THEY'LL BE FLOORED!

There comes a time when you just can't take it anymore.

The floor in my kitchen/half bath/utility area was physically in great shape, but looked outdated and constantly dirty. The entire kitchen called for an update, but we didn't have the funds to do it all at once.

On a "wild hair," I yanked out some leftover natural cream latex paint from my wall project and experimented with the color on the ceramic tile floor in our large walk-in pantry. I then used a second leftover paint color to dab into the wide grout areas. I liked what I saw.

That's when I hightailed it to Becky at Harrison Paints, the local Benjamin Moore representative in Baton Rouge, LA. Once she knew what I wanted to do, she suggested the right floor/deck/patio paint, seal and tools.

What's needed:

3-inch foam brushes

1½ inch foam brushes

4-inch wide paint brush

Benjamin Moore's Floor & Patio low sheen latex floor enamel in Natural Cream

Benjamin Moore's Floor & Patio low sheen latex floor enamel in Revere Pewter

Benjamin Moore's Benwood Stays Clear Acrylic Polyurethane (low lustre)

Since we would be living in the area, I worked around meal prep spaces and times by taking one section of the kitchen at a time.

Step 1: Mop the section clean and let it completely dry.

Step 2: Apply a coat of Benjamin Moore's Natural Cream on each tile.

Step 3: Use the smaller foam brush to dab in a coat of Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter into the grout areas.

Step 4: Let the section dry about 1 to 2 hours. (Check to see if tiles are dry to the touch.)

Step 5: Repeat steps 2,3,& 4.

Step 6: Stir, don't shake the can of poly acrylic to mix the no shine to prevent bubbles. Apply four coats of this, waiting two hours between coats. This helps to prevent casual knicks. NOTE: Avoid applying all the way to the edges, until you paint the adjacent sections with Natural Cream and Revere Pewter.

Advice:

Start in areas under moveable appliance (refrigerator, washer, dryer, wine cooer, etc.). That way, you will not scratch the sections in front of them.

Take your time. Turn on the television, pour a beverage, and enjoy the process.

Be sure to clean your brushes in soapy water during each dry time.

UPDATE: It's been over a year since I finished this project. Whenever the delivery guy drops his heavy metal dolly on the floor, or someone drops something that scratches the surface, I just pull out my small reserve Ball jar bottles of paint and poly acrylic and touch it up.

Now, I'm prepping for a countertop/cabinet revamp. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.