dear doris. what did you use to paint your timber floors? what do you use to paint cement floors?
issue 17 ♡ when in doubt & darkness, paint it white or a hue that suits you
what did you use to paint your timber floors? love fraser, busselton, australia.
what is this floor? is it white cement? i love it! love claire, san francisco, usa.
dear fraser & claire
lets get straight to the brush point today with a grounded response from yours truly and our resident paint guy aka 8footwalls who lends his bristled lens on painting floors of various surfaces.
please note these opinions are given from an artists and stylist lens — the views expressed within the content are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of the specified products. there is no affiliation with brands.
part I.
how did you paint your timber floors — is one of the most asked questions i receive on social media. when we first moved into our california bungalow in western australia, the original floorboards were a dark red-brown jarrah, casting a darkness around the abode, particularly with so much greenery/shade surrounding all the windows.
we sanded the f**k out of the floors, reducing the ruddy redness and proceeded to paint over the timbers plank by plank with a wide bristle brush attached to a long pole. paint guy added floetrol which makes application smoother and the liming gives a more textured timber finish so the grain is softly visible through the paint.
paint guy’s timber floor formula
floetrol
liming white floor stain (feast watsons)
white floor paint (feast watsons)
it has been six years since we first painted the floorboards and in high traffic areas, such as the kitchen, it has begun to wear and scratch off — adding old school charm to the area. a re-coat is due but for now the worn look doesn’t bother us.
initially, people coming through would wig out when they saw that we had painted over the jarrah flooring — deemed sacrilegious to brush over the distinctively western australian hardwood. as once you decide to paint over timber, its hard work to restore it back to a natural timber finish. but hey, as i always like to say — when in doubt (and darkness) — paint it white or a hue that suits you.
part II.
for our sun-room area — when we removed the blue vinyl laid by the previous owners, painting it with concrete paint proved a cost-effective and aesthetically neutral solution to cover the rusty brown cement for a few years before permanent flooring.
in this in-between period of settling in and getting to know our home, the sun room area was prepped with concrete cleaner and painted white with berger jet dry white floor paint. after a few years, the paint does begin to scratch away and dirt can start to find its way into cracks and holes.
the shack was painted with floor paint and re-painted a few years later due to high foot traffic and constant flow of little assistants pottering in and out. i often use a corner for photographing products, so keeping it fresh is more important in the workspace. if you are wanting to create content, a white floor plus walls can help create a studio feel and bounce light around.
part III.
another cute move that would have jarrah lovers rolling in their graves is adding a harlequin, checked or pattern painted on your floors. there is a scene in the 2022 film slumberland directed by francis lawrence, where the main character is sitting in the kitchen, inside a dreamy lighthouse she resides with her old man. the floor is painted in a blue and white diamond check — and has etched into my mind forever and spring-to-do list.
i rewatched the opening scenes a number of times (it’s within the first ten minutes) to take in the interiors of the lighthouse scenes, counting the planks painted to acquire the effect and to capture the shade of blue. films are always a fun source of inspiration for styling. let me know if we should expand on set inspiration for interiors in a later issue.
painting your floors can be a semi-permanent solution while you are getting to know your home and developing a relationship with her starting from the ground up. allow time and space to understand the bones of your home, what suits the needs of the inhabitants while honouring her character and era. allow her to ‘speak’ through tone and resonance and in return she will hold space and provide shelter for you and your housemates.
for more on white, previous issue 4 explores the spectrum of white from a higher perspective or this 13min podcast with paint guy episode 1 reflecting on interior whites. if you are after more grounded inspiration, you can check out my (floor)boards via pinterest —
floored with love from you lot,
love d x x
♡ ask dear doris a question as they pave way for future posts. if you enjoyed reading this, kindly comment 💬 , tap the ♡ to like, restack ↻ or share this post. consider becoming a paid subscriber to access all posts. your support makes a big difference & beams straight into my heart :)
Thanks for this post for the interior curious!
Your home is sublime