Host Renai Ellison shows how to use sponges to paint a decorative design on a wooden floor.
Materials:
chalk for drawing a design on the floor
painters tape
sponge brushes
latex paints in chosen colors (three different ones that go with your home decor)
throwaway plastic plates
sea sponges
polyurethane varnish
Steps:
- Prep floor as needed. You can lightly sand if needed or begin with raw, unfinished wood. This is a great technique to use on birch plywood floors or old damaged pine floors. Two options are to either paint a base coat on the floor first, or just paint designs directly onto the wood.
- Use chalk to draw a design on floor. Use painters tape to mask off parts of design as necessary. (You may also want to use a stencil to create a more ornamental design.)
- Use a sponge brush to paint background color (figure A). You can use a couple of colors in different areas. Make sure they are masked off with tape.
- Pour paint colors that will be used for the design into throwaway plastic plates.
- Dampen sponges. Use a sponge dipped into paint to sponge color onto the floor (figure B). If colors overlap or if you are adding one color over another, let paint dry well between layers.
- When finished with floor, apply two or three coats of quick-drying polyurethane varnish, letting it dry between coats.
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