how to paint your subflooring

i hate carpet. carpet & i are not friends. 

if i were the captain on a kickball team, i'd pick carpet last. actually, i wouldn't pick carpet at all. i'd make carpet cry & sit on the sidelines.

those are my thoughts on carpet.

so when we first walked into this house, i told my sweet & loving husband that we had to get rid of this carpet, like, yesterday. one year later, we pulled it up. the thing is, you never know what you'll find underneath.

we found wood. wood painted at least four different colors. wood with holes bigger than a half dollar. wood separated at the seam to reveal the dirty crawlspace beneath. uneven & dirty wood.

we spent hours scrubbing, sealing, sweating, sweeping, & painting.

it was worth it, friends.

hello, charcoal gray painted wood subfloors!

no, it isn't sustainably harvested & fair-trade bamboo, but it's also not carpet & it makes me happy.

instead of waiting for your dreamy farmhouse kitchen, pull off the kitchen cabinet doors right now & paint those brown cabinets white. instead of waiting until you have enough money saved up for hardwood floors, pull up the carpet right now & paint the subflooring your favorite color. 

make it your own even if it isn't magazine worthy. it will make you happy & that's worth more than a magazine spread any day of the week.

(i love this. read this.)

 set aside a few days & paint your subflooring. while you're waiting for paint to dry, binge watch orange is the new black at your in-law's house.

step-by-step instructions on how to paint subflooring:

1. gather your supplies. you'll need: high grade interior paint with primer, polyurethane for floors, paint rollers, lambswool paint roller, paint brush, paint trays, paint tape, pliers (as shown above in the photo), crowbar, plaster & x-acto knife.

2. pull up your carpet & the pad underneath. we used an x-acto knife to tear the carpet in a straight line for easy rolling & discarding. 

3. remove all staples & nails from the subflooring. we used a crowbar & pliers. this job is very tedious, but you must be thorough in order to make sure your floor is completely smooth & hazardous-free.

4. once all staples & nails are removed, thoroughly scrub, wipe & sweep floors. your floors will need to be completely clean before applying paint.

5. using painter's tape, apply tape along the baseboards of your floor.

6. once your floors are completely clean & tape has been applied to the baseboards, apply the first coat of paint in your choice of color using a paint roller. you may need to use a paintbrush to paint the borders of your floor. once your first coat of paint is completely dry, apply a second coat. you may need to wait up to 12 hours before applying the second coat of paint.

7. once two layers of paint (or more) have been applied to the floor & you're satisfied with the color, apply your first coat of polyurethane using the lambswool paint roller. you must use a lambswool paint roller with polyurethane to avoid bubbling. 

8. once the first layer of polyurethane has been painted & completely dry, apply your second coat of polyurethane. 

9. once both coats of polyurethane are completely dry, remove the painter's tape & celebrate your hard work!

additional notes: 

- it took us two full days to complete this job from start to finish.

- the total cost was about $250 - much cheaper than hardwood floors!

- purchase high quality supplies to ensure your hard work will last.

- we were very hesitant at first to paint our floors such a dark color because we had heard the darker color was more difficult to clean. the color actually matches our dogs' fur perfectly & the two coats of polyurethane prevent dust & footprints from sticking to the floor. don't skip out on applying the polyurethane!

what upcoming home projects do you have planned? i'd love to read your ideas on making your home your own without breaking the bank!

love,

natalie

credit: i get questions about that "happy home" pillow (in the top photo) all of the time. it's from tiny prints & i'm just a wee bit obsessed over it. get getcha one!