How to Paint a Vinyl Floor + Linen Closet
How to paint a vinyl floor and even make it look like a tile floor.
This week I passed a huge milestone in my life. I was able to cross off the last space in my house on my declutter/purge list. If you have been following my blog, you know this has been an ongoing project… decluttering every room. It started with my attic a few years ago. I have been going slowly from room to room since then so the job would not be too overwhelming. The basement purge took a few weeks; this linen closet only a few hours.
Opening drawers and doors and seeing fresh, tidy and organized instead of postponed decisions of what to do with all the un-needed items has energized me. It is a great feeling.
I started my total house declutter/purge when I thought we might be moving. Who knows if we ever will, living with long-term unemployment has become our way of life, but I know now that if we do move, getting the house ready to sell will be easier.
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When we first moved into the house 20+ years ago, I was so happy to have a big closet for linens and bathroom supplies. Over the years I kept it semi-organized, but since my daughters moved out on their own, the closet became a dumping ground of old towels, sheets, rugs, and bedding.
I started the purge by removing everything. I bagged up what we didn’t need and cleaned each shelf and then only put back what we use. Everything else went to the trash, thrift store, and thanks to Lynn, a blog reader…I have a bag going to our veterinarian’s office. She told me that vets and animal shelters often are in need of towels and blankets when taking care of animals.
Since this bathroom is used only for guests, I wanted to make it feel hotel-like. I bought fluffy new white towels at HomeGoods and only kept one extra set of sheets for each bed in the house.
I didn’t want this to be a major project and opted not to paint the walls and shelves. I only painted the floor.
I did add white ribbon and upholstery tacks to add a bit of style in the way of shelf trim. I bought the silver upholstery tacks at Lowes. I posted about the dollar store baskets in my last post.
How the Vinyl Floor Looked Before Painting:
Many years ago, the vinyl floor in the closet became discolored from rubber backed bath rugs. I tried everything from Clorox to lemon juice to try to remove the discoloration, but nothing worked. In one of the previous houses we lived in, I had painted a vinyl floor with success.
That is how I fixed this floor. I painted it and used a sheet of adhesive-backed crafting vinyl to make the black squares.
How to Paint a Vinyl Floor
1. Sand the floor with 60-grit sandpaper to remove some of the surface shine. Sanding gives the surface some “tooth” so the paint has something to adhere to. Since the closet is small, I just used my sanding block. If you are doing an entire room, I would use a power sander. It will make the job go much faster.
2. Once the floor is roughed up, clean it well with detergent and water and let it dry.
3. I used this primer from Behr on the floor in my fitness room. It is called Behr Multi-Surface Primer & Sealer. Roll on one very light coat. Let dry. Roll on another light coat and let dry. If needed, add one more light coat.
- The key to perfect adhesion is rolling on more light coats than fewer heavier ones. Let dry overnight before applying paint.
- Check out my Paint Anything FAQ’s for more advice on painting projects.
4. I used semi-gloss interior/exterior paint in white to paint the floor to match the vinyl’s sheen and color before it became discolored. Using a glossy finish is easier to wipe and clean. You can also use Floor and Porch paint in a glossy finish.
5. Let the floor dry for a few days before walking on it or placing anything on it.
How To Create The Look of Black Tiles On a Vinyl Floor
I redid the bathroom floor that this closet is in 3 years ago. It was a $10 makeover with a roll of adhesive backed vinyl that is sold in craft stores.
- You can find the full tutorial here: How to makeover a vinyl floor for $10
1. For the painted floor, I used the same method I did for the bathroom, but needed to create new lines to connect the black squares. I used a silver paint marker to do this. I drew over the line impressions in the flooring. If you look closely, you can see them.
2. Using a clear ruler helped me make sure I was on the lines. The paint marker dries immediately. I made a few mistakes and had to dab some white paint over them after I was done.
3. Let dry.
4. I did not seal the floor, but if your floor is going to get a lot of traffic, use a water-based sealer. I like Zinsser Ultimate Polyurethane. Make sure to use water-based as it will not yellow your paint.
Vinyl Floor After Getting Painted and New Faux Tiles Added:
I could have tried to match the paint to the rest of the floor, but since this is closed off, it didn’t matter to me. I also had white paint on hand which kept this makeover very budget-friendly.
If you want to start decluttering your home, a closet is a good place to begin before taking on a bigger space like an attic or basement. Once you get it completed, the feeling of accomplishment will give you the energy to keep at it one space or room at a time.
