DIY Painted and Stenciled Bathroom Floor: Bathroom Update Part I


Happy Monday, Friends! Have you ever had one of those projects that you kept putting off, but when you finally tackled it, you were so happy with the results, you wished you'd done it sooner? That's exactly how I feel about my painted and stenciled bathroom floor...


DIY painted and stenciled floor


In June, I celebrated 19 years in my home. Over the years, I've rearranged, painted, and updated almost every room in the house. Finally this spring, my bedroom received a complete refresh, which left only my small master bathroom. Now you may remember back then, hunter green was the color and I selected it for both the bathroom countertops and floors. Can I just say, I'm over it? I've been over it!  


DIY painted and stenciled floor


In the photo below, you can see the hunter green countertop, and though the floor looks darker in the photo above, the colors are actually almost identical. New floors and counters were just not in my budget, and I had been brainstorming about thrifty updates, when I came across a soft gray porch paint in the oops paint section for $9! I checked out the color when I asked them to put it on the mixer thingy at Home Depot, and it was the perfect soft gray. If you've followed some of the crazy things I've painted--including an oven--you won't be surprised that I decided to paint the floor. 


DIY painted and stenciled flooring


Though I made up my mind that I was going to do it, it took me some time to actually commit to the process. Though it has been a busy year, and I've had weddings on my brain, more realistically it's because I know how my projects tend to snowball. If I painted the floors, I would end up refreshing the entire bathroom. Of course, that ended up being the case and with the exception of the bathtub and potty, everything in the small space got painted, one way or another, so this post is actually the first in a series, I'll be sharing this month. Now--back to the floor! If you spend any time on Pinterest no doubt you've come across a painted floor or two. Just like when I painted my sofa, there are many opinions about the best way to do so, but one thing most seem to agree on is the need to use a blocking primer. I used the Zinsser Bulls Eye 2 product pictured above. Before beginning, make sure the floor is clean and free from hair strands. With both the primer and the paint, first I used a brush to paint all of the trim around the tub and potty, then used a roller to cover the rest of the floor. 


DIY painted and stenciled floor


Here's how it looked after one coat of primer. I used two coats, allowing it to dry at least an hour in between coats.


DIY painted and stenciled floor


After the second coat of primer dried and I had painted the trim areas around the tub and toilet, I used a deck sponge pad applicator to apply the gray porch paint to the rest of the floor. I allowed it to dry two hours before adding a second coat. It looked better already! 


DIY painted and stenciled floor


I knew that I wanted to stencil the floor, but I'll confess that I was very uncertain about the exact pattern I wanted. The stencil I chose was only available in 18" which was quite a bit larger than the 12" tiled pattern on my floor. After moving the stencil around several times, I finally decided to sleep on it, and prayed too, honestly! 


DIY painted and stenciled floor
I received this stencil as a member of the DecoArt Blogger Outreach Program. See full disclosure here.


Do you pray about your projects? I truly believe that no detail is too small when it comes to asking for God's wisdom and creativity. The following day, I woke up with the idea to try stenciling only part of the design. I used a combination of white and turquoise, sort of alternating rows. I still felt a little uncertain and had a wet cloth handy--just in case...


DIY painted and stenciled floor


...but I didn't need it. I really love how it looks! (Answered prayer!) The link for this stencil is at the bottom of the post, second on the top. 


DIY painted and stenciled floor


Since the painted floor is only 4' x 8', I decided to start by stenciling every other square, and I'm so glad I did. That came out to a pattern of 10 stenciled tiles, which was just right for the small space. I'm convinced that the detailed pattern on each square would have been too busy for my taste. 


DIY painted and stenciled floor
This post contains affiliate links for suggested supplies. See full disclosure here.


Also, I decided against using any type of sealer on top. This is a matter of personal experience from previous projects. When it comes to DIY surfaces that are walked on, I have had better results sans sealer. On the few occasions I've tried a "protective coat", it's actually had the opposite result and seems to lift the paint away easier. The bathroom floor has been painted for about a month now, and so far, so good! In all honesty, if I had small children or pets running around in the area, I'm not sure if that would be the case. Since I don't, it's working for me, but that's definitely something to consider and I'll keep you posted on how it wears! 











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DIY painted and stenciled floor


We will be having the Vintage Charm party on the Fourth of July--see you there! 

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  1. What a fantastic idea and job. I have tried to never decorate with colors that are perm like counters and such. I am also shy on doing it with paint only cause I would get tired to easy and this old body can't repaint all the time!! haha...Love the job you did on the floor however.

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  2. Wonderful project. We are in the process of repainting the veranda floor with patio paint, but it is so humid that it will not dry and cure. It has been over a week for the first section that is still sticky, and anything we put on it is peeling up paint when we pick it back up to move, like pots and chairs. It is maddening!! And it is raining this morning, again!

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  3. I'll be interested to know how this holds up, but it really looks good!

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  4. Great project and great results. I imagine that the light traffic that you will give the floor will make it last quite a while. It reminds me of colonial stenciling. Can't wait to see the entire refresh; I always love your ideas!

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  5. That is crazy good!! I love the colors you chose and the pattern. Just perfect!

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  7. What a fun project, Cecilia! It looks wonderful!

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  8. Cecelia,
    LOVE the way it came out!! Beautiful!! Thanks so much for all your visits!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

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  9. Very nice, Cecilia! It turned out beautifully. Looks so much brighter too.

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