Our most viewed post and video, by far, is the Brown/Kraft Paper DIY Alternative to Wood Flooring tutorial: how to cover a floor in brown kraft paper to create a great, leather-looking surface. And after having this tutorial get published in Cottages and Bungalows magazine in April 2011 (woot!), more readers and bloggers have tried it in their homes with great success.
It’s also the post I get the most questions about – here, on our You Tube channel, and through email. I thought it was about time to address some of the most common questions people have about this easy, affordable, and beautiful flooring option.
Before I get to the specific questions, I want to emphasize a couple of points that answer most general questions:
- ALWAYS do a test area if you’re unsure. If there is no out-of-the-way place to do it, get a piece of material that is the same as the surface you want to cover and try it.
- If you want to try something other than what I did, don’t be afraid to experiment with your ideas…on your test patch, or the actual floor if you’re a daredevil.
- I can only tell you my experiences– I don’t know exactly how this will work/hold up in your situation. That’s the nature of DIY, I’m afraid.
- This is pretty low-cost and low-impact, so I always tell people to go for it when they want to try something different- don’t be afraid to be creative!
Brown Paper Floor Frequently Asked Questions:
1. Can I do this on concrete?(the most-asked question, by the way- who knew there were so many concrete floors?)
- I haven’t done it myself, so I can only give my reader’s experiences. I’ve been told that using only the polyurethane to “glue” down the paper works for concrete – but not the 3:1 glue-to-water ratio that I use on wood-based sub floors. Paint the concrete with poly, apply the paper and then poly over the top. Again- I haven’t tried it, but I’ve been told this gives good results. If the concrete sits on dirt, there may be moisture issues and I’d do a test area.
- Here’s what one You Tube commenter said:
“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”
2. Can I do this on tile? Vinyl? Other subfloors like pressboard or plywood?
- See question #1 and general suggestions above
- My only experience has been with wood-based subfloors (specifically, particle board, but I’ve also done patches on plywood- more wrinkles with particle board, less with plywood) – I think putting this over tile would leave grout marks- not sure at all how that would look.
- If the linoleum is in good condition and there aren’t a lot of bumps and ridges in the surface design (most things show up when the paper dries) the paper should adhere. As always, I recommend to do a test patch in an out-of-the-way spot and see what it looks like!
- Here’s a reader comment who applied it to a painted floor:
“If you have a floor that already has a coat of poly on it (we had a painted floor), you can use poly for your glue and it works very well!”
3. How durable is this? Does it last?(second most-asked question)
- Again, I can give you our experiences: in our former house, we did the stairs and the entire upstairs (400 sq. ft.) three years before we sold it. The stairs looked as good as the day with finished them – much to my surprise – and there was one spot upstairs that tore from moving furniture. I touched it up before selling.
- At our current house, it’s been two years since we finished our son’s bedroom (at the time of this article) and it, too, looks just the same as when we finished it. I think it might be discolored where the bed feet are, but it hasn’t been moved, so I won’t deal with it until it’s needed.
- SO, I feel pretty confident in saying that it’s very durable – considering it’s paper. That’s the result of the polyurethane – I do four coats, but you can always do more, it’ll just cost more.
- UPDATE: see our video, below on how it’s held up after 4 years:
4. Can I do this in a bathroom? Kitchen? Dining room? Etc…
MY LATEST VIDEOS- I haven’t tried it in these areas, though I’ve heard from a few readers who’ve put it down on their bathroom floors. They report good results – one said her parents had it back in the 70s and it lasted more than 7 years. Another reader said after awhile it wore a little in front of the bathtub and they added more paper and poly and it continues to work for them!
- I would think kitchens may be the same, though they get a lot more traffic. My suggestion is to take a chance – for $60-70 and a few days time you’ll have a cool floor for awhile at least. And maybe longer!
5. Can I do this on stairs? On walls? On counters?
- See second point of question #4 – it’s cheap, so go for it and find out!
- As for stairs, as I said in #3, I’ve done it (and others as well) and they really look nice and hold up well
6. How long does it take to finish? Will the wrinkles smooth out? Is it hard on the knees?
- It takes a long weekend – about 3 days – to do the technique like I outlined in the video, longer if you want to stain the paper (more on that below).
- Yes, after the glue/water dries, the wrinkles will be much less noticeable, then pop up again after applying the poly. As the poly dries over the next week, they will lessen until hardly noticeable. Read this post about how I thought I failed, but then didn’t.
- Yes, it’s hard on the knees and the back! Be prepared…
7. Is it loud? Slippery? How do you transition to other flooring (ie, thresholds)?
- We don’t find it to be obnoxiously loud, but it does squeak more than carpet, as you’re walking on the subfloor.
- Yes, it’s slippery like any surface that’s been coated with polyurethane (wood floors, etc.). You’ll need rugs with pads under them and for little kids, those socks with the no-skid bottoms. *smile*
- We buy wood thresholds from the home store and stain them what we want to transition between the lower paper floor and our wood floors. Works for us.
8. How does it hold up with dogs?
- Our dog doesn’t go into the rooms with this floor, so I only know what I’ve read from others. I’ve had readers say their floor was fine with pets. As I’ve said, with the coatings of poly I believe it wears really well. The bonus is, if it does get pulled up in an area by pets (or moving furniture and such) you can simply 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.
- That said, I’m not sure there’s any floor that dogs won’t put some scratches in (except carpet, but that has it’s own issues…), so you’ve got to be OK with that, I think.
- If you’re worried about your dog chewing, I’d suggest doing a Google search on dogs and the poly finish. There aren’t edges to be chewed, but you never know what a chewy dog will find.
9. Can I use a roller to apply the polyurethane? Does it smell? Do I have to sand between coats?
- You can use a roller if you want to – I use a brush as it’s easy for me and I can get into the corners and edges without cutting in later. Readers have told me they’ve used a foam mop-head type applicator as well as a roller. I’ve always heard that rollers could increase the bubbles in the finish, plus I have more control with a brush, so that’s what I’ve always used.
- The water-based poly has minimal smell- not at all like the oil-based stuff that is so strong and lingers for days.
- I’ve never sanded between coats. This isn’t a fine finish- just for protection, so I don’t bother.
10. Can I use other types of paper? Fabric?
- Sure! Use any paper you’d like. As with most other questions, I always suggest trying it first.
- I’ve never even imagined it with fabric- you may have problems with edges fraying as you brush the glue on, if it’s a loose fabric. Or not. Experiment!
11. Can I cut the paper into strips?
- I know of a couple of readers who’ve used strips, and they like it. I think it gets harder when the pieces are bigger, though, so keep the pieces easy to handle and glue down.
12. Can I use oil-based polyurethane?
- I DO NOT recommend it. I have had readers tell me it worked for them and I don’t know the difference, but when I tried it (it’s cheaper, and I succumbed…) I had awful oily splotches. I had to tear it ALL up and lay the paper all over again. And the smell- it was so bad, and for days. I’ll never use an oi-based product on it again.
13. Can I stain it? How?
- Yes, readers have successfully stained it. You stain it one of three ways:
- Stain the floor right after the glue/water mixture has fully dried, BEFORE starting the poly coats. Use the stain you’d like and apply it with a foam pad applicator or brush. Let dry fully before starting the poly coats. Here’s one reader’s technique (though I still don’t recommend using anything oil-based with the paper).
- Mix a water-based stain in the glue/water mixture, effectively staining the paper as you go. This is more time-saving than the first option, but you have to experiment with the mixture first to get the ratio so that the floor ends up the color you want.
- For concrete floors, since you’re not using the glue/water mixture, you’ll need to tint the polyurethane (some poly comes with stain in it- you can experiment with that).
14. Can I put another floor over the top of it later? Do I have to rip it up?
- I think that’s one of the nice things about this- if you ever want to install wood (or, heaven forbid- carpet :-), it would go right over the top with no problem. About the only thing you couldn’t do would be to paint it, although people surprise me all the time…maybe someone will do this one day!
- I wouldn’t bother removing it, but I suppose that depends on what you’re putting on top. Guess what? Yeah…do a test patch. *smile*
15. How do you clean it?
- I clean my paper floors like I clean wood 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 that great). Like wood floors, I never put a lot of water on them- just a damp mop is good. They really are easy care!
16. Can it be repaired if it tears? How?
- Yes, easily. Simply tear and crumple a new piece of brown paper to cover the area to be fixed. Use poly only and brush the floor with it, lay the new piece on the area and brush more poly over the top. Let dry and repeat for the number of coats you’d like.
17. What about resale value?
- As far as renovations go, this is a pretty inexpensive one, even if it’s just for a few years before you can afford something else. But as I mentioned in another question, we sold our other house with this flooring on the stairs and second floor with no problem. In fact, the new family thought it was cool (we sold it ourselves, so we heard all their comments). Everyone who’s ever visited our houses have thought it was a great floor and many of them have wanted to do it to their own floors. Each situation is unique, though, and I’m sure there are people who wouldn’t like it (they’re probably carpet people!).
- UPDATE: We’ve sold the house pictured here with no problems with the flooring, as well.
Whew! As you can tell, I really have gotten a lot of questions about this. If you’ve made it this far, you must be interested in trying this so if you have any more questions I haven’t mentioned, be sure to leave them in the comments and we’ll do our best (or our readers will!) to answer them here. I’ll just keep adding to the list.
And be sure to tell us if you’ve done this technique and leave a link if you’ve posted about it on a blog or website!
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I have had a a paper floor for about 18 years in my kitchen. I put it over a vinyl floor Clean the vinyl, let dry. I used the glue & water technique and put on about 2 to 3 layers and When it was dry I painted a tile design on it with craft paints, resembling an old fashion tile. I didn’t crumble or tear the papers but did overlap them the paper, it still wrinkled but I left the wrinkles in and painted over them. I then used polyurethane and gave it about four coats. Don’t put a lot of water on the floor and remember the older it gets, especially in a heavy traffic area, parts of the floor will start wearing. No one believes the floor is printer paper.
Oh that sounds amazing, Patricia – and the fact that it’s lasted 18 years! I’d love to see photos of that – could you email one to me? You used printer paper? Love it!
Thank you for this post. Another question: how thick is it? How many mm should I allow for?
It’s not that thick, though I haven’t actually measured it. Paper and 4 or so layers of poly don’t add up to much. 🙂
I did my entire basement (concrete, sub terrain, Wisconsin) 5 years ago, and it still looks perfect. Recipe I used was 50/50 Elmers white glue/water; let it dry for 2 days; then oil based stain; let it dry for 2 days; then 5 coats of Varathane water based High Traffic (semi gloss). Varathane is awesome by the way, if not only for its durability, but you can recoat after 1 hour, so finishing only took 1 day. I let is cure for about a week before moving furniture over it. NOT EVEN ONE SCRATCH. If water puddles, the Varathane will turn whitish; just wipe it up and let it dry, GOOD AS NEW! I also did all the stair treads the same way down to my basement (pressboard treads), still perfect after 5 years and a 120# Great Dane following me everywhere. The only time I found it to be slippery was when saw dust got on it while working down there. Otherwise, not slippery at all. ON TO COUNTERTOPS – I did about 30′ of ugly 1980’s pink/grey builder’s grade formica countertop with paper as well, 5 years ago. I could not find anywhere if Varathane was food safe, so I used Minwax Polycrylic. Awesome product! I am now at the point where the countertops could use a coat or two of the Polycrylic. Same as Varathane, if water puddles, it will turn whitish, but will return to normal when dry. I ALWAYS work on a wood cutting board, as is a good practice no matter what type of countertop you have. I need to type in caps now, cuz this is very important – BUY ALL YOUR PAPER AT ONCE (different lot runs cause different colors) AND PUT THE SAME SURFACE OF THE PAPER UP!!!!!! Builders paper has a different finish on each side. I found this out to my dismay and had to redo a huge section. If doing the rip and crush method, run a pencil over the ‘wrong side’ and make sure to put that side DOWN when gluing it. I LOVE my paper floor and am now contemplating a move in which I have decided to do the ENTIRE house that way. Don’t be afraid, as it is not only economical, but beautiful finished result.
Oh my gosh, I LOVE this Jan!! How wonderful that it has held up that well on both your concrete floor and your counters. Those are great tips about the paper – I, too, ran into issues using different paper bought at separate times. I didn’t notice the different sides thought that’s easy enough to make sure of before starting just in case – after that much work I know like you do that it’s no fun to redo a large section. 🙂
Thanks so much for this update – I’m sure it will help others and I will refer them to your comment!
Hi there my name is Tara Dye and I live in Casper Wyoming. We are remodeling our basement and choose to do the paper bag floor and I absolutely love it. We have encountered a mis hap however!!!! We were almost finished and ran out of polyurethane so my husband ran to the store to get more. He got to cans and by mistake one was a matte finish instead of high gloss like the rest of the floor. There is a big difference in the color. What do you suggest we do with the small area that was done with the matte finish? Possible recover it with more paper with the high gloss? Just cover with high gloss?? HELP:)!!!
I think all you’d need is to cover it with high gloss if you think it’s just the shine that’s making a difference. If it’s the nature of the poly that made the paper darker, I’d think you’d need to go over that area with another layer of paper and then the gloss. Hope this helps!
Great first read. Thank you.
Question:
I papered my bedroom floor and love the look. I am considering papering my livingroom. In my bedroom, all of the plywood seams show through even after using wood filler and sanding. It was easily covered up with and area rug but i dont want yhen to show in my living room. How do I hide the seams?
Hmmm, that’s really odd, Patty. I didn’t have that happen to my floors. Are they really uneven? Maybe your living room floors will be more level? Since I haven’t had the issue I’m not sure – maybe add another layer of paper around the seams?
There is a floor leveler made by the Henry company. It’s easy to use and readily available at Home Depot or Lowe’s. We used it in business for years
I am going to try this on bi fold doors
Fun idea!
Hello, I am new in trying this technique. I have a lot of edges that have lifted. How do I fix it?
Maybe your glue ratio didn’t have enough glue? I didn’t have that happen, but I think if you reglued the edges that would fix it. If you’re past the glue stage and onto the poly stage, use the polyurethane to reglue the edges.
Hi Jami. I have a question regarding the paper bag floor. I didn’t see this in any of your FAQ or any of the other blogs. I just did my basement floor & finished the 4th coat of poly. After the gluing process I did have some ripples in a couple of pieces but they were not all the way through the piece. My ripples are only on the edge of a couple pieces. I thought it would go down after letting the glue dry for 1 week. They didn’t look too bad so I applied Poly & thinking the poly would pull the edge the rest of the way down or even it out so you didn’t feel the edge ripple. However that didn’t happen. I am wondering if you ran into this or if you have suggestions on how to fix or prevent this. It am able to push them down so they seem soft but don’t stay down. Almost like it is an air pocket ripple & won’t suction down. I can send pictures too which I think would make it easier to understand. Thank you so much in advance.
Oh, I know what you’re talking about, Melissa. 🙂 Yes, it’s an imperfect process. I usually had a few places like this and just let it be since you couldn’t see them with furniture, etc. If you are bugged by them, you can take a straight-edge razor and slice them, apply poly to the top and inside as much as possible, and push them down over each other- does that make sense? You’ll just need to press one side down and then press the other side on top until they are laying flat, coating the area with poly initially and then after it dries. This worked in a couple of areas for me, I hope it does for you!
How do I repaint my floor do you have to strip it and start over?
If the paint is in good shape, you can just sand and paint over the top. If it’s got a lot of areas of peeling paint, those would show through, so you’d probably want to strip it.
Hello!! We are currently in the process of putting this down in our kitchen, in the middle of a kitchen remodel. The contractors would like to put cabinets down, and we are just getting to the poly tomorrow. How long do we wait between the last coat of poly and serious tromping around on the floor to install cabinets? Thanks!
I just follow the manufacturer’s directions! You can walk on it – I guess be careful?
I want to try this im my living room and dining room. You said that these foors may scratch when moving furniture and with a lot of traffic. Will more polly protect the floors better? Will pads that are placed under the feet of the furniture prevent scratches?
They may work, Selva. We found that even pads under the bed feet left some markings. But anything that’s noticeable is easy to patch with a small bit of paper and poly. 🙂
I am about to do this in my bathroom. Im either going to try a white bed sheet or some white wall paper. I bought poly with a light wood stain.
I like how you’re being creative, Cynthia, but I’d definitely try a test with the fabric – not sure how that would work at all (I’m thinking about frayed edges, etc.). Just make sure the polyurethane is meant for floors – the other kind will not wear as well. Oh, and have fun. 🙂
Have you had anyone do this in a travel trailer? How do you think it would do in a uncontrolled environment? Absolutely love it! Thanks for sharing!’
No, not that I know of, Holly – but I think it could be a good solution if the trailer doesn’t leak. The paper is covered by lots of polyurethane – so it should hold up to a lot. It may scratch, though, with the rocks and stuff that comes in when traveling…
What type of glue is used? Is it just the standard All Purpose Elmers “Glue-all” ? Is it the “Interior” one? The gallon our local home improvement store carries runs about $15. Is that about right?
Yes, we used the all-purpose, Lara. It was $10 when we did it, but I’m not surprised to see it’s gone up!
Can I do this on my garage, with the car going over it every day?
Have never thought about that application, Linda, but I doubt it, since it does wear down.
A few days ago I came across paper bag flooring. I was looking for a way to redo some flooring in my home and all I can say, is I am in love with this idea. My question is do wood laminated floors have to taken up before applying the paper? I have builder grade flooring in the foyer and the family room is more laminated wood planks. Thank you for sharing.
I actually haven’t heard from any readers who’ve tried it over laminate floors, Lisa – you’ll need to test an area to see what happens. If you don’t have an area, maybe find some pieces of laminate somewhere you can buy to test?
What about an epoxy coat instead of poly? I have painted and used epoxy on concrete floors, I’m wondering if it would work the same as the poly.
I haven’t tried that Norma – I always suggest testing an area with a new technique to see if it works for you in your situation!
I am thinking of doing this to replace my carpet in a bedroom and have a question. I was thinking of doing it in rectangular smaller strips (and maybe making weave pattern) instead of the larger pieces with the torn edges, why is crumpling the paper needed?
Crumpling the paper gives the cool, leather-like texture. You can certainly try different ways to do this – I’d suggest getting a piece of plywood and doing some experimenting!
We have a living room , dining room attached. We want to start in one room see how it looks and if we like it rip the carpet out of the other side and finish. Our question is , is there any issue with allowing one side to dry ( finished totally ) then going in the next weekend and starting the other. I know with painting you never want to let a line dry because you’ll always see where you stopped and started . So I guess we asking if you can see the same on the floor?
Yes, Michelle, unfortunately it will do the same, though I really don’t understand why. I just know it will leave a distinct line (and even come out a lighter or darker color) if you completely finish one area before starting another. Readers have shared this with me, too. You might try leaving an uneven edge that you can blend in a bit better and make sure to use all the same materials, bought at the same time (especially the paper). If you didn’t use it (because you decided against) you could always return the supplies.
I found your post and decided to try it. It turned out very well! I used fine glitter in two rooms, and for the large media room we took logos from cattle feed sacks for a border. We discovered Home Depot kraft paper is yellow brown, while Lowes’ is much thinner and has a reddish tint. We noticed this after working from both ends of the room and meeting in the middle with the new “red” paper. So, I took pieces of the reddish paper and scattered them into the HD areas to visually tie them. My husband observed that it looked like the Red River meandering along. Our feed sacks are from the Red River Grain Co so our room has been christened The Red River Room.
So good to know about the different hues to the kraft papers, Ann! Thanks for letting us know – and your red river room sounds fun. 🙂
Just did my bathroom and I love it! Still need to do more coats of poly but this was such a great alternative to an expensive flooring option! Mine is in a master bath over subfloor of plywood. Followed your directions to the T and it was great. Next time I won’t try to rip up flooring, apply paper all in one day….my back and knees killed! Use knee pads! Thanks for taking the time to blog…a lifesaver for this first time DIYer ?
Thanks for letting us know, Stacie – so glad the directions were clear and worked well for you!
Can you do this on painted plywood floors ? I have painted my floors for five years and I love this! I really want to do this but will it work over paint?
I want to start today! I just love this so much! I have 2,000
Square feet of flooring to do and I’m sick of painted floors and cannot afford real flooring. Please let me know as I don’t want the paint to bubble up from the poly. Thanks and you guys have given me hope to have a home that looks finished !
I don’t see why not, Donny! We use poly all the time to coat painted surfaces to protect them, so I know that won’t cause bubbles. I don’t think the glue-water mixture would either (this would go directly on top of the painted floor), but like I say to everyone – do a test area first. 🙂
I am planning on trying this over a plywood floor upstairs. The sub floor is a particle type plywood. Do I need to use a joint compound first to insure the plywood joints dont show through? Or will the paper cover this? The joints a fairly tight but I dont want to see joints throughthe paper…options?
Thanks
Terry
We filled joints only that weren’t flat or had gaps, Terry. They don’t show through otherwise, in our experience.
Thanks for all the info. I just finished my floor and it looks AWESOME! It is a 13×17 foot room. I used a whole gallon of high traffic poly, I got 9 coats out of that gallon. Does that sound like I used enough, apparently my coats were thinner than yours. Do I need to do some thicker coats of poly? Thanks.
I don’t think so, Kandi, it’s probably just a different brand or something. It sounds like you’ve got plenty! So happy you like the results. 🙂
How long do you have to wait to move furniture back in?
I followed the directions on the can of polyurethane we used, Stephanie. I think it was 4-5 days.
Just wondering what kind of area the amounts you used covered? Also, how much paper, glue and poly did you use for this area exactly? Trying to figure out how much to buy.
The bedrooms we did were about 11’x11′ and one room took half a roll of builder’s paper, 1 gallon of glue and 1 gallon of polyurethane (which gave us about 3-4 coats total, which has been sufficient). Hope that helps you, Emma!
Thank you so much! Means I need to buy a lot less than I thought I did as I think my room is half the size… phew!
I have the same question about papering a porch. Did you ever hear from the folks that were doing their porch too? Please let me know. Thanks.
I’m sorry, Margaret, I haven’t heard about using this on porches. It may work fine depending on the amount of rain that you get on it – or not. Is there a way you could test an area?
Hello, just wondering if baseboards have to be removed before gluing paper? Thanks so much!!
They don’t have to, Anissa, but then you have to be more accurate on the edges to make sure it looks good. 🙂
I’m planning on doing our basement stairs, doing the top of the stairs only, and painting the risers. My question is should I paint the risers and trim before I do the paper stairs, or would it be best to do the painting of the trim and risers last?
That’s a hard one, Myrna! I might do the painting first, since then I wouldn’t worry about the poly getting on it later – it would only help it stay on longer, whereas if it got on before painting, the paint might not adhere good on those spots. What do you think?
I want to do this on presswood(masonite) do i have to put glue first to cover the cracks and bump ??
You might want to sand if they’re really bumpy, Francois, as the bumps can cause wear in the paper over time.
Hi, I was wondering if this can be doubled, do the first layer, let it dry thoroughly, then add another paper layer, let that dry, then poly over it? I’m wondering if that would provide a little more cushioning as you’ve stated here it’s hard on the knees/back, which is understandable. Do you think that would work or do you know of a downside to doubling paper layers?
You can always try a test area to see if you like the results, Stephanie! I’m not sure what you mean about hardness, though – the finished floor isn’t really any different than a wood floor. The part where I talk about being hard on the knees and back is the application process. 😉
Can you do this in a screened in 3 season porch (Minnesota)? We put plastic over the screens in the winter, so not much water gets in .
I’ve no idea, Tanya – I guess you’ll have to try it and see. Maybe use an outdoor poly topcoat?
Has anyone tried using whole strips of paper, rather than torn pieces? My idea is to use three-foot wide paper over concrete. Lay down a strip and cut it to length. Then pick it up and wad it up to create a wrinkle pattern. Pour and spread water-based poly on the concrete and then lay the strip down and stain and poly over. What do you think?
I must admit that while I love the idea I am not wild about the process because my back and knees are a mess. I am looking for a similar result with less effort (lazy).
Go for it, John! Maybe you can test on a piece of plywood first to see the result? Some of my best diy things resulted from just trying things out first.
John, did you ever try the method you described? I would like to do the same thing. thx!
We would like to put brown paper bag flooring in our laundry room. Since we need to jmove the washer and dryer to another part of the room, can we finish the erea the washer and dryer sits on let the floor dry then put the washer back in place and finish the rest of the floor when that part drys? Thank you.
I think that would work, Billie, since you will be covering up the first area. I’ve heard from a number of people who’ve done this that there is a definite line that never looks the same when you start and stop like that. I’m not sure why it seems to do this when using all the same materials, but these are the reports I’ve gotten. 🙁 But with your w/d on top of the first part, I don’t think you’d notice if it did look different. Hope that helps you with your decision!
Thank you so much.
Can you do this on a concrete floor that is not heated during a Wisconsin winter?? Will the poly crack???
I’m not sure, Suzie, having never done it. 😉 I’ve only read about warmer climates trying it, though. Is it possible to do a test area?
I did my bathroom floor and my counter top with wallpaper illusions wallpaper. I did it pretty much like the paper bags flooring was done.And it turned out beautiful! Now I want to do it on a concrete patio. I’m not worried about getting the paper to stick to the concrete. I just can’t find any info on what to put on top of the paper. The polyurethane won’t work because it is for interiors use. So I was wondering if anyone out there has any ideas what I could use instead of polyurethane that would work for outside?
That sounds really interesting, Sharon! I know there is an outdoor poly made to coat wood boats – I think it’s called ‘Spar’ or something? It’s probably oil-based, though, and you may run the risk of the oil splotches appearing that happened to me when I tried an oil based poly.
I used the poly for boats on my hard wood floor in my din ning room it lasted 25 years.
What a great idea, your floors are beautiful!!!!
I have cement floors in my living room and kitchen so I’m
going to give this a try.
Thank You for the tutorial,
Kathy
I’m sorry, I don’t have a reply re: the radiant heating issue…but yet, another question…There are wood floors (strips as opposed to squares) in this house…I am wondering if this technique can be used directly on top of the wood flooring or does it have to be removed?
I don’t have any experience with using this on floors with radiant heating, Gail, so I really can’t comment about that – sorry! I’m sure the paper could be applied over wood floors, but I would prefer to use the wood as flooring – this has always been our option for when we couldn’t put wood floors down! So, again, I haven’t done it, but I’m sure it could be done. 🙂
We have poured terrazzo floors and the heat is built in the floors! So if any one has tried this technique please let me know if it worked ! We layed lament floor on top if terrazzo after we were assured it would work on concrete heated floors!! FYI… The heat doesn’t come through and the two rooms we did are usually colder than rest if the house and come spring when it starts to get humid , the lament floor rises like a big air bubble from the concert floor sweating !! I have to turn on air conditioning and then roll a flat piece of furniture over the huge “bubble”!!! We have ceramic tile over the terrazzo in the kitchen and it heats up well!! So any info if this technique works in radiant heat I would love to know!
Thanks
Tamy
Hey guys. Thanks a lot for all this useful information. The main question we have is the same as Carmen’s – can somebody please answer it for us – is it ok to do it with underfloor heating? Will the glue not go soft because of the heating? Has anybody tried it? Any ideas would be most welcome and appreciated! Seasons greatings and thanks again
Jami,
Wrinkles…….Ugggggg……..We mixed the glue …..3 parts water and 1 part glue because we were putting this onto a plywood subfloor in a bedroom where we had removed a carpet…we did as instructed, pasting the pieces and overlapping…..when the glue and paper dried (28hrs) we had quite a few wrinkles throughout the floor. We were going to glue down the paper and then wait till next weekend to poly. However, during the week we found ourselves cutting out wrinkles and pasting new paper over the top of several areas. We were wondering..What did we do that caused so many wrinkles? We did change our mixture to 50/50 on the glue and water when doing the patches because we thought it was better.
Now we are at the Poly stage and have read that that seems to wrinkle as well.(a bit fearful of that)…..What water based poly to you suggest?
Thank You for this great information and page!
Janet…
I always just cut my glue with water to the consistency of cream (like I mention in the video) – although lots of commenters have used more accurate measurements. 😉 3 parts water to glue, though, is too watery – I’m sure mine is almost the opposite, 3 parts glue to 1 part water.
Also using smaller pieces of paper helps with the wrinkles, I’ve found. The dried glue-paper should be pretty flat before the poly step, and yes, the poly causes it to wrinkle again, but it will flatten out over the next week as it dries thoroughly. Sometimes diy projects are trial-and-error – sorry! I sure hope you like the result as much as we do!
Can the Elmer’s glue be “Elmer’s Glue All” instead of the school glue?
Yes, Lisa – they’re interchangeable. 🙂
We have radiant heat in our house (heat is in the floors). Aside from drying quickly, would the poly stand up to heating in the winter? I love this idea. Our basement floor has been unfinished for 11 years.
Hmmm, that’s the first question I’ve gotten like that, Sara – I don’t know, but since it’s basically sealed like a wood floor I would think it would work. Maybe do a test patch somewhere?
I am looking at doing this in my basement on concrete and I also have in-floor heating, I am wondering if you did this if it is working for you with the in-floor heat? Also my cement floor is painted, will just light sanding work to help things adhere down?
I wonder if you can use wall paper? I have a couple of rolls and would love to try them on the floor of my bedroom…
Since it’s basically decoupage, you can use any paper I would think, Debra. Go for it and let us know how it turns out!
I also wanted to add.. I seen someone online had used a mica glitter spray from a craft store over the dried paper floor before they Pollyed the floor and it looked beautiful ! The spray comes in gold copper and a coco chocolate brown color and u just spray it about 9 to 12 inches above the floor, it dries fast and it looked so nice after the Polly was put over it … Had a touch of glimmer 🙂
Ok so I did the rite dye in the glue and water mixture ! It works great but I had to quit half way through due to my knees and back killing me and restart up the next day. The glue water and dye mixture was exact to the day before , so I finished the room went to bed … The next am there is this dark line going all the way down through the middle of the floor where I started back up to finish the floor. I found on lone someone who also had this happen and they said its from overlapping the dye where it had dried and then re dyed. So now I’m going to try and save the floor by experimenting and dyeing the paper first drying it and going over the bad dark lined area with just water and glue over the color matched rite dyed paper that’s fully dried and see if that works! Sigh so if your gunna use the rite dye in the glue and water mixture be sure u finish it all before it dries or don’t do it at all.
So sorry, Cindy! But thanks so much for letting us know and potentially saving someone else from having to deal with that, too. I sure hope your fix works!
I am halfway through the glue-down phase, using Home Depot Kraft paper with 1 part Weldbond glue to 4 parts water. I am dunking the paper briefly, letting it drip until most of the glue has dripped off, then I slap the paper down onto the floor and smooth it gently with my fingers from center to edges. I usually see a bit of glue squish out as my fingers approach the edge. I thought this was a good thing, as I was sure that the edges would have enough stickum. But this may have bit me when I was forced to do the floor in multiple steps.
After sticking down the straight-edged pieces around the perimeter (and running out of my first batch of diluted glue, I discovered that the 3 L bottle of glue I bought had solidified before it got to me. so ordering more and found myself delayed me for a week. Resuming work, I find after the new segment dried I had picked up a dark line on the first-laid paper outlining my new work. I assume that this is due to a second layer of glue as I squished it out from beneath the new pieces.
Any advice on how to deal with this? For today’s work I will attempt to squeegee off as much glue as possible from the transition pieces, and use a lighter hand as I smooth the work. I may also try a wet sponge or perhaps a dry paper towel to pick up any new glue I see on the already-dried pieces.
Thoughts?
Oh, Tim, I’m sorry to say that there is always a noticeable line between areas that weren’t done at the same time. I don’t really know why it happens, just that it’s pretty consistent. When it happened to me, I just started again, going over the top of the old stuff. Also you can try making the line really uneven to hide the inconsistency. 🙁
I was wondering if anyone knows how paper floors are listed in a home appraisal. I’m about to do my entire house with paper floors (a litter of puppies had their way with my existing carpet and laminate), but I’m also working on refinancing our home. I read that painted concrete floors are considered unfinished and are listed as no flooring at all in an appraisal. I’m wondering how an appraiser would classify paper floors. I’m not even sure how to answer his question if he asks what kind of flooring I have. Maybe “decoupage flooring” because it sounds cool instead of “i glued paper to the floor.” Has anyone had a home appraisal with paper floors?
This is a great question – please let us know if you do this and have your house appraised! We sold our house by owner and they had a very picky VA loan appraisal and they didn’t say anything about the entire upstairs flooring being covered in paper. It’s like painting a wood floor – just covering it up. But it will be interesting to hear your experience.
I was wondering, could you use a stamp in a pretty design with paint on some of the paper pieces, random or in a pattern? Would this hold up? I think it would give you infinite possibilities. Designs for a child, such as animals, ABCs, dinosaurs, etc. I have wood sub floors and I want a more finished look, although the leather look is wonderful!!!
I don’t see why not, Gena – it sounds like a great idea to me! Since it would all be covered by the poly it should hold up just the same. If you do this, send some photos my way and I’ll feature them. 🙂
The one I saw the lady said after staining her floors she had white spots. She talked about the paper having a shiny side and regular side. From redoing wood floor several times my guess is the shiny side goes down and the regular side goes up. Am I correct in guessing that? Thank you for your time and I love this and will do it in my living room and kitchen that connect together.
I haven’t noticed a shiny side on the painter’s paper I use, Yvonne, but you may be right if there is a shiny side. Glad you like the look!
Hey there!! I am in the process of laying down my paper floor now. My mother in law came up to help me and the pieces she laid down were covered in glue and she rubbed it raw… how do I fix this? Any suggestions would be fabulous!
Two things can work, Natasha: let the pieces dry that your MIL did and then scrape them out with a putty knife, getting as much as you can – then redo the area to look like the rest OR if the rubbed raw areas aren’t too bumpy, simply add new pieces over them. Let everything dry thoroughly before adding the topcoats and you should be good to go!
Thank you!! In some places I just added new pieces over them and it worked like a charm. In other places the paper seemed to bubble up, so I took a razor and cut around the bubble, took a small damp washcloth and wiped the bubble, and was able to easily remove the bubble and recover it. Just thought I would share my experience in case anyone else has this problem! Thanks again! 🙂
So good to know, Natasha – thanks for taking the time to let us know how that worked for you!
Can this be done on the concrete on my front porch? In other words is it weather proof?
I haven’t tried, Barbara, but I seriously doubt it. 🙂 If you do a test, let us all know!
Hi, I haven’t seen any mention of using the technique on formica counters. Are there any special instructions for that?
Thanks!
I’ve had some readers tell me they’ve done counters – and even a refrigerator! – but they haven’t said they did anything different, so I’d assume it’s the same technique. My ongoing suggestion is to always do a test first. 🙂
Hi Jami, thanks for your quick reply I started my floor today using the concrete method. It’s coming out awesome thanks to the you tube and this info. Really loving it.. Will do my bathroom next ..
Hi Jamie,
It was a huge sucess!! Floor is done and one coat of poly on 3-4 more to go. Concrete method is the way to go..Looks fantastic and I can see a few family, and friends may become paper bag floor owners soon. Your awesome and Love my new unique floor… 🙂
Woot! So glad to know, Ann!!
Help! I’m not sure how to get in touch with you. Not sure how old this stream is. Just picked one after not finding what I need. I put the paper down (on stairs) and it looked great. Then put stain on (all 16!!!!!!). Didn’t realize I had used a stain with poly in it. It is awful!!! They now feel crispy crunchy when you walk on them! How do I take off then start over? I know, I know……….test, test, test!!
I always see new comments, Kathy, so this is a good way (you can also use the contact form from the link in under the blog header…). I’m SO sorry to hear about your mistake 🙁 I have no idea why that would’ve resulted in a “crispy” end – I would’ve thought that would save you a step! Yes, testing is important! As far as taking it off – finding some way to peel it off is the only way 🙁 May be a putty knife and softening it with more poly? I’m not sure, as I’ve never tried to take it off after the poly was applied – only after the glue and I was able to peel most of it up. Do you think you can’t just reapply more on top?
What exactly is the concrete method?
I’m not Ann, April, but if you follow the link to Lovely Crafty Home she details how she did this method (or her dad did, I can’t remember now) on concrete. Basically, my understanding is that they had the best result when skipping the glue-water mix and using poly to adhere the paper to the concrete before coating. The main difference is the cost, as you’ll be using a lot more poly.
How would I apply to a terrazo floor. I live in Florida, and its in every room. It’s clean, and any holes from removing the carpet and nail repaired. Should I use the elmers glue method, or skip it and use the poly as an adhesive? I can’t wait. thanks for your awesome advice and idea…
I don’t know, Ann – I’m not even sure I’ve heard of anyone doing that. My suggestion is the same, though – do a test area. Except try it both ways and see which works best. Let us know if it works for you!
I just spent the last week working on my basement floor doing it in craft paper. It took my 3 young adult sons about 1/2 an hour to rip out carpet in a 450 square foot room–glad to have their strong backs around! And soooo very glad to have the 20 year-old recycled carpet taken to the dump! Then we spent a day stripping the glue off the floor and cleaning with a concrete solvent. Borrowed a shop vac from a friend for this, used a deck scrubbing brush we had and a squeegy on an extension pole. This was a fairly easy process and it took up so much gunk off the floor. Had thought about renting a big sander but was scared off by the price. ( I had planned on staining it but there was just too much paint and other residue that would show through.) My 16-year-old tore and wadded paper for me for several hours and I spent about 16 hours piecing and gluing them down while I watched Downton Abbey streaming on Amazon Prime (highly recommend Downton and Prime). So I fell into bed at 12:30 this morning and when I got up there are still tacky spots. I set up a fan and am waiting to put the poly down until later today. I am not going to stain because the color already compliments the paint on the walls. (Another tip: If you live in Oregon you can buy Metro recycled paint thru Metro but also at all Miller paint stores. $11 a gallon or $50 for 5 gallons–I recommend it. It cover great and comes in a nice selection of colors but can also be tinted. Best value around!) Thanks for the advice on how to do this–I am excited and my boys can’t wait to have their friends over to our new video game/media room with an AWESOME floor!
So glad to read this, Amy! Good tip about the fan, too – it probably took longer to dry because it’s a basement. Good work!
We did this type of paper on our basement floors. We did the 50/50 glue water after cleaning the contrete floor from the tiles n carpet that was there. Everything has come out really well the only issue we had is the drying process after the second coat because of the humid we are experiencing. Our friends love it! We really like it my husband was skeptic about it but I’m stubborn n did it anyway. I’m so glad I did.
Thanks for letting us know how it worked for your concrete floors, Lanora! Since it’s the most-asked question, I’m always glad to hear someone’s experience.
In your video you mention that this floor isn’t good for high traffic i.e. kitchen, bathroom??? I’ve seen others install it in those rooms. Have you had any feedback or experience on this floor being installed in kitchens and bathrooms???
Just what others have told me, Sara – they have done it and just repaper any areas that need it after a year or two (like in front of the bathtub or kitchen sink). The reports I’ve had are that they are happy with it – it’s inexpensiveness and ease of repair if needed. It’s totally up to you!
The area that I want to start redoing with paper floors, is one of my highest traffic areas! My question is what are your suggestions on how to lay this flooring down and still be able to use the area. It is my main hallway in my house that leads out of two of our bedrooms and is also the same area that leads my downstairs to the upstairs. Is it possible to walk on it after or has anyone ever done pieces of the floors and then went back and finished the rest later?
You won’t be able to use it while you’re working on it, but after the paper and glue dries you can walk on it. Then use water-based poly and it’s dry after 2 hrs, so you can walk on it if needed between coats. Good luck with that!
Just did this in my husbands office (was just sub-floor in there at the time) and will now be doing it throughout the rest of the bedrooms, hallway and living room. I have to say that photos and videos just do not capture the look of this floor treatment. I LOVE IT !!!
It is SOOOO time consuming, but the inexpensiveness of the project is SOOOO worth it.
I figure that by the time we are done with the rooms that we want to do we will have spent anywhere from $500-$700 for approximately 900 sq. ft of flooring. That is less than $.80 a sq. ft. !!!
Love reports like this, Kimberly! It really is a great DIY option, I think. 🙂
I’d love to do this in my office, which was a bedroom before, but I wonder if it would hold up to the rollers of an office chair. I don’t move the chair that much just between the 2 computers and they sit kind of in an L shape. Any opinions?
Not sure, Gem – it may…or it may not. The best solution I can think of would be to buy one of those clear office-chair plastic pads that are used on carpets, that way you’d know for sure that the floor would be okay.
This is awesome. I have wood look laminate floors. Thinking about doing this and will test in the laundry room I guess. Thanks for the detailed instructions and easy to understand questions and answers.
Hi Patti-Ann,
I am curious how the paper floor held up over the laminate floor after a couple of years. I’m thinking of doing this and want to use it over laminate.
Thanks,
Paula
[email protected]
I just have to say that I am so impressed by this floor!!! Kudos!!
Thanks for the idea/inspiration; I think am going to try it with a gray/blue stain.
Jen
My husband and I both have looked at these paper floors before and thought they looked cool. Since we are both musicians and have a grand piano in our living room, we thought it would be super cool to use old sheet music instead of brown paper bags. Of course I wondered if the paper would be thick enough. But he said “Well the paper is just the pattern. The durability is in the poly!” Smart man 🙂 We have carpeting in some rooms–miss our former home’s hardwood floors—so eventually we’ll get rid of that. Won’t be too long if the dogs keep wrestling around in there as they do! We do love this flooring technique/look!
That would look very unique, Connie!
Just wanted to say thank you for this FAQ’s page! I recently did this in my boys room, (over concrete with the glue mixture) and had great success. I linked to this FAQ’s page in my post cause it’s just so darn thorough and awesome 🙂 Here is a link to my post if you’re interested… http://www.domesticimperfection.com/2013/03/paper-bag-floors-a-tutorial/
Yes, I saw your results over on Hometalk, Ashley – great job! Glad that my FAQ page was helpful to you.:)
Oh geez, it kinda took on a life of it’s own on hometalk. I’ve been answering questions over there all week…the same questions over and over, haha. Anyway, I had to come back because I realized that leaving a link in your comments section was probably spammy and rude. Sorry about that, I swear I will not be even the tiniest bit offended it you delete it.
Ha! That’s why I had to create the FAQ page. 🙂 And thanks for thinking of that about the comment, however I’ll leave it, as folks coming to this page want as much info as possible, so being able to find another person who’s done it is a good thing. No worries!
Hi Jami,
My hubby and I are working on this right now and I have a question. One of our steps (the tread) was cracking and we put 3 screws in it instead of replacing it. Long story, but that was our better choice of the two. Anyway, hubby wasn’t able to get the screws flush and I’m wondering if
a) will it tear the paper if we just try to paper over them
b) in the event they don’t cause the paper to tear, how noticeable will they be?
We also had to lay a thin board over the landing because it wasn’t solid and there is 1/8 of an inch difference from it to the next board. I used wood filler to make the transition a little smoother, but it will curve slightly. Will that be a problem? I can’t imagine that the floors have to be completely level before applying this technique, but wanted to ask.
Thank you! Love your floors!
Hey Tiffani! My experience is that anything sticking up will show through the paper – even a little something I missed when vacuuming – so I think you’ll see the screws for sure. I would assume the paper would tear as the stairs are used, but I don’t know this for sure. If there’s nothing you can do about getting the screws flush, then I’d build up around them with wood fill, smoothing 3-5 inches out to try to make it a lump, but maybe not as noticeable? I don’t know – that’s just a thought. The wood fill area should be fine, you’ll notice it a bit but probably not too much. Sure hope that helps!
Thank you! It does help! I’m thinking of putting a very thin piece of board across the front. Since the screws are on the front of the tread, not the part you walk on (but not the riser), they at least won’t be stepped on.
Thanks again!
Wrinkles…I wet my paper first in a container of water first, lay face down and wipe off the excess water , then add glue, lay down, use a damp cloth to smooth out wrinkles and air bubbles. No need to paint over with glue after its layed down. Try on a sample first and you will see the difference. Let dry thoroughly before you poly. I have been doing this for years. Started with vases, walls then furniture. Next project floors, the process would be the same for all. Thank you for info on floor poly as can learn something new. I never seal the walls and put the paper up with starch as easy removal and never damages the wall. I also use 3color glazes which I mix myself and paint on before I tear and apply.
Thanks, Sharon for these great tips! I’ve never thought to paint the paper before tearing…
Ok, I did two stairs today to see how it would look. After the glue dried however; it doesn’t look like there are any wrinkles at all. I haven’t put the Polyurethane on yet as I thought the steps had to dry before applying it. Right now, it just looks like any other step. If you look really closely, you can see wrinkles. But if I am just standing and looking at them, it looks like I just laid the paper over it. Did I not use enough glue on the step before applying the paper? Will the Polyurethane make them show more? Also, what color Polyurethane did you use?? Help!!! Thanks!
Traci, I have found that sometimes the kraft paper is thicker and doesn’t show the wrinkles as much. Two things – they will show up a bit more with the poly and you can try crushing them more on your other steps. And yes, the glue needs to dry before the poly. You can stain the paper if you want for color – I always use the clear poly – I didn’t know it came in shades. Hmmm – wonder if that would be easier than staining the paper? I can see I have another thing I can test out. 🙂
Just curious if you have tried the stained poly and what the results were? I would like to do half my house with this next summer. 🙂
I did try it, Dana, and it did add color, but in a streaky way – it wasn’t really uniform. It’s okay, but I’m not sure I would do it again.
Hello Jami
I have enjoyed your video/tutorial and all of your FAQ’s… I just did one of our rooms and it’s all wrinkled- I know you thought you failed with your son’s room- do the wrinkles really go away?? I don’t want to spend the time/money on the poly if I should be doing something special before I apply the poly- any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Is it completely dry? If it is and there are big wrinkles you can put your finger in, then the poly probably won’t make it go back down. There shouldn’t be lot’s of wrinkles after the paper’s dried from the glue. It’s when you put the poly on that it wrinkles up again (and I thought it had failed), then as the poly dries, the wrinkles relax (1-2 weeks time to fully cure, I think).
Could you tell me if you can use a steam cleaner on them and is the floor as hard as hard wood or is it thinner since its paper but i love the look and thinking about trying it thanks
Hmmm, that’s a new question, Christy! I really don’t know about the steam cleaner. My gut reaction is no, but then I’ve never suggested doing the technique in a bathroom, either, but folks have and tell me the poly protects the surface from the water. It’s your call – you could test it I suppose, either on a test piece of wood or in an area like a closet or something.
As for hardness, it feels like the subfloor ’cause it’s only a thin layer on top, so yeah it’s like wood floors. 🙂
Can I do in parts.. See the issue is, we are going to do our living room but ALL rooms lead into our living room. So we would have to do the hall 1st then the main living room.. Would I be able to get it like this??
Thanks so much for the help!
Sure – you just have to plan for the transition areas. If you leave a straight line there’ll be a, well…straight line. 🙂 If you’d like it to blend better, leave it looking uneven, like it would if you were just continuing in a regular room. Hope that makes sense…
Thanks for the link back, Jami! It looks like you and I get the same questions haha! I’m like you, I always recommend it because of the cost….but TEST TEST TEST!!! I’m loving mine still, people compliment it all the time. I wouldn’t go back to carpet. Thanks again for the inspiration!
Saw this 20 years ago in a kitchen featured in Country Magazine. It had been down for over 10 years at that time so you know it’s durable even in a kitchen! They had torn the paper more in a circular pattern rather than squares plus smaller pieces, all from recycled paper bags, and it was stained a dark reddish brown. Beautiful. Truly looked like old leather!
Amazing finish! I’d love to try this on something! Maybe I’ll start with a wall or door… oh my… now my imagination has gone crazy…
Shared on FJI Facebook for SNS 127. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150759610031141&set=a.192514281140.164586.175378011140&type=1&theater
Donna
Thank you so much for all of this information! I have HIDEOUS linoleum in my kitchen but we can’t afford to replace it so this paper technique is one I’ve been contemplating. I’m going to pin this and your other information and if I get brave enough to do this, I’ll let you know!
i am curious to know how things worked out using the paper technique over linoleum.
I did it over a year ago throughout my entire house, 2 bathrooms and the kitchen were vinyl. One of the bathrooms I used the pages from a book about Victorian trade cards in one bathroom, pages from a vintage cookbook on the kitchen floor and I used laser printed pictures of cats in the other bath. They all turned out fine, except the trading card book bled a bit from the polyurethane. I put some strain over it, which I had also done in the kitchen, and now it just looks cool and antique. The bathroom I sealed with MOD podge (you can get it by the gallon – use matte) and it has held up as well as the rest. I got that idea from someone on Flickr who did her counters that way. Granted, the second bathroom doesn’t get the traffic of the rest of the house. I’ve saved cookbook pages for patching, and could always print more cats,I haven’t had to patch any of them but a few places of the plain brown paper floor where it wasn’t smooth enough in high traffic areas and the high spots wore off. Simple fix with another piece of paper, a bit of glue, and I patched with MOD PODGE. I love it all! I will mention I did not crumple the book pages, though I DID crumple the brown paper. Also, if your vinyl floor has texture it will show a bit, it doesn’t bother me, but I will note staining makes it less visible.
Awesome, Fran! Thanks for sharing your adaptations and how it’s worked in your house and traffic areas – I always get questions about this, so it’s really helpful!
This is new to me, sounds interesting. will the ploy crack as the floor flexes,when walking on it? and how many coats are needed.
I’ve not had an issue of the poly cracking, Ray, but I’ve only done it on subfloor that used large sheets of particle board. An old subfloor of 4-inch wood pieces might if it’s really squeaky. I do 3-4 coats (what I get from a gallon for a 10×11 ft. room), though I’ve had readers tell me they use a lot more.
When you decide to do your floor try this first, do a sample, wet your paper thoroughly, I let my paper sit in a bucket of water. And get good and wet, remove, take a damp cloth and wipe off the back, use white glue do not dilute and paint on and glue then lay down wipe with damp cloth to smooth off and no wrinkles. Also I base coat my paper white , I use paint and glazes over the base paint or you could just paint it, tear and apply, it will take longer to prepare but it works. I do walls, furniture, just about everything. If you can afford a roll of paper and a gallon of oops paint light in color, paint your roll of paper in strips let dry and when you can afford it do the next steps. I just roll the painted strips up and use as needed, this is very addicting as you will want to cover everything. Let me know.
SHARON,
I would love to see some photos of your work. It sounds like what I am itching to do. Haven’t seen any done in strips yet or any lighter colors which I am dying to see! Gearing up to do my 365sq ft kitchen/dining area. Looking for ideas and examples.
Wow! this is great and very thorough!
I found your technique through YOUtube and I did it in my bathroom…to date…it is my 2nd most viewed post and running a close 1st! I’ve had my floor pinned and that made my day. I didn’t do an extensive DIY video but I linked you as my ‘go to’ research. I will definitely be linking this informative post to any future posts about my floor.
I love it. I’ve only had it a little over a month, but it is holding up pretty well.
I did my floor over vinyl and DID notice a couple of place that HAVE BUBBLED. As soon as it warms up enough to cut the propane water heater off again ( I used oil based poly) I’ll be cutting, Re-glueing, and patching. I’m confident it will be an inexpensive and EASY FIX!
Thanks for all your great info.
~Pat
Oh, yes, Pat – I remember your floor because you did it with strips to look like wood! I didn’t know you’d done it over vinyl, though. So glad you are adding to our conversation by telling us your experience with using it over vinyl! Thanks so much!
I want to know what sort of prep work needs to be done if my concrete slab has previously had self adhesive tiles on it? Does the entire slab need to be ground down prior to application? Or will the left over adhesive help to make the paper stick? When we purchased our house the previous owners had applied these “lovely” little tiles. We wanted to stain and poly the concrete floors but would have had to grind the slab to remove all of the adhesive. Will the paper bags cover this so that we will not have to do this? I love this technique but I am not sure if I can get my husband on board if it will require us to remove the leftover adhesive.
I’ve never done the technique on cement, Robin, so I can only give you my guesses. Any bumps on the floor show through the paper (little rocks/debris left before application), so if the adhesive is uneven and has bumps, you will see it and it might even make the paper wear there as you use it. You can try a test area, like I suggest above. Good luck with your project!
We have had great success removing self stick tile and it’s left over adhesive
by putting a thin old towel or thick paper over the tile and going over the tile or glue patch with a warm iron.
I just did my 11X25 family room this past weekend. concrete floor that had carpet glue on it. We kept the glue, as it added to the texture of the floor. I LOVE IT! I used 1:1 elmers glue/water to stick the paper down. And we are now in the process of putting many many coats of ploy (water based). One thing I did do differently was to place pennies (heads up of course) on the floor around the room with the first coat of poly. It is quirky, and something fun 🙂 I found pennies with the birth years for my kids and myself. The poly isn’t enough to make them flush just yet, but we will be adding 3 more coats…totaling 10 coats.
Very creative idea, Kimberly – Glad you like the results!
I want to get the word out on some stuff I learned about decoupaging (papering) a concrete floor. I did some test patches using craft paper vs bogus paper. After drying, the craft paper pretty easily popped right off. Not the bogus paper! I’ve since used bogus in 3 bedrooms (I’m a landlady) and am about to do a 4th. I LOVE it for LOTS of reasons!! I order bogus paper by the roll from Uline. Bogus is recycled paper, same 50# weight as craft or builders paper. (It takes 50 pounds of paper to make a ream, which is a stack of 500 sheets of paper, 8 1/2 X 11 inches.) Because bogus paper is made from recycled paper, you can never be sure of exactly what color you’ll get. It can range from pale pearl gray to dark taupe. Think of it like dye lots for yarn and order a roll big enough to do your whole project if consistent color matters to you. Another thing different about bogus from craft is that there is no…what?? Sizing?? Finish?? It’s very porous so it absorbs your water:Elmer’s solution very well which in turn made it adhere really well to my old concrete floors. My theory is that the chewed up, recycled fibers behave like the polymer fibers they put in latex paint and in “fortified” mortars & thinsets and help the paper really hug the concrete, really sink down into those pores. Anyway, 3 years later I couldn’t be happier with my bedroom floors!
There was a DIFFERENT problem with concrete, however. Because concrete is poured directly onto the earth, it wicks and off-gasses the moisture that gets underneath your home. If this is going on while you are doing your paper floor project, it will cause while freckles to appear in spots, sections, or along concrete fault lines on the paper. I found this to be unavoidable and not entirely unattractive. If it happens again, I plan to splatter my paper floor with some watered down, white latex paint before I add the polyurethane. In other words, add MORE white freckles – why fight the inevitable?? Wish me luck!!