"Can we go back when we were young
And didn't care if we messed up?
We have forever so we got lost in each other
'Cause time wasn't catching, time wasn't catching us"
When We Were Young - Lost Kings
Week 7 of the One Room Challenge!
It feels so good to be at this point.
With full confidence I can actually now say: I will be able to finish my One Room Challenge primary bathroom in time for the reveal next Wednesday, May 25th!
Up until this point, I really wasn't sure if I'd be able to pull it all off in time, but I got THREE really important things completed this week!
Number one:
I FINALLY ordered a shower curtain. :)
I have had an image in my head of the "perfect" shower curtain that I have spent literal weeks looking on every website in existence for
Unfortunately, this perfect curtain does not exist and everything I found that even semi-resembled my vision was sold out.
Everywhere.
Like seriously, what are the odds?
However, last night after staring at my bathroom for an hour I came up with a new vision - one that I like even better, I might add,
and I was able to find a curtain and order it.
It's supposed to come tomorrow
And it looks beautiful (online, atleast!)
so lets hope it looks like the picture!
pleeeeease look like the picture!
Number two: I completed a big build this week.
Its one that's been weighing on me because it was such an important piece to the room. Not only did I get it done, but it came out PERFECTLY.
Exactly how I envisioned it.
I am SO HAPPY with it
and so proud that I made it.
um....What is it?
Sorry to be that person, but you'll have to wait for next week for the final reveal!
I have to keep SOME things a secret for this reveal!
Finally,
Number three:
What's no surprise is that the biggest thing I completed this week was painting the floor. This was another project that has been hanging out in the back of my mind for quite awhile.
Mostly because I knew it could take quite awhile and also because I didn't fully have my vision for it nailed down.
While I purchased a stencil from Royal Design Studio weeks ago, I didn't know exactly which colors I would be using or how I was going to get my desired "vibe" from this stencil alone. I kept telling myself I'd figure that out when I got there.
Welp.
The weeks flew by and I "got there" this week still not knowing what I was going to do.
I started with some intensive color research.
AKA, I was laying in bed at 2am googling every color under the sun until I find a combo I liked.
I ended up finding and purchasing three different paint samples from Home Depot. I wasn't sure if I'd use one, two, or all three of them - but knew I liked them all.
After some experimenting, I was able to
(rather quickly, thank goodness!)
figure out a method of how I was going to stencil paint my floors to get the look I desired.
Here is how I painted my bathroom floors.
(FYI - My bathroom floors are a sheet vinyl.
I often call them linoleum because it seems to be a term more people are familiar with.
I know sheet vinyl and linoleum are two different things - but this vinyl LOOKED like linoleum so I just got used to calling it that.
This method would work on either true linoleum or sheet vinyl.)
Preparation is key.
First I used my orbital sander and sanded the floor - My goal was to rough them up a bit and get some of the shine off.
I used 120 grit.
It sounds awful, but was very easy and didn't take long at all.
(Basically, it took as long as it would take you to lightly scrub the floor if you were cleaning it.
This bathroom is small, so not long at all!)
Speaking of that, after I sanded, I then did a quick cleaning to get all the dust off and make sure the surface was clean.
Then I used a product called Liquid Sandpaper.
It's about $9 at Home Depot.
Basically, its a liquid that your saturate a cloth with and wipe all over your surface.
Over the course of 10 minutes it works to degrease and de-gloss your surface.
It worked amazing.
Once it dried, the floor not only looked dull but it felt rough and gritty - perfect for paint to adhere to.
I used Rustoleam Porch and Patio Low Lustre paint in white that I still had on hand from painting my porch last summer.
This stuff is incredibly strong and durable, which is exactly what I needed for a floor.
I started by using an an angled brush to first paint around the edges of the room, and then I used my roller to paint in the rest.
I let it dry for three hours and then I applied another coat.
After three more hours, I began to stencil.
I simply held the stencil in place and used a stencil brush to dab paint all over it. (Note: I have stenciled floors MANY times at this point. If you want really crisp lines with no bleeding, some good tips are: use a spray adhesive on the back of your stencil use painters tape to help hold stencil dab off most of the paint from your brush onto a paper plate before you dab your stencil)
For this project, I knew I wanted a worn and weathered look so I wasn't very concerned about crisp lines or bleeding, which is why I just blobbed it on there.
I used two different colors for the stencil.
"Rustin Taupe" (Behr) for the lines, and "Chic Taupe" (Behr) for the sporadic stars.
After I stenciled the whole floor I went back and again lined my stencil up on various spots and used my leftover green paint ("Tarrytown Green" by Benjamin Moore) from the vanity to do some of the lines green.
I did this right over the top of the original brown that I did the first time.
Then I found an old dried up stencil brush and pulled out the white paint again.
I used an old brush because I liked how the bristles were stiff so they didn't hold much paint at all.
I used the stiff bristled brush to dab white paint over the entire floor, in some spots more then others, to make the floor look as if it were fading or wearing off.
In some spots I simply dabbed it on.
In other spots I dabbed it on, allowed it to partially dry and then used another dry brush to brush across it to streak it.
Once that was dry I did the same thing with the two taupe colors that I had already used on the floor.
Then I did the same thing with some random grey I had on hand.
And then followed up one more time with the white.
All of these colors and layers piled on top of each other ended up creating this beautiful floor that looks as if it's been aging away for years.
Exactly the look I wanted in the room and it looks BEAUTIFUL with the rest of the room.
I am incredibly happy with it.
When all the paint was dry, I sealed the floor with three coats of polycrylic.
I applied this the same way I did the original white paint.
I brushed along the edges and then rolled the rest.
All that's left for this final week is to build one small shelf to hold my shampoo,
attach the brackets I built for the beams,
install my shower curtain rod and shower,
and then deep clean and style everything.
I AM SO EXCITED.
This has been such a labor of love.
This project has lived in my head for so long, It feels so unreal to see it come to life.
I absolutely cannot wait to share it with you next week.
One more thing -
If you've been reading my blog posts throughout this One Room Challenge, you may have noticed that I start each post with some song lyrics.
The lyrics from todays post are from a song I recently discovered.
"Can we go back when we were young
And didn't care if we messed up?
We have forever so we got lost in each other
'Cause time wasn't catching, time wasn't catching us"
The chorus resonated with me about how I feel about not only this project but about creating in general.
Creating makes me feel young.
You guys, I'm a mom to three little boys.
While I do consider myself a "fun" and fairly "chill" mom, my days are still very much structured and "safe".
I don't have many opportunities to take "risks" anymore.
We have daily routines we basically always stick to.
And like most adults, I spend a ton of time doing very mundane things - laundry, dishes, cleaning, meal prepping.
I am lucky enough that as a stay at home Mom to thee little boys I DO spend a lot of time doing actual kid stuff - playing at playgrounds, building with legos, exploring the woods, etc. and I enjoy this immensely...
But there's something being able to use two hands to create.
I think the need to create is something that's built into every human,
and I think it can come in many different forms.
but for me it's this.
Creating a feeling.
a vibe.
and aesthetic
from a basic room.
All from ideas my brain conjures up.
It's so peaceful for me.
There's no fear of messing up
I just get lost in the whole experience.
I'm so grateful to have made this discovery for myself.
If you're feeling like your caught up in too much structure or mundane tasks,
create something.
no matter how small or simple
its a beautiful gift to be able to create.
ANWAY
I am so excited to check out everyone elses' amazing projects as well!
They can all be found here!
If these floors have intrigued you,
check me out on Instagram for some video footage!
Carrie
HoneydoHoney