How to Stencil a Concrete Floor Like a Pro

Today, we’re sharing how to stencil a concrete floor like a pro.  A special thank you to Royal Design Studio Stencils for sponsoring this post!

Of all of the projects related to the master bedroom makeover, stenciling the concrete floor was the task I was most excited and also the most nervous about. We knew in advance this would be a time consuming project and with our six week One Room Challenge timeline, I knew there was a chance we would be cutting it close.

Well, I’m happy to report we finished this project in plenty of time and it changed the look of the entire room!

Here’s a look at how we completely transformed the bedroom floor with the help of Royal Design Studio Stencils…

Prep Before You Paint

There’s a lot that goes into stenciling concrete floors but nothing more important than prepping and cleaning the floors before you paint them.  We painted our floors in Valspar’s Porch, Floor and Patio Paint in Ultra White.

It was a ton of work (around 4 days due to drying time) but it’s really important to have a good foundation anytime you’re painting and stenciling concrete floors.  You really want your work to last.

Especially, if you plan to have a floor that will be a statement maker.

Choose Your Floor Stencil Wisely

We knew early on we wanted our concrete floor to have a tile pattern that would have an elegant feel to easily mix with our Southern style. Over the course of a few days, we searched for the perfect tile and were excited to find the Lisboa Tile Stencil from Royal Design Studio Stencils.

We stenciled the curtains in our dining room using another Royal Design Studio Stencil a few years ago and I can honestly say they help up really well.  So, it made us even more excited to try their stencils on the bedroom floor.

Review Stenciling Instructions Prior to Starting

As soon as the concrete floors were cleaned, painted and prepped, we set about transforming them with the Lisboa Tile Stencil.  If you’re new to stenciling or need a reminder, Royal Design Studio Stencils has a wide range of tutorials and videos dedicated to stenciling and various applications.

Even though I had stenciled the curtains, I’m new to stenciling concrete floors. So, we watched the video How to Stencil a Concrete Floor in 10 Easy Steps before getting started.

As recommended, we used a tape measure and a chalk reel to mark the center of the room.

Choose the Right Paint 

I mentioned earlier we painted the floors with two coats of Valspar’s Porch, Floor and Patio Paint in Ultra White which is the same color as the board and batten. We also wanted to use the same color for the stencil that we used on the walls.

So, we had the paint department tint the paint in Cathedral Stone. Keep in mind, floor, porch and patio paint has a completely different texture and consistency than some latex paint, chalk paint or even milk paint does.

For this reason, we chose to use a sponge roller to apply the stencil to the floor.

We used one tray to keep the porch paint in and we lined a separate paint tray with an old towel. That way, we could easily off load any extra paint on the roller.

Off loading the paint is a really important step so don’t skip it!  You don’t want any paint overspray on the floor or paint bleeding through the stencil because your foam roller is squishy from too much paint!

 

How to Stencil Concrete Floors

Once you have the center of the room marked and you know your start point, lay the stencil flat and use painters tape to help secure it in place.

Then roll paint on the stencil until it’s completely filled. You may use a light touch at first until you get the hang of how much paint should be on the roller.

Royal Design Studio Stencils has a fun feature on their stencils called registration marks. This helps you know where to reposition the stencil as you’re moving it from place to place.

You can see one of the registration marks on the Lisboa Tile Stencil here!

Moving the stencil made me so nervous at first but it’s just like the amount of paint on the roller, it gets easier the more you do it.

Make sure you’ve allowed plenty of time for the paint to dry before you move it.

It wasn’t until we got to row three that we really started to see how much of a statement the Lisboa Tile Stencil was making on the concrete floor. I mean look at this!

Gah! So exciting!

Troubleshooting the Edges 

I stenciled the majority of the floor before I started to stencil the edges of the room. Mostly because I knew I would have to bend the stencil and I wanted to make sure I didn’t damage the stencil in any way.

I even had to tape the stencil to the wall in some places!

The stencil was flexible and durable enough to get the portion of the pattern required for the baseboards. That said, be extra careful you’ve secured the stencil completely before you start rolling on your paint.  You’ll likely need more than two pieces of tape to keep the stencil secure.

Sealing the Stencil Concrete Floors

Since we’re using this specific porch, floor and patio paint indoors, according to our paint retailer, a sealer wasn’t required.

Most paint will require a sealer though. So, make sure you use the correct sealer for your type of paint. Especially, if you’re using this technique to stencil a concrete floor that will be exposed to the weather elements.

Believe me. you’re going to be excited when you finish a big project like this! So, you’ll definitely want to make sure your hard work is protected.

I can’t believe how much this stencil changed the look of the concrete floors. But also the look of the entire bedroom. We still need to put in the quarter round. That said, things are starting to come together. It’s going to be much fun!

A big thank you to Royal Design Studio Stencils/Modello Designs for sponsoring this post. All experiences and opinions are my own.

If you want to find out more about the Lisboa Tile Allover Stencil and so many other products this fabulous company has to offer, check out the Royal Design Studio Stencils website here. You can also check them out on Instagram, on Facebook and on Pinterest too.

We have many other projects on our bedroom makeover list to finish. But I’m so excited we decided to stencil these concrete floors.

Let us know if you decide to stencil a concrete floor like a pro too! For more on how this makeover came together for the One Room Challenge, check out our ORC Master Bedroom Reveal post here.  Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

 

Many blessings,

CoCo