How I Transformed a Vinyl Floor for $10.00
I think I can… I think I can… I know I can… transform a vinyl floor for $10.00. I just did it and I could not be happier. Here is what my new floor looks like. A classic black and white pattern.
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Now if you saw the before photos in my previous posts, you are probably saying to yourself –“ it doesn’t look different”. The camera doesn’t show the detail – so I took an up close shot for you to see the color change. Before – each square was dark green. The new color scheme in this room has no dark green so I had to come up with an inexpensive fix to change the color while staying within my budget. After- the squares are black.
Before After
If you have been reading my blog for a while you know that I used to work in Retail Display. One of the daily projects I did in the store was apply vinyl VATS – manufacturer’s logos, promotions, etc. all over the store. In the display windows, on cosmetic counters, walls, and floors. They were always so hard to remove even with water and a razor blade after the promotion was over. The ones on the floor after high traffic trampled all over them were nearly impossible to remove. I knew if I could get my hand on some black vinyl I could make my own VATS – plain black square ones. I was going to go to one of my display buddies and ask them to give me some of their excess black VATS, but I wanted to create something with a product that anyone could buy easily. At Michaels I found rolls of black vinyl made by Cricut. 2 adhesive backed 3ml sheets for $10.
The only problem was that they were matte. I wanted shiny as the vinyl floor in the bathroom is very shiny. I experimented with black nail polish and enamel paint to cover the green squares, but it took more than one coat and even using masking tape – the edges were not perfect – it didn’t look good.
Then I figured I could try to spray the vinyl sheets with clear gloss glaze. I tacked each sheet to a piece of foam insulation and sprayed them with gloss glaze. The directions said to apply until the surface was very wet and shiny looking. At first I thought I wrecked the sheets as the glaze clouded up. I thought my plan was going to be a total failure –go to Plan B which I didn’t have, but no need as the next day when the glaze had dried the sheets were perfectly shiny! Back to Plan A. I did see on-line today that you can order shiny black vinyl from a few craft/art supply manufacturers.
I used a paper cutter to first cut the vinyl into strips and then squares the size I needed.
I needed about 300 of them.
You can see the difference in color on the floor versus the black vinyl.
I cut each square a teeny bit larger than the existing squares to make sure it covered all the green and gray.
Before you apply the vinyl to the floor, make sure your floor is super clean and there is no cleaning agent residue. I started on one side and then used my finger to rub it down a little bit at a time to prevent air bubbles until the entire square was down. I then rubbed hard to make sure it was down in every corner then I moved onto the next square. You could also use one of those rollers that are used to flatten wallpaper seams. You want to ensure that all edges are securely down.
It took me about 2 hours to apply the squares – I know this as I listened to the Rachel Ray Show and then The View coming from a TV that was on downstairs. The 12:00 News came on and I was done.
The black and white floor is neutral now – it is a classic pattern that goes with anything.
I am totally loving my $10 floor transformation.
Vinyl floor makeover for $10!
Update: It has been over 3 years since I redid this floor. It has held up beautifully. Every tile is secure, no rips or edges wearing. I am still thrilled with it.