love the look of stained concrete, but this is great too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The floor looks SO awesome! I would never have known that it wasn't really tile. And hey, no grout to scrub!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wow, that looks great!!! Amazing job!

    I have a great Dove chocolate giveaway going on right now and would love if stopped by and entered: http://eyespydiy.blogspot.com/2011/02/dove-chocolate-discoveries-giveaway.html

    ~Katie @ Eye Spy DIY

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am impressed! Did you just come up with that idea all on your own? It's genius!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gorgeous! You are making me want to grab my acrylic paints and attack my nasty linoleum kitchen floor! Will you seal it with anything?

    ReplyDelete
  12. SO FAB!!!! I saw something like this a few years ago and did it to look like river rocks on the bottom concrete of my house outside, and my steps. People thought it was really rock till they got up close. I need to redo my steps tho. Now I want to do your idea on my kitchen floor, my linoleum is shot! Way to go!!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This is fantastic! I'm going to file this one away in my mind in case the opportunity to use it ever arises.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It looks just like real tile! That is amazing, great work!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm putting your floor in the PoPP Spotlight... LOVE IT!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. this is amazing jennifer! i would have never thought to paint my floors but it is really a good idea. are you going to seal it or does the garage paint kind of do that itself? i don't know much about garage paint :) anyhoo - happy weekend! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Amazing! I can't wait to see it in person!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Soooooooo love it!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait for the big reveal!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I did this in my son's bathroom using acrylic paints. It looked real and lasted for about 7 years before I put down real tile. Yours looks great! You may want to investigate a floor poly to protect the acrylic.

    ReplyDelete
  20. good job, my sister has painted her plywood floors to look like hard wood. Everyone does a double take when they are told.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Can this product be applied over a brand new concrete floor? If it is a new concrete floor, how long after it has cured and set can this material be applied?
    garage floor epoxy

    ReplyDelete
  22. The floor looks great! I wish I had a space that I could do this in :o)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hello, I would like to try this method and I would like to know how the tiles look now? Did they wear off or started to peel. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I painted this floor almost 4 years ago and it has never peeled or faded over that time. It looks like it's going to hold up until I get sick of the look!

      Delete
  24. Thanks for this post! This really helped me out with my guest bathroom project.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wonderful article you have shared here self leveling floor Miami FL, your article is really informative and I enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thanks for sharing this blog Very useful Post. Buy Your Interlocking Garage Floor Tiles! Our Garage Flooring Is High Quality With Multiple Options and Colors. Garage floor tiles

    ReplyDelete
  27. Divine Flooring is leading service provider of Epoxy Flooring Services in Delhi NCR. We are presenting the epoxy coatings which completely changes the look & feel of your floors. Our coating material is of best quality even implemented at low cost. If you are searching for best & affordable Epoxy Coating Services, Anti Static Epoxy Flooring Services then no best than Divine Flooring.

    ReplyDelete
  28. good information
    Buy Best and High-Quality Garage Flooring in UK in the UK only our Company. We are a leading Best Garage Flooring Suppliers In UK, offering Durable, Reliable, and cost-effective Garage Flooring all across the UK. Feel free to visit our website!

    ReplyDelete
  29. GOOD BLOG
    Buy Best and High-Quality Rubber grass mats in UK in the UK only our Company. We are a leading Best Rubber grass mats Suppliers In UK, offering Durable, Reliable, and cost-effective Garage Flooring all across the UK. Feel free to visit our website!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Buy Best and High-Quality Garage Flooring in UK in the UK only our Company. We are a leading Garage Flooring Supplier, offering Durable, Reliable, and cost-effective Garage Flooring all across the UK. Feel free to visit our website!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Everyone,
    When you search flooring for home then also visit here.
    If you’re looking for home decoration or flooring now is the time. Head to Floor Décor Ghana and get the interior décor of your dreams.The Floor Decor team will always ask you about your lifestyle, foot traffic, pets, and any other relevant facts to determine the best floor design for your home.
    Visit here Flooring In Sunyani,Tamale,Ghana

    ReplyDelete
  32. Unleash your creativity with a DIY project of painted floor tiles. Transform plain floor tiles into personalized works of art using your favorite colors and patterns. With some preparation and the right techniques, you can achieve a unique and budget-friendly flooring solution that adds a pop of personality to any room. Let your imagination run wild and enjoy the satisfaction of a beautifully painted floor that reflects your style and creativity.

    ReplyDelete

Tell me what you think!

How to Avoid Stress At Work