Bedroom Made Over Using Only Paint

You may recall my flooring drama of a month ago . . . a puppy with no sense of propriety (and the carpet to prove it), a mom (namely, me) desperate for change, a dad (the hubs) out of work and desperate to stay busy, and a budget that was almost non-existent.  How do you solve all these problems in one fell swoop?  Rip up the carpet (to keep dad busy) and paint the plywood floor underneath with the paint left over from our bedroom re-do a few weeks previous ($0 budget!!)  While we were at it, I decided to hand-paint a vintage-looking industrial type logo on the floor, just to add a little interest.  My vision was for it to look like it had been there forever so I placed it a little off-kilter and running off into the closet.  After painting it on the floor I went back and dry-brushed the gray paint over it again to make it look worn and faded.

We learned a few things along the way with this project that would be helpful if you want to try this at home.   First, sanding is optional. We wanted a more rustic look so we opted not to sand.  If your room is more refined, you may want to.  Also, if refined is the look you're going for, you probably want to fill all the nail holes with wood filler before sanding.  Up to you.  We went in with a scraper and removed all the bits of  glue and loose splinters of wood and hammered in all the nails really well, but left it all showing.  This would also be the time to screw down any loose, squeaky spots.  Just drive a screw right down into the floor joist below.  Second, PRIME, PRIME, PRIME!!!!  With a primer like Kilz that says specifically that it seals in stains.  This will keep them from bleeding through your paint.  It also seals the plywood so you use less paint.  Third, Polyurethane over the top.  Two or three coats.  We used the satin finish so it wouldn't look too glossy.

While we had the paint out we also painted the walls the same cement-gray color with crisp white baseboards.  I think it goes perfectly with the faux brick wall that I painted in there a while back.   What do you think?

And, in keeping with the industrial theme, we updated the ugly faux-oak and brass builder-stock ceiling fan with a can of Rustoleum Aluminum spray paint.

There you have it!  A couple of cans of paint and my boys have a whole new big-boy bedroom that will last into their teens. (we hope . . . )

Just for fun, and in keeping with my goal to stay busy this summer, I'm linking up to: