Painted Vinyl Floor

We were originally going to put wood plank flooring down this spring, and so last December I simply painted our kitchen floor white. I did it to make living with the existing vinyl flooring livable until the spring. However, I wasn't pleased with the products I used...So when, due to a budget crunch early this year, we realized we were going to have to put off wood flooring until next spring, I knew I was going to have to repaint the floor...I want to say a big thanks to Necel from The Old House in Texas, for sharing how she painted squares on her kitchen vinyl and inspiring me to try and do this myself! Her floor looks amazing, and it has been eight years since she painted them! This gave the fortitude to try it yet again, and I hoped for better results!
Unfortunately, the products she used are no longer available. But between her advice and the instructions I read on Do It Yourself, I set off for the hardware store. And this is the plan I came up with:

I sanded the floor with 100 grit sandpaper, then followed that with 220 grit. I scrubbed my floor throughly with soap and water, then washed it again with just water. (I didn't want any soapy residue.)
*If you are painting vinyl, make sure to use TSP, or an ammonia based cleaner. This will remove the sheen from the vinyl. Now, I opted not to use these products since my vinyl had already been painted. I was wary of what this would do to the coats of paint already on the floor...

I used Bulls Eye primer and sealer. I was looking for a high-adhesive primer that was also a sealer, but couldn't find both of those in the same primer, but no matter! It worked wonderfully! I primed the floor twice, letting it dry between coats.

(This above picture is from December, when I was priming it the first time, so you can see the way it looked before!
I used tintable porch and floor paint by Valspar, found at Lowe's. I love this stuff! You can have it mixed into almost any color they have available in their paint color aisle. I chose for them to add just a little cream color to it, to make a soft white that would match my white cabinets. I painted this base coat on three times, making sure it dried thoroughly between coats. The instructions said to wait 24 hours between coats, but I didn't always obey this rule!

Then came the taping. A lot of taping. If you are wondering why it looks partly green already, that is because at first I lost patience with the taping and tried to free hand my next color. Uh, that didn't work out so well. So I brought out the painter's tape once again and stuck with it this time. I love (and swear by) this new green "frog tape"!

I then brought out my second color, a grayish-green tint, also in porch and floor paint. I painted the "non squares" this color, three times as well.

After this, I sealed the floor with four coats of polyurethane. I started on one side of the room, and by the time I had finished, it was time to start over. I used "Floor Finish" polyurethane made by Varathane, in semi-gloss. I wasn't intending to use a gloss, but that is the only sheen Lowe's had. I am glad I did, though. It makes it so much easier to take care of the floor, and I love the shine!

The view from the living room doorway...



From near the dining room...

I will admit, it was a lot of work, but oh-so worth it! It is easy to keep clean, and best of all, it looks so much better than it did before! I can live happily with this floor until we can replace it! :)

Just a small disclaimer here, if you happened to see the unfinished things in my kitchen~ I am still ( yes, still!) working on this room! But I am closer than ever...really!


Well, thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings,
Jenni
(P.S. I am having trouble with the font/color settings on Blogger tonight, so please excuse the weird look of this post!)

We are linking to the following parties:

1. Domestically Speaking
2. Just a Girl
3.It's A Hodgepodge Life
4.Tatertots and Jello
5.The Shabby Nest
6.The Girl Creative
7.Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
8.Funky Junk Interiors
9.My Romantic Home
10. The DIY Showoff
11. Making the World Cuter
12. Between Naps on the Porch
13. The Shabby Chic Cottage