Brown Paper Flooring
In my formal living and dining room I had terribly stained light tan carpet that had to go. I thought through all my options...recarpet...hardwood..tile. All the options seemed pretty expensive and there were so many options it was overwhelming. Then, I stumbled upon something called brown paper flooring. I thought what is there to lose.
Though this is pretty time consuming, the outcome is unique and chicly cheap.
Before: Formal dining room with carpet.......... After: Formal dining room with brown paper floor
Tranform Your Floor: Step by Step
Prep the floor
First I ripped up the carpet and tack strips. Make sure all staples and nails are removed. Any nails that stood up I hammered in. Apply putty to the cracks in the floor and then sand smooth.
Prepare Brown Paper
From Lowes I bought a roll of brown craft paper...I found it in the paint isle. It's about $10 a roll. Once the floor is prepped I started tearing pieces of paper and crumbling it up. No special technique. It really depends on your preference if you would like the bigger pieces or small pieces.
Prepare the Glue
Next I prepared the glue. I bought a gallon of Elmers glue from Lowes. I mixed a solution of half glue and half water.
Glue Time!
Now we are ready to start flooring!!! One by one I would open the brown pieces of paper up. Before adding glue I would map out where I put the paper. Once I cut it to fit in the right section I applied the glue with a 3" brush. Make sure to apply the glue to both sides....place the paper where you want it and then use the brush to brush the glue on top and straighten out the paper.
Dry Time!
After all pieces are glued down you let it dry for 24 hours. Don't worry after you are done the paper wrinkles and it looks like you messed up. Dont worry...it's part of the process!
24 Hours Later.....
Step into Staining
This step is optional...if you like the color of the floor move to the next step. For my formal living room and formal dining room I wanted a darker more elegant look. I stained the floor with Dark Walnut. I took a 3" brush and taped it to the end of a broom stick to paint the stain on. You could roll the stain on with a paint roller too if you wanted.
Polishing on to the Poly
At least 24 hours after applying the stain it is time for the final step....polishing on polyurethane. I bought water based quick dry polyurethane from Lowes. Apply the first layer the same way you applied the stain, wait 2 hours and then apply 2 more layers.
Chicly Cheap Flooring!!
Try Different Colors!
Don't be scared to bring color to your floors. Spice up brown paper flooring by adding color. Lowes has a variety of color stains. Here are some examples of trying different stain colors....