Ready to paint your floors? See my tutorial on how to paint plywood floors!
We continue to make progress in the loft for our online shop. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come since we started! There’s been so much work to get it where it’s at… I am so thankful!
Today, I wanted to talk about the flooring. It’s just your basic plywood floors, certainly nothing special, but it wasn’t in our budget to install new flooring, especially since we had the loft finished with drywall. So, I decided painting would be the easiest, most cost effective way to dramatically change the appearance.
How To Paint Plywood Floors
Affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.
Supplies:
- Vacuum
- Cleaning Supplies
- Paint, I used Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore, in satin, mixed in Ace Royal Porch & Floor Paint
- Painters Tape
- Paint Roller
- Extension Pole
- Paint Brush
Step One: Clean The Floors
First, we vacuumed the floors reaaalllly well. They were dirty and caked with drywall mud and dust. Once the floors were vacuumed, and the drywall mud was scrapped off, I took a bucket of soapy water, a scrub brush and rag, and started giving the floors a good old- fashioned scrub.
They looked so much better after I scrubbed them…
Step Two: Cut In The Edges with Paint
Then, I started the painting process. I used Ace Royal porch & floor paint in satin, mixed in Classic Gray by Benjamin Moore. It covered great, and dried really fast! First, I began cutting in the sides with a paint brush…
It took two coats, and I went all the way around the room…
And the beam in the center of the room…
Step Three: Roll The Floors
Once the edges were cut in, I started painting the floor. It was so easy! I just dumped paint on the floor, then started rolling it on…
I decided it was easier to split the room in half, and paint the back portion first, then let it dry…
Once the first coat dried, I added a second, final coat. Then I painted the last portion of the floor, following the same pattern as the first half. I could definitely see the difference between one coat, and two…
The whole floor took a full 2 gallons of paint, and it was so worth it!
There are a few large gaps in the plywood flooring, so I’m going to go over it with caulking, then touch it up with the matching paint. That should make it look much more finished…
But man, it’s a night and day difference up there! I’m totally loving all this progress, and can’t wait to get the counters, product storage, and desk area all set up.
We’re one step closer to opening the online shop…
It looks like your coming along really well and I can’t wait to see the finally. I know that you are getting so excited for the final day that your shop will be up and running. I can’t wait to see it.
Epp!! It’s looking SO good. Love the floor refashion 😉 Such a smart solution!!
They look great! It’s so wonderful that you have such a great space for your shop!
looking good girl xx
Shayna … great job … looks so good. You will have so much fun decorating and organizing.
Our attic could be made into a room, but I don’t even want to entertain that idea.
Blessings,
Audrey Z. @ Timeless Treasures
Shayna, I can’t wait to see this room done! It’s already looking gorgeous 😉 I can’t wait to ‘shop’.
Hugs, Jamie
I loved the post on painting floors and the finished product was wonderful!! Congratulations on the on line store! I can’t wait to see! Leslie
Awesome! We actually did this to our upstairs. We were on a tight budget but Really needed a solution to our grungy old carpet that was left over in our home, so we ripped it up, sanded down the wood, and painted it white. A hassle to keep clean but freshens up the area instantly
did you use a polyurethane to seal the floor?
No, I didn’t. The only thing I applied was the paint! It’s held up wonderfully! 🙂
Hi Shayna,
I don’t see this addressed, so a question: What you’ve done would be my perfect budget and ecological solution (with strategic area rugs), however, I have been told that unless the plywood is a certain grade, this would not work, i.e., splinters and such, yet this doesn’t seem to have been a concern for you. Thoughts? Comments? Thanks!
Hello! I agree! This is the perfect money saving solution for plywood flooring. Before I painted the flooring, it had already been painted a really dark gray. From what I could tell, that paint had held up really well. I wanted to lighten it up, so I repainted it. The flooring has taken quite a lot of use and abuse and the paint has held up beautifully and I haven’t noticed any splinters. I’d do it all over again, given the same situation. 🙂 I hope that helps! Good luck!
I’ve done my shed/workshop the same way and the floor is just not holding up. I think part of the problem is to much traffic. I want to put one more coat and lay a huge sea turtle decal that I’ve had for a few Years. I’m just now after several years getting around to naming it “Mermaid Cove Cottage”. I just feel like the floor should be more durable than what it is.