DIY Checkerboard flooring

A painted wood floor can truly rev up a room. This checkerboard pattern produces an fascinating ground for a range of embellishing styles — from hi-tech to country classic. All it takes is a bit of patience as well as know-how to mark the diamond-shaped pattern on the wood floor. then paint the geometric shapes in two complementary colours to produce a visually striking effect.

Cost: $40-$75 Time: 25 hours (on unfinished floor, including 10 hours drying time)

Materials as well as Tools

Black oil discolor (used here: Minwax wood surface in Ebony)

White latex paint

Chalk

Protractor

Masking tape

X-Acto knife

Sponge

Varnish (used here: Minwax incredibly Fast-Drying Polyurethane for Floors)

Paintbrush

Damp cloth

Step 1

If floor is unfinished wood, discolor clean surface with coat of black oil stain. If floor is varnished, sand, clean thoroughly as well as apply black stain. enable to dry.

Step 2

With a piece of chalk, draw a baseline parallel to a directly wall that spans length of room, down the centre of room.

Step 3

Determine size of diamond desired. determine vertices (the angle produced where two sides meet) of diamonds on the baseline as well as mark each with a piece of chalk. halfway between two vertex marks, as well as near centre of your room, will be the centre of a diamond. with this point, as well as perpendicular to baseline, draw second baseline (see diagram). make sure that each of the four angles at intersection of two baselines are ideal angles (90 degrees). determine vertices of diamonds as well as mark along second baseline.

Step 4

Make grid with chalk by joining vertex marks on the two baselines. Near corners of room, smaller subsidiary baselines may requirement to be drawn to prolong the grid into these spaces.

Step 5

Mark diamonds that are to be painted white as well as tape their borders individually. Trim taped corners very carefully with X-Acto knife to make sure straight, clean angles. eliminate any type of loose chalk from floor.

Step 6

Dip a wet sponge in a little amount of white latex paint as well as rub colour on. utilize a clean to even out colour. This will provide the floor a lived-in “distressed” look, however you might likewise lay the paint on a lot more thickly with a brush. eliminate tape as soon as you surface each diamond in buy to clean up any type of paint that has bled under the tape. Clean-up can be made with a moist cloth, or in some cases, a little amount of black latex paint.

Step 7

Finish floor with five coats of varnish. enable each coat to dry for at least one hour. You’ll be able to walk on the floor after the last coat, however varnish takes about one week to genuinely harden as well as ended up being furniture- as well as appliance-proof.