Willow & Twig

Scrape. Sand. Paint. 

Week number two for the One Room Challenge: It may be my least aesthetically pleasing post, but a crucial step none-the-less. 

This weekend we sanded cement floors. No, no – not the pretty sand-it-till-it-gleam. Just a simple floor sander to muddle up years of boat glue and chipping paint. It came out looking similar to what it had been, just dirtier. The trick is, when you touch the floor – it’s smooth sailing.

We rented the floor sander from Home Depot for $168 all in. We anticipated more dust than there was, so started by wetting the floors to decrease airborn particles. We also wore masks. Simeon mentioned the sander was incredibly difficult to handle with a mind of its own.

To date, the floor is sanded, vacuumed and cleaned. So what’s next for this half painted cement slab? I will show, not tell: 

These photos are from blogger Roost & Ramble, she did a great amount of research and is the only DIYer I found who had lime washed cement floors. Limewash paint is taking the design world by storm. The age-old product is made from powdered lime (also marble and granite, depending on the type and color wash you get). It’s mixed into a paint-like substance and can be diluted. Very eco-friendly.  

I like the idea of lime wash over a simple painted floor for several reasons. The first, as you likely guessed, is that the color variation makes scuffs and dirt easier to hide. 

The second is aesthetic. The method requires using short brush strokes to apply the products and several layers. It achieves it an old-world plaster look that gets better and better with age. Here are some limewash pics from the web: 

So the plan? Final clean this week. Michigan has struggled to get Spring moving this year, so we’re still not in temps ideal for painting/sealing. This, we all hope, will change this week. I’m planning to hand paint the floor with 2-3 coats of white or pale greige lime wash.

Will it work? This is experimental, so fingers crossed it goes well. Once it’s done, I’ll paint several layers of a low sheen poly ever the wash to seal it and make it cleanable. 

If you stumbled upon this blog by happenstance, be sure to check out all the other ORC participants at www.oneroomchallenge.com. The creativity this challenge produces season after season is unmatched. Visit the site, cheer us on and best of all – use the ideas in your own space!