The Best Ideas for Decorating the Floors of your Home
Shabby Chic Style

The floors of your room are not just for walkin'! They, too, are an important component of the overall look of your room.

First, determine if you even like what is already there. For my house, carpet is slowly being phased out all together. Although it is comfortable to walk on, the upkeep is just too much hassle for me. Even when stains from liquid are cleaned, they still remain in the padding underneath. Yuck! One fine day after months of scrubbing every kind of stain you can imagine out of my dining room carpet, I had had enough! I ripped all the carpet out and to the dumpster it went! Gazing at the bare concrete, I had an idea!

PAINT IT!

I wanted a black and white harlequin pattern under my dining room table. Although there are beautiful area rugs

There were notches out of the concrete near the walls where the carpet was tacked down. First, I covered these with a concrete filler and let it dry. Then I painted the entire area with white paint suitable for concrete and let it dry. Then, I mapped out how large I wanted my "squares" to be (I chose 2 feet by 2 feet). Starting in the dead center of the room, I used a straight edge and a little math to draw the pattern with a pencil. I drew them at a 45 degree angle making them look like diamonds (not squares) when standing in front of the room. I then labeled every other diamond with a "B" and painted them black and let them dry. The next day I did touch ups and applied 3 coats of clear high gloss sealer. Presto! Coolest floor you've ever seen! It is sooooo easy to do and makes such a shabby chic statement when you walk in my front door(which is painted bright red, of course!).

Also, check out your home store in the paint section. Ask the salesperson to show you some samples of concrete stains and finishes for interior spaces. You will be amazed! If you will notice when you are out shopping, look at the floors you are walking on. Most new retail stores are adopting this look because it is inexpensive, quick and easy to do and looks so rich and professional.

If you are a beginner, I highly reccomend starting with Debbie Travis' book featured above. She is very careful to give detailed, easy to do steps in this book. You will not be left behind and the examples are great! Although some of her color combinations aren't my favorite, but the techniques in this book are the best I have seen.

Install wood, laminate, tile, granite, marble, stone, slate, etc. The options today are truly endless! And are so very affordable! I recommend great, reputable websites within links on this page that sell flooring at discount, rock bottom wholesale prices! Area rugs come in any size, shape, color and texture that you can dream up! I also know of THE BEST online retailers to deal with to purchase those. They offer quality area rugs, great prices, excellent customer service and tons of inventory to choose from. All from the comfort of your own home. I will share these with you through links here within my article. Enjoy!

Go Back to the Home Page