Hello friends!
I am so happy on how my back porch concrete floor turned out. Since you are here, you must want to see how I mastered this look.
I want to be honest with you….it was a full weekend to do this project. That is after you prepped the floors 2 days prior to the actual painting and staining.
I won’t lie. I was pretty sore afterwards, but I would do it again in a heart beat.
Let’s get started!
First thing you need to do is prep your floors. This needs to be done 2 days prior to the painting/staining.
The steps we did:
1. Removing old paint, oils and junk that is stuck to the concrete
2. Pressuring washing the floors
3. Etching the concrete.
We used a sprayer to spray the etching onto the floor. You can use a watering can if you don’t have a sprayer.
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4. Spray the etching onto the floor. Using a stiff bristle brush using circular motions until the etching mixture stops foaming.
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5. Wash the floor real good with water.
So after this, I threw my husband’s shoes away. He doesn’t know it yet!
6. We squeegeed the porch.
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Two days later I marked my lines and taped them off.
Using a 6″ x 4′ board for my template. Making sure my first line was straight I used my level. Marking the lines with a pencil.
Started making my lines.
After I had all my long lines made, I need to make the short lines to make it look like boards. I started with a 72 inch mark and kept measuring 72 inches. When I came to the end of the porch that didn’t measure 72″ I brought the remaining measurements to the next top row. Example:
- First row 72″ – 72″ – 72 – 26″
- Second row 46″ – 72″ – 72″ – 52″
- Third row 20″ – 72″ – 72″ – 72″ – 6″ and kept this system until I marked the last row.
After I made all my lines I started taping out the lines. I used painters tape, I looked all over for painters tape that was 1/4″ wide and couldn’t find it. I just cut my own with a crafting knife.
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I used Valspar Porch and Floor Latex Paint.
Paint – color Weathered Oak
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I used a paint brush for edging, sponge roller to apply the paint and a Dollar Tree hand broom to make wood grains in the paint.
- In areas where I couldn’t use the roller I used a chip paint brush.
- I rolled the paint on sections at a time.
- Used the hand held broom to make wood grain marks.
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(You can tell I ran out of blue painters tape).
After the section had paint on it I took my little broom and sweeping it down that section.
I wanted some details to make it look like wood grain.
Once I had it all painted I removed the tape.
NOTE TO SELF: The best thing to do is to remove the tape before the paint dries. Since I was by myself, the paint was dry by the time I was able to remove the tape so some of the edges came off with the tape. UGH!
I let that dry for 24 hours.
I wasn’t real happy with the paint tearing off with the tape. Some places had chunks removed. I just went ahead and started staining.
I used Valspar Semi-Transparent Concrete stain color – Vaquero Brown.
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Used another chip brush for the staining process.
Even though I was using the same color on the whole entire floor I did one “board” section at a time.
Let me share a story with you. Back when I was in high school I had to do a map of the United States. My best friend was sitting with me at the table during study hall period when I was getting my color pencils out to color my map. She told me “if you color each state separately it will look nicer than just coloring the whole map.” It did and that advice has stuck with me ever since.
Before I started staining I used my little broom and swept the area to make sure all dust and dirt were removed.
I lined out one section. I wiped off any access off the other sections.
Using the paint brush I filled in the area with stain.
I took my paint brush and dragged the paint neatly down the section. I repeated this step until the whole section was done.
This is how it should look.
I did that technique to the whole floor. I am so happy with the jagged lines and the chunks of paint that was removed with the tape. Now I wished more would of came off. It looks like an old porch wood floor.
I let that dry for 24 hours.
Using Valspar Natural Look Protective Sealer.
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I used a sponge roller and a clean dry cloth. (make sure you have several)
Again sweeping the area with my broom.
The sealer is real thin. I poured just a little in the pan at a time. I rolled the sealer in 3ft sections.
Let the first coat sit for 5 minutes, applied another coat with the roller then wiping the second coat off with the dry clean cloth.
I did that to the whole floor.
One thing I notice you can tell where the float marks are. I never noticed how poorly they smoothed out our porch floor before. The stain enhanced the marks.
Even with the imperfection I love the look of our concrete floor. It took 5 days to get the floors finished. One day to prep it, one day to mark your lines and tape them out. One day to paint the flooring and remove the tape. One day to stain the floor and one day to seal the floor.
Thanks for stopping by to see how I painted our concrete floors to look like wood floors.
XO Terrie
Decorating our home on a budget is my thrill. I think a home can look beautiful without breaking the bank. Your home should bring the best out of you and make you feel happy. You should smile every time you enter your home. 🙂
Love it, it looks awesome! I would love to see it now with your furniture in it! What a beautiful retreat area to enjoy, relax & entertain!
Rita, it looks better with furniture. I will be styling our back porch soon, I hope you come back and see it. Thanks Rita.
Hi Terrie,
Its now Feb 1, 2023 ! We are working on a new house and I’d like to try this idea on our deck. It really looks amazing! Read Your comment that you were still happy with it after 3 years ! I see your deck is covered but you mentioned it does get some some weather on it from rain and stands up to it. Right on!
My question…. Does your deck get any direct sun on it at any point during the day? Just wondering how it would stand up to sun exposure? Ours will be covered as well but not closed in. It will be subject to some wet for sure but will also get some afternoon sun . How do you think it would stand up to that? Thankyou .
Hey Nona. First off, not sure if you are aware but our back porch is concrete, I painted it to look like boards. When you say deck I am thinking boarding floor.
To answer you question. Our porch is screened in but is facing west so we get the harsh sun light mid afternoon until the sun goes down. It gets a lot of sun light but is filtered by the screens. We do not have any walls just pillars with screens so ours isn’t enclosed either. When it rains it rains in and we get puddles of water standing. We don’t go out and mop the water off and still it looks great and held up great this year as well.
I am considering doing this inside. I have three dogs and my floor inside is really bad! Any thoughts on it for inside?
I think it would look beautiful on the floor. I would use an interior sealer and do more than two coats for inside floors.
Your floor looks great. I am going to try it on my patio. Can you tell me how many coats of the primer you used. One or two coats ? How much should the concrete be covered from the primer? Should it be covered like when you paint a wall? Or is it ok for some of the concrete to shows through. Do you have to wait a day before starting the staining? Or can you start as soon as the paint is dry in 2-4 hours?
Thank you Renee!
I didn’t use primer. We did an etching to prep the floors, I taped the lines, painted one coat of concrete paint, took the tape off the floor, applied the concrete stain and then used two coats of sealer. Just like the blog tutorial stated.
When everything is done, is the concrete rough and harsh to walk on barefoot? I’m thinking of doing this to my indoor floors, but I want to be able to walk on a smooth surface barefoot or in socks. Yours are beautiful and I love this tutorial.
Mine isn’t. Our concrete floor had a shiny finished to it. The only part that is a little rough is where the concrete wasn’t not smooth out properly from when it was laid. I am very happy with how it turned out. It has been three years and it has no wear of weather. Our porch is covered that makes a difference I guess.
This looks AMAZING! I am so glad I came across this before painting our basement floors a simple grey. To follow up on Shellys comment, do you think if I scrub the floors with soap and water, and start with a concrete primer I can skip the trisodium phosphate? I am really trying to make this as simple as possible for myself because I know myself and I tend to rush through projects.
Jordyn, thank you. I am not too sure about your basement floor, when I did ours I read that you need to acid wash concrete due to any sealant. It doesn’t take that much time and doesn’t cost much, I would probably do it, but that’s up to you. I would read other’s post to see if they do or not. Home Depot has an article on staining concrete.
Hello Terrie .. Thank you so much for posting this info. I was very happy to come across your DIY as I am literally just now in the process of cleaning/prepping my previously painted basement concrete floors to be painted and stained. I found another post by a DIYer who did something very similar in that instead of painting wood planks .. she painted first like you, allowed paint to dry and then, used a rag mop to sort of swirl the stain over and onto the painted surface. The result looked similar to acid staining. Also very pretty. My question for you is .. were you at all worried about putting the concrete stain over the concrete paint? Those two products are not traditionally made to go together .. however, I have now seen two posts where it was done successfully AND very beautifully. Your painted/stained wood-like concrete floor is stunning! Thank you again for your info .. I look forward to your reply.
Hey there J McG! Great question. I am the type of person that doesn’t get too nervous I just do it and then think about it afterwards. I know crazy.
Before I did our concrete I did a lot of research, just like you read everyone’s post on how they did it. Didn’t get too many on the way I did mine because I wanted mine they way I wanted. ha! I found out that painted concrete is still porous and will still absorb more paint so I thought stain would not be different. I done it a couple years now and my floor as held up through several different seasons. I wouldn’t hesitate doing it again.
Thank you, we really enjoy our floor.
Do you think I could use anti-skid paint for my base?
Shelley I am sorry I can not answer your question. I have never used Anit-skid paint. Maybe ask the people where you buy the paint from. They should be able to give you your answer. Sorry.
I did it today
Amazing tips, I already like it just after the weathered oak paint
Whoever asked how dd she make the lines darker…. when you stain the whole floor after you took off tape, there will be a different color since the ‘boards’ were painted and the lines were not, so on a bare concrete the stain color will be darker
Krisztina you are going to have to share your floor with me. Email, message or something I have to see your floor girl!
Thank you I am so happy I inspired you.
Hi Terrie,
I love this idea. I am needing to do something like this in my basement due to flooding. How did you get the lines darker? I know you laid down painters tape, but could you give me more details on what you did there? Thanks!
Thanks for commenting Taylor. I lined the design with painter’s tape and then paint the floor. I pulled up the tape and used a concrete stain over the floor, which gave the darker color.
On my blog I did give step by step of what I did. Follow each step from beginning to end and you will be so happy with the turn out. I love my floor the day I finished it and even more now. It was a lot more work than just painting the floor one color I would have to say that but oh how much more I am enjoying it.
Good luck with the floor.
I read your step by steps and still have the same question. You better describe the taping the first time you line out the boards but your blog doesn’t really cover how to make the lines with the stain. Did you just free hand it? Would you have done this differently?
I am sorry I didn’t explain that clearer. Ok after I made the lines by tracing the board, I taped the lines. I painted the base color all over and than removed the painters tape. I traced where the tape WAS with my stain and then stained each part separately. It doesn’t really matter how you do it. I liked how I did each part individually because I wanted my lines to be more equal than doing it all at once. So I hope I answer it better. Here are the quick steps.
1. clean your surface
2. draw your lines
3. tape your lines
4. paint your base coat of paint
5. remove the painters tape
6. trace around the board section where you remove the tape
7. paint the stain on in the trimmed out section.
Hi! I’m wanting to do this with my linoleum entry way. What would be different in doing this on linoleum vs concrete?
Hey Chelsea. In regards to your question, here are my thoughts. There is a lot of difference in painting concrete vs linoleum. First the prep work would not be as difficult. What I would do with your entry way, I would clean the floor well with a degreaser. Once it is dry I would paint a primer all over the floor. I always use Zinsser Bulls eye 123 (I love that stuff). You don’t have to use expensive paint, I have seen people use craft paint, chalk paint and even interior paint. If you want it to look like my porch floor I would do these steps; I would paint your floor the darker color after priming. Tape your design or use a stencil. Paint and then maybe a glaze to get the wood grain effect. The important part use a great protective sealer. Go to any paint depart and ask what sealer with the paint you are using and they will point you to the right protective sealer. I wish you luck and can’t wait to see your finish floor. Please share a picture with me. I would love to see it. I hope I helped. GOOD LUCK!
This is just what I was looking for – do you think it would be the same for an interior room? Wanting to do this in my basement
Kelly, I would think it would. I used the stain and sealer on a counter top on my daughter’s concrete countertop. It is used every day and is holding up nicely. I say if you use a good sealer it would be great.
I am still unclear as to how you made it look like wood is it paint the color on and then drag the broom bristles over the section that you just painted the paint onto
Once you painted the concrete PAINT, I removed the tape and stained section. I applied the stain on with a brush then dragged the stain with a Dollar Tree hand held broom and left it stay with the lines. It really is easy. Let it dry over night.
This is a beautiful job! I was wondering if it’s still holding up well or if there is some wear on it now?
Hey Sara, Thank you so much, I love how my porch floor turned out. I did the porch back last year in May. It has been through all four seasons and is holding up great. My porch is screened in but still gets a lot of rain standing on the floor. I have not seen any wear or tear as of yet. We use the porch quite often too. We had a gathering of people where they scooted chairs on the floor and I looked after they left and no scratches. I would not hesitate doing it again and in fact might be doing our front porch this season.
This looks great! I’m planning on painting my concrete basement floors, and I’m really liking what you’ve done. Any other tips for me would be greatly appreciated! Thanks for your post!
Hey Tammy! The one thing that is important is the prep work. Make sure you prep your area before starting. That is key. Take you time and don’t rush any of the steps. I honestly love how my floors look and they are hold up really well. I am going to paint my front porch this summer. 🙂 If you have any questions please feel free in emailing me.
How do you suggest to clean the basement floors..? I don’t believe we can pressure wash them and what cleaning product do you recommend for indoor use. I believe the prep work would be a bit different than an outside approach. I am definitely interested in doing this to my basement floors. What was the square footage you did and what was your cost? Thank you!
Hey Shelly we are going on the third year with the concrete porch being stained. Still looking great. I will be sharing our back porch refresh soon on the blog.
Indoors would be a lot different than outside for sure. After your comment I did some research on prepping indoor concrete. Here is what I found on several articles.
For prepping indoor concrete for staining – general-purpose cleaning and degreasing, sweep the floor and then scrubs it thoroughly using trisodium phosphate (TSP). For scrubbing, they recommend using a rotary floor scrubber with a green Nylo-Grit pad designed for aggressive scrubbing of concrete if you don’t have that I would get a very stiff brush and do a rotary scrub. If you have to remove glue, mastic, or paint from the floor, use a nonflammable chemical strippers.
Good luck my friend!
Wow! It looks fabulous.
Thank you Mandy! I love how my floor turned out. It is still going strong after two winters.
Hi Terrie! I can’t believe you actually turned a cement slab into looking like real wood floor planks! Your floor looks amazing! You are amazing! I also like the colors you chose 🙂
Thank you Maria! I know, right? It really looks great and I am so happy with it. Thank you so much sweet friend!
Oh Terrie :
That was an awesome job. Yous really worked hard on that , but it is really beautiful. It shines so nice. Awesome !!
Love you both !!
It was a very long process and took some time but we are very happy with how it turned out. Thank you so much!