Painting a Linoleum Floor....

Have ugly linoleum floors? Want a cheap fix?

Drew and I worked together on this quick facelift... This was originally a pink kitchen.... You can see peeks of the original pink on the cabinets where the pulls we're removed. The linoleum was a pinkish white, and the whole place was ready for a fresh coat of new. Drew started off by sanding, prepping and painting the cabinets and walls. Then he sanded and bondo-ed the floors. Sanding was to clean and scuff the floor enough to get the gloss off the linoleum.

This is all to make sure the primer sticks. With the flooring being linoleum it has more give and movement and you don't want the paint to crack or separate from the surface you painted. Next up is our primer. I searched high and low to make sure we were using the right products to get a super durable long lasting final product. Don't be fooled by EVERYONE who will tell you that this isn't do able. There are a great many sources online who will tell you they have done it, and it LASTS! One of these resources (that now I can't find) directed us to Zinsser all surface primer. This stuff Rustoleum 1 Gallon Bulls Eye Zero Primer 249020 - Pack of 2 (Google Affiliate Ad) was terrific, and as they claim sticks to all surfaces. As it also says, it was dry in an hour so we went ahead with the color.

Then we went with Behr's Porch and Patio floor paint, in two different colors. The first was just their plain bright white. No tint. The second color was Benjamin Moore's Shenandoah Taupe. As you will see below.

We painted the entire floor with the white, two coats and let it cure for 3 days. 24 hours with no contact and 2 days with light use. After three days you can give it a good scrub. Then came the amazing part, the stripes thanks to Frog Tape. Shurtech 483381 Green Frog Multisurface Masking Tape .94 in. x 45 Yards (Google Affiliate Ad)

Drew brought out the halogen lights and followed the original lines of the linoleum. He is incredible patient and precise. Two very important traits. We had some hiccups with the taping and had to pull up the tape and reapply it... I was certain the Frog Tape would run.... I was truly blown away by this product. The commercials do not lie... Even pulling up and reapplying several times we had no runs. If I hadn't seen it myself I would not have believed it. That edge lock system is the real deal. FrogTape I am a convert!

I chose Bemjamin Moore's Gray Owl for the walls...

And Benjamin Moore's Shenandoah Taupe for the floors. Just look at them together? M.F.E.O.... Made For Each Other (thank you Sleepless in Seattle)...

Yep.... Drewpy is using one of those hair claw clips.... I wanted him to go Liz Lemmon 30 Rock style and get him a Chip Clip.... How amazing would that have been? Adding those to our grocery list... Drewpy used a fine roller and put two coats of Shenandoah Taupe on. Then pulled the paint. It was a divine moment I tell ya! No runs!

We used a minwax finish...Minwax .50 Pint Semi Gloss Polycrylic Protective Finishes 24444 (Google Affiliate Ad).... Kind of like the one above but the one we used was a HIGH TRAFFIC CRYSTAL CLEAR FINISH. All of those words are important. Especially the crystal clear finish. On this house, where we painted the wood floor, the painters used a clear coat that was anything but clear. It turned the entire floor a yellow brown. So the crystal clear finish is necessary.

I had the best intentions of going back over and taking better finished pictures but never got around to it. So phone pics will have to do! The floor turned out amazing!

I chose to have the stripes run in this direction to widen the look of the room from the front door to the sink.

The colors together are perfect. The paint is holding up perfectly and with the high gloss clear coat are very easy to clean. What more can you ask for in a cheap quick update!?