Project: How to add spice to a tired kitchen floor
The kitchen floor is one thing that seems obviously off-limits for re-do in a rental (or even an owned) kitchen. Cost and hassle are just too much for most people to even think of replacing an ugly floor. Well, not Dominique! She covered over a bad old floor-job with a protective and colorful new surface. Read on to see how!
Dominque says that:
The previous owners of our house had a love affair with peel and stick tiles, so much so that they stuck them directly onto the hardwood floor in the kitchen area. Over time, the lines of the wood floor have begun to show through the tiles, not to mention the staining and cracking that happens with age. With a full blown floor refinishing project out of our budget for now, I decided to create a protective new floor over top that would also lend lots of color to the space.
TOOLS:
3 birch ply panels, 4 x 8' and 1/4" thick
A table saw
Primer- Kilz or Gripper
Leftover latex paints and in some cases some acrylic paints to custom blend my colors
A quart of poly
Lots of Liquid Nails and a caulking gun
A strong husband to move the fridge and stove
Metal edging strip and nails to finish the edges
STEPS:
I purchased 4' x 8' birch plywood panels, 1/4" thick and cut down to 2' x 2' squares, 1' x 2' for the back row nearest the windows. I had originally intended to stain them dark and light and create a checkerboard pattern, but upon seeing all of the leftover paint in my garage, I decided to go bold.
In some cases to create more harmony between the colors I had, I mixed in some artists' acrylics.
After priming and painting the squares, I put 3 coats of an acrylic based polyurethane over the top and let them dry. This took one weekend.
To install the tiles, I first laid them all out to determine the pattern that I wanted, particularly not to repeat colors in a row.
I used Liquid Nails to adhere the squares to the floor, creating an X pattern as well as going around the edges.
To finish it all off, I purchased a long strip of metal edging in a pewter color which my husband cut down to fit and installed.
RESOURCES:
I am constantly collecting images of color from catalogs and magazines, so the color inspiration came to me as a result of that....otherwise the materials are pretty run of the mill, but used in a different way.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
I love that you went bold with this, but liquid nails would never, ever fly for us renters. Sad day. I wonder if there's a temporary way to do something similar.
view bfootnovellista's profile
I was thinking about that too, totally on board til I saw liquid nails. I wonder if one could create a tongue and groove system to attach all the squares together and then just use the edging to hold the whole thing in place. I'm not sure my landlord would notice a couple of small tacks in the floor where the edge would be. Some kind of rubber backing for the squares would also help keep them in place and provide some cushion, sort of like an interlocking wooden flor tile.
view bonjourmiette's profile
I've seen people who've laid down plywood floor "tiles" using dowel joining, which would probably be easier to do than a tongue and groove system. I'm amazed that the homeowner here was able to find flat sheets of birch ply to lay down. Most of the sheets I've seen at Lowes or Home Depot tend to have some warping. I think it looks great.
view justveggingout's profile
This looks great, but you could get the same look by making a floor cloth. That might be easier.
view Kate (NC)'s profile
Couldn't you get the same effect with Flor tiles?
view perdita27's profile
I have a flor tile kitchen. I love the look when it's clean, but it never stays that way for more than 5 minutes. Especially with my two cats. Even before then, it was a mess. I just wouldn't recommend it, although I can't seem to find a cheap enough solution to replace it as a renter.
view Garrett22's profile
I think it looks FANTASTIC. Well done - so creative and bold!
view nomadchicky's profile
This looks great! I also have a bad kitchen floor and I'm looking for a cheap(er) fix. This might work...
http://twasthebrillig.blogspot.com/
view twasthebrillig's profile
I think it looks great! I love the colors and the ingenuity. I would love to do something like this in my house but, unfortunately, I have old ceramic tile on the floors. It's not as easy to work with as nice, level wood.
view bigwavejen's profile
This is charming, but I'm left wondering how long your floors will stay looking good. Plywood doesn't strike me as being as durable as other flooring options - I'm picturing lots of dings in the floor.
If you can find vinyl or linoleum tile in colors you like, you can also achieve this look by grouping colors together, like 4 or 6 tiles of one color laid in a square/rectangle, and then laying another color next to that one, etc.
view greer's profile
Consider "rubber tiles" they come in lots of colors.
http://www.gregsmithequipment.com/Rubber-Garage-Floor-Tile-p/htrt.htm
Easy to install, I put on top of chipped linolium. If you are in a rental they you can pull up and take them with you and reuse.
view DeirdreW35's profile