Fair play

DIY projects from Your Home and Garden

Whether it’s a playhouse, she shed or teenager’s sleepout, a stencil-painted floor will elevate it from meh to wow.

A stencil painted floor

I got my daughter a playhouse for her birthday. It was an off-the-shelf version I wanted to customise with a striking painted exterior, cute flower box and knock-out stencilled floor. You could do the same with a sleepout, man cave or she shed. Paint stencilling is also a fantastic way to up the ante in your kitchen or another room in your home.

You will need

For the stencilled floor:

Pine sheet cut to fit the floor, if yours doesn’t have one
Pencil and paper to practise stencil patterns
Plastic sheet to make the stencil. I used an old ClearFile
Primer suitable for pine flooring. I used Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat
Resene Walk-on flooring and paving paint in Resene Blanched Pink
Paint rollers
Painter’s tape (optional)
Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen waterborne paint in Resene Clockwork Orange
Dry cloth
Floor sealer. I used Resene Concrete Wax waterborne satin glaze
Soft bristle brush or wool dust mop

For the exterior:

Primer. I used Resene Wood Primer
Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen in Resene Foundry
Painter’s tape
Resene Sonyx 101 waterborne semi-gloss exterior paint in Resene White for trims
Brushes and rollers

Instructions

Paint the outside of the playhouse with Resene Wood Primer and Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen paint. I used the colour Resene Foundry. For a higher sheen you could use Resene Sonyx 101 semi-gloss. Let dry and repeat. If using a darker colour, use Resene CoolColour to keep the playhouse cooler.
Paint the trims and windows using your chosen colour. I used Resene Sonyx 101 waterborne semi-gloss exterior paint in Resene White. Try painter’s tape around the border to ensure a crisp finish.
For the stencilled floor, choose your desired pattern. You can look up patterns on the internet and print them off or draw your own. Transfer the pattern onto the plastic sheet and cut it out.

Stencil painted floor - supplies used
Supplies used

Stencil painted floor - Step 1
Photo (1)

Stencil painted floor - Step 2
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Stencil painted floor - Step 3
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Prime the floor with the appropriate primer. Resene Quick Dry waterborne primer undercoat is ideal for timber floors. Stencilling is also a great way to refresh dated tiles, but this will require the correct primer. I used Resene Walk-on flooring and paving paint in Resene Blanched Pink as my base colour and applied it with a paint roller. Allow to fully dry.
Paint your stencil pattern over the top by placing the stencil on the floor and holding it down firmly, or use painter’s tape to hold it in place. I used Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen waterborne paint in Resene Clockwork Orange, but you should talk to your Resene ColorShop expert about the paint appropriate to your requirements. Roll the paint in from the edges inward. Avoid rolling out towards the edges of the stencil as you will push paint out under the stencil. Lift the stencil straight up, reposition and repeat the previous step. Use a dry cloth to wipe the back of the stencil clean each time you move it to avoid smudging the paint.
Allow your pattern to fully dry and finish your floor with Resene Concrete Wax waterborne satin glaze. I used a soft bristle brush, but for larger areas I recommend using a wool dust mop.

Stencil painted floor - Step 4
Photo (4)