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It's all here...for the love...

Helpful How-Tos & DIYs • Tips & Techniques • Info & Inspo  

Projects from our Paint & Design Studio in Australia. Inspirational and instructional how-to tips on chalk, milk and mineral paint as well as refinishing furniture, upcycling and before and after projects!



                                          
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The How-to Stencil Series: Part 1 DIY Painting and Stenciling Floors

9/9/2014

10 Comments

 
I've always been mad for stencils.
(This will become even more evident as the online stencil collection grows here at For The Love!)

Some of you may already be familiar with the floors of my studio workspace.
Because they were boring cement with random marks and stains expected in a former garage,
I  needed a design that was busy but still visually interesting and ultimately...inspiring!

The thing with larger projects like this one, with a busy pattern, is you can't really go 
wrong because the eye never knows quite where to settle. 
And, because it is my workspace and would get painted on, furniture 
dragged across it, covered with projects etc...
we decided to not take the whole thing too seriously.
By "we" I mean my niece Jill & I...
and not taking things too seriously may be what we do best!

It's a 6x6meter square space with no turns or corners to consider, pretty straight-forward.
I had swept and hosed out the space the day before.
We started at about 10am with great music & coffee.

To begin, we decided two things:
1. Keep a full pattern at the point most obvious from the entrance which was this corner.
2. We roughly laid out the stencil in both directions to see how far to space between the rows so we wouldn't be left with a half or quarter pattern (which can greatly slow down progress).

After making this plan, we custom mixed this paint colour using Chalk Paint.
stencil-concrete-floors-chalk-paint
First one down....hundreds to go!

Jill had the  fun job...crawling on the cement and taping down the stencil.
(notice her safety shoes...ha ha)

I followed behind using a paint pole and short-napped roller.


chalk-paint-australia-stenciled-floors
Using Chalk Paint with the stencil
That's all the tools you really need:
Short-nap Roller
Extendable Paint Pole 

(I prefer a long, sturdy timber pole, I had too much "bounce" from the extending one).
Painter's Tape or Masking Tape
Damp Rag
Dry Rag

Position the stencil, roll,  lift the stencil, wipe down if needed, reposition and repeat! 

That's it!

painting-floors-chalk-paint-stencils-australia
Nearly a quarter of the way finished, time for a texting break!
how-to-stencil-floors
Looking from the entrance back to the corner where we started
shop-dog-inspection-stencilled-floors
My official inspector, Josie. She approves! I think...
All done!
And then, two coats of a quality water-based sealer.
 I recommend a satin finish, gloss will show  mistakes as well as imperfections in the floor. 
Waited a day and then moved  back in.
workspace-studio-painters-paradise-adelaide
Finished and ready for work again
A few things to keep in mind...
 I only swept and hosed out the studio, it's recommended to scrub with cleaner and degrease.
I skipped this step knowing how I'd be using the space.
However, if you're doing floors indoors, use your best judgement. 

Most stencils have registration marks on them, so you can line them up to continue the pattern. 
We skipped this step and estimated it...which means we also went a bit crooked.
Honestly,  you can't even tell.
But again, if this was in my house, I would've been more careful.

Also, because the stencils are flexible, we were able to bend it around the "unmovable" 
pieces like the stone sink and the impossible-to-move solid steel workbench.
This helps to know with corners, odd angles and edges.
Most quality stencils come with additional pieces for just this purpose.

If there's ONE TIP you take from this post, it's layout the project first, before painting!
The perfection is genuinely in the planning.

Lastly, I believe Chalk Paint is the perfect product for this project.

It adheres to most surfaces including painted & varnished surfaces, 
timber, laminate, metal, ceramic, etc... try somewhere inconspicuous first to test adhesion.
Also, wet areas can be challenging, so do some research or again...test first!

This is Part 1 of a 3-part Stencil Series. 
Sign up to be notified when the next in our Stencil Series is posted!
Also, additional stencilling project posts coming soon...

Now...to share some stencilled floor inspiration. 
You can find more on our Pinterest board at www.pinterest.com/FTLCreations

As always, your comments and questions are appreciated and looked forward to!
grey-white-stencil-floors-chalkpaint
painting-stripes-on-timber-floor
multicolour-stencilled-timber-floors
allover-pattern-stenciled-floors
free-form-stencil-kitchen-floors
stencils-online-australia-floors-pattern
moroccan-pattern-stencil-tile-floors
stencil-diy-floors-painted
It's all here...for the love...
Sada
10 Comments
philipgibilisco
22/9/2014 10:34:46 am

Good work.Thank you for this.

Reply
Sada
3/10/2014 07:57:50 am

Thank you so much Phillip for stopping by! Appreciate your taking the time to comment. Please visit again!
Sada

Reply
robert
3/5/2016 09:49:23 pm

where can I by a beautiful decorative stencil pattern in Australia. Lots of lovely pictures but cant seem to find a retail outlet. prefer WA but will buy from overseas if necessary ???

Reply
Sada
3/5/2016 09:54:53 pm

Hi Robert,
We carry quite a few stencil in our online shop and ship Australia-wide for a flat-rate of $12. Here is the link to see our stencils (and we have more arriving soon from the UK):

http://www.forthelovecreations.com.au/store/c26/Stencils.html

Thank you,
Sada

Reply
Donna Geyer
29/8/2016 06:56:28 pm

Hello
Thanks for the information. Will the chalk paint wear off? Can you tell me where to buy the stencils, I live in Perth WA.
Many thanks
Donna

Reply
Sada
20/9/2017 03:11:04 am

It won't wear off if it's sealed. On my front porch (cement) I used Milk paint and left unsealed so it could wear off with time. But my workshop looks as amazing as the day I stencilled it! We ship Australia wide and have many stencil designs if I can be of help! So sorry, I've only just seen this comment,so a bit too late I'd imagine! xxSada

Reply
Maria Hernandez link
16/9/2017 06:40:22 am

These are some great ways to give some boring floor pops of color and lighten up your space. I love that you even did concrete floors! I wonder if you could do something similar to a driveway that would last! That would give a unique look to a boring space.

Reply
Sada
20/9/2017 03:12:22 am

I'm certain you could Maria, it would just need to be sealed properly. My workshop floors are abused and they look as great as the day we painted them! And so right, really gives a dull space some style! Thanks for popping by! xxSada

Reply
Barbara Hammons
11/10/2019 12:50:03 am

I am going to acid stain my cement pool bathroom floor then stencil. I love the flower stencil above with the white pair of shoes on the floor. It has large background areas that the acid stain will show through looking like stone.
Who makes this stencil I would love to buy it.

Barb

Reply
Seth link
13/1/2021 12:28:27 am

Thankks for a great read

Reply



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