Do-It-Yourself Alternative To Hard Wood Floors - An Oregon Cottage

[pdivizzle0112]

wow! this is seriously awesome. im buying a house soon and came across this and i think its great. would definitely try it out. thanks!

[Futpa88]

Love this! Doing it in my laundry room so excited! Are we able to stain it after it dries?

[AnOregonCottage]

@Futpa88 I've heard from readers that you can do it two ways: add stain to the glue mixture, or stain the paper after applying the glue and it's completely dry BEFORE adding the poly. Pretty much everything has to be done before adding the poly coating.

[JMojak]

How about painting a faux finish on top of the dried pieces before adding epoxy? I got the idea of painting a faux copper patina on top of the paper pieces. Would this work? If so, what type of paint would be best to do this with?

[JMojak]

Sorry, meant polyurethane.

[AnOregonCottage]

@JMojak Sure! People have stained it, so painting would probably be similar. I'd just use an acrylic paint, as the poly should be water based. I'd love to hear how it turns out! (Oh- I always suggest a test somewhere, even a piece of plywood, so you can see if you like the results).

[ashash2336]

Can you do this on concrete floors?

[AnOregonCottage]

@ashash2336 This has to be my #1 question! I haven't done it myself, so I can only give my readers experiences. If the concrete sits on dirt, there may be moisture issues and I'd do a test area. If not, it probably will work (but again, I'd probably test it). I've been told that using only the polyurethane to "glue" down the paper (and not using the watered-down glue) works better for concrete as well. Again- I haven't tried it, but I know some have had good results. Good luck with it!

[datsfam]

Lovely Lovely Lovely! I've done this on a table and a dresser with brown paper grocery sacks. I've seen people do this to cover ugly countertops as well. Now you have my brain clicking! Back hallway? Craft area of the living room? Walls? Ooooooh, it's going to be a busy new year! Thanks for the vid!

[mmitch799]

Thanks for your quick response. Just a quick follow-up on the pet question - if my dog pulled a piece up after the floor was finished, do you know if he'd get sick? If there is an edge to pull up, he'll find it and chew it. Have you done this is in a house with pets or know of someone who has?

[AnOregonCottage]

@mmitch799 Oh, there aren't any edges a dog could chew. I was thinking of pet claws and I've only heard of one reader who said they needed to repair an area from a dog. I've had readers say their floor was fine with pets. You'd need to do some google research if you were worried about the dog and the poly finish, but like I said, there aren't edges to be chewed. Do a test patch and see what you think of the finish. Good luck!

[mmitch799]

This looks great and I want to try it. 2 questions: any concerns with pets? would there be any limitations on re-carpeting if we don't like the outcome? I want to try this, but my wife is skeptical.  I think it would be an easier sell if I could tell her that we could easily re-lay the pulled up carpet if we don't like the outcome. Thanks! Great video!

[AnOregonCottage]

@mmitch799 With the coatings of poly, it wears really well. The bonus if it does get pulled up in an area by pets or moving furniture is that all you do is tear a piece of paper to cover it and poly it down. Good as new, which can't be said for many other floor treatments. :-)

As far as laying carpet over, it's only as thick as paper and poly, so I don't think it would be an issue at all. You're not gonna want to, though. ;-)

[Rammy1979]

Do you think this would work over linolium?

[AnOregonCottage]

@Rammy1979 It's glue, so it should- I would do a test patch first somewhere hidden if possible, just to see if it works with it.

[missyfruitylicious]

Great idea but way too much talking. Would be better to let viewers see you doing the stuff rather then explaining it. The part where the guy explained how to remove the carpet was annoying, why not show the viewers of you removing the carpet with narration.

[GetShotNaked]

I love this idea, but would like darker coloring. Could you stain the floor? (and if so, before or after the poly coats?) Also, is there anything special to consider if doing stairs? Finally, if I wanted to go over a stained and sealed concrete floor, would I need to sand down any gloss first to make sure it will stick?

[dorothydanridge]

How is it on the knees? If there is concrete underneath won't this make it harder on people with bad knees? If there is plywood underneath would this be better?

[ThankfulDreamer]

I need to tear out my carpet and need a replacement that is cheap and easy to do myself. Thanks! This could be my answer.

[Crosell]

"the secret ingerfirend: craft paper" "yeas, i said brown paper" wtf, I had too much schnaps....

[AdrepKeith]

Anybody tried it on concrete?

[tammielynn12]

@AdrepKeith  Yes I just did it on concrete in my sons room, it looks great, I love it about to do the hallway now. I just made sure to scrape it clean so it was smooth. But we love it, so glad I found this, actually saw this in a magazine, same people!

[lesliegg1961]

this looks like a great idea. Can you tell me what you use if you mop the floors and what to use on it that is okay for cleaning?

[AnOregonCottage]

@lesliegg1961 : Anything that is recommended for cleaning polyurethane-covered floors. I vacuum with a canister vac weekly and use a slightly damp mop as needed (ours are in bedrooms- the need for mopping is not as great). Like wood floors, I'd never put a lot of water on them- just a damp mop is good. They really are easy care!

[ninjabob52]

how easily does this stuff come up? I just pulled all the flooring in my house and the worst was the sheet lenolium in the kitchen.

[lacoyota1]

Wow!!! This is amazing!!! I will try it :) Can i use a roller or do i have to use the paint brush? Thank you for sharing.

[AnOregonCottage]

@lacoyota1: You need a brush for the glue- I think a roller would leave too much glue on the paper. I think I've heard of people rolling the poly coats, but I like a brush because it easily fits in the can- no other container needed!

Jami @ An Oregon Cottage

[lacoyota1]

@AnOregonCottage Thank you so much for sharing this :) I will try it today, i think this is a great alternative to wood flooring especially on a tight budget.

[MYkelloGs]

@AnOregonCottage hello there, thank you so much for the great video. sorry, im from malaysia, but what is a polyurethane? or is there an alternative name?

[lacoyota1]

Wow!!! This is amazing!!! I will try it.

[Verlier]

Why just the floor?, let's live in a cardboard house

[knightsintodreams]

yeeeeeah, you guys just won yourself a subscriber XD

[patbrookes]

I think it is wonderful and remember this technique from faux finishing onto walls a number of years ago. We would use the torn paper to create faux stone. I think you could even tint the glue to create a different look. You could make the floor darker like walnut. Home Depot sells paint tint and a combo of Burnt Sienna/Ultramarine blue would create a deeper color. Use sparingly and test first, tints are dangerously intense.

[bass109]

Jesus christ loves all, his kingdom comes

[karamba5702]

Your paper gluing process is similar to the one they use to put up those huge paper highway posters in my country.

[scrapin2010]

That is a awesome...I am redoing my livingroom and hall way but I am doing the wood flooring, but i think i might try the paper in one of the bathrooms because it looks so cool

[AnOregonCottage]

@scrapin2010 : I'm glad you like the effect, but I wouldn't recommend it for bathrooms- it is paper, even though it's covered by poly. It's much better for low-traffic areas like bedrooms or offices.

Thanks for viewing!

Jami @ An Oregon Cottage

[TheDarkCutlass]

I work in the flooring industry and was scratching and shaking my head the most of the time until the end. Once it was all said and done, the finished product looks amazing. You mentioned it resembles leather, but what it truly looks like in flooring is cork. Again, its amazing.

[newbystephanie]

I was wondering where in the world did you get this idea? So neat - would love to hear the story :)

[AnOregonCottage]

@newbystephanie

Jami found it in a book about 12 years ago. They mostly talked about doing it on furniture but showed a picture of it on a floor. So we tried it in a couple of rooms, at once, wondering if it would really work. It did!

[dahmeredsback]

i like this concept and see all kinds of artistic possibilities... did you use a wider baseboard trim afterward? because it would need to be lower than it was at carpet level... which would leave a space on the wall that would need to be repainted.

[AnOregonCottage]

@dahmeredsback

Good observation. You do have to lower the baseboard trim molding because the carpet is gone. We've always repainted. But you could also get wider trim.

[TheNerdyCanuck]

I love this! We are buying a cottage and I'll be doing YOUR technique this Fall. I think I'll try WHITE paper! I lucked into FREE WHITE paper! Thanks, Sandra

[AnOregonCottage]

Sandra,

White paper should have a really interesting look (like marble?). It would be great if you could shoot a quick video of how it turns out and post a response.

[soksoeur]

Is this for real? This is awesome! I have disgusting carpets and cannot afford to get hardwood floors.

[AnOregonCottage]

@soksoeur

It's for real. Over the years we've done several rooms and even a set of stairs.

Follow the link (above) to the blog to read more details and see peoples' comments.