Painted Plywood Floors Update: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

My painted plywood floors are the most beautiful, creative, fantastic project I have ever done.  And the most popular project I have shared here at Lovely Etc. by far.  (If you missed the post about the floor process, you have got to go check it out immediately!)

Now that we have lived with them for more than half a year, I figured it was time to share a little update on how they are holding up.



So here you have it.  The completely honest, unbiased update of the good, the bad, and the ugly of painted plywood subfloors.

The Good

First, I should say that the floors have held up great and continue to be my very favorite thing in my house.  I love, love, love them.  When I walk into other rooms that still have their dreaded dingy carpet, I can’t stand how the carpet seems to just suck all of the light out of the room.  These floors, on the other hand, continue to be just as beautiful and reflective as they were when I first painted them.

The floors have also been quite durable.  I have had almost no problems with the paint getting chipped or scratched.  Some of my furniture has protective pads under it but not everything.  These chairs are sitting directly on the floor and have not made even the slightest scratch in the finish.



The same is true of the couch.



There is one exception to this.  There is a very small divot in the floor where I dropped something several months ago.  I think it was maybe a picture frame but in any case a sharp corner fell into the floor.  This did not scratch the paint but it did dent the soft plywood of the floor.  The divot it left was deep enough to show the bare wood beneath the paint.



As you can see, it is fairly tiny and not very noticeable at all.  If it really bothered me, I could simply touch up the paint.

As far as cleaning, I have simply swept the floor for the most part.  A few times I have mopped with my Swiffer wet jet which has worked just fine. 

The sealer I used has been one of the biggest keys to the durability of this project and has held up great.  I used porch and floor paint followed by Varathane Crystal Clear Water-based floor sealer in Satin Finish.  I also painted the floor of my screened porch several years ago with porch and floor paint but did not use a sealer. Not only does that floor not have the same beautiful sheen, it is very difficult to keep clean. It seems like the dirt just sticks to the paint.

 

The Bad

I am extremely happy that I stenciled a pattern on the largest area of the floor because it hides dust and dirt so well.  The solid area around the edges of the room tends to show every speck of dust – mainly because the floor color is so dark.  Also, being a painted surface, it is very uniform and hides nothing.  Even wood floors have some wood grain to help camouflage dust.

I still have not gotten around to replacing the shoe molding around the edges of the room. This of course makes the room look less finished but there is actually another side effect as well.  Dust from inside the wall tends to fall and gather in the corners of the room.  This contributes to the difficulty in keeping the solid portion of the floor looking clean.



The other reason the pattern is so key is that it helps hide the seams in the plywood floor.  The floor overall looks completely amazing.  But when the light hits it a certain way, you can see the plywood seams quite clearly.  This really doesn’t bother me at all, but if you are a perfectionist, it may not be for you.  Also, in the future I would skip patching the floor and go straight to sanding.  The plywood patch I used did not really make the seams appear any smoother and took a lot of time. 



And the biggest negative of all.  After I posted about my painted subfloors, a fellow blogger let me know that painting subfloors can be a problem from a real estate point of view.  Yes, I already realized that potential buyers may night be pleased with plywood flooring – even if it is very beautiful plywood flooring.  The bigger problem is that in at least one state, you cannot sell a house unless there is some sort of covering over the subfloor – it has to do with not being able to get bank financing.  One of those strange quirks.  That one state is Virginia where I happen to live.  (This may or may not be true for other states – I am not an expert in real estate and have absolutely no idea). 

For some people, this could be a major deterrent and it is definitely something you should be aware of before you undertake a project like this.  For me, it is not really a big deal because I am not planning to move anytime soon. 

The Ugly

Come on, seriously, there is nothing ugly about this floor.  It is magnificent and it makes the whole room seem so much more amazing. 



Okay, so there was one point when it almost took a turn toward ugly.  When I first did this project, I actually sealed the floors two times. The first time I used Varathane Crystal Clear Water-based floor sealer in Gloss Finish. The floor was so shiny and glossy that it looked wet long after it dried. The extreme shininess of it also highlighted every single imperfection in the plywood – not pretty at all. Luckily, I kept my head and went back to the store and bought Varathane Crystal Clear Water-based floor sealer in Satin Finish. I put this right over the finish I had previously used and it turned out perfectly.

So there you have it – the unbiased truth.  They may not be perfect, but I absolutely adore my painted floors.  And as soon as I am no longer pregnant and things have settled down around here, I can’t wait to tackle the floors in more parts of the house.

Anyone else out there tackle a floor-painting project?  What tips or advice would you add?  Are you as thrilled with your floors as I am with mine?  Anyone have other questions about the process or about how they are holding up? 

Be sure to come back Wednesday to see an update of the rest of the room. 

I am linking this update at Home Stories A to Z, A Diamond in the Stuff, Not Just a Housewife, Primp, Domestically Speaking, The 36th Avenue, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Simple Home Life, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors.