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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Brown Baggin It

I normally "Brown Bag" my lunch every day.
I don't like spending the money to purchase an expensive lunch.
I just grab something out of our cabinets or fridge, as I'm walking out the door, for work.

Brown Bags aren't just used for lunch or groceries anymore.
We are applying a Brown Paper Floor to our bedroom!
Call us crazy....
It will look like a worn leather floor when finished.
I can't wait!

We have some friends that applied it to their living and bedroom.
Theirs look amazing!

Items needed:  Brown Paper, Glue, Water, Dye, Bucket, Rubber Gloves

Scrape

Sweep

Mix 1 part glue to 1 part water
Add dye
Stir
The mixture will be purple if using Brown Dye, so don't panic.

Rip, Crimple and Pile paper

Dip paper in glue/water/dye mixture

Remove excess liquid from paper

Apply to floor
Making sure to smooth out all the air pockets

As the paper sets it will soak up the excess liquid and start to crimple. 
Don't panic!
This is what gives the worn leather look.

We used the straight edges of the paper to go along the walls of the room.

Over lap the paper, as you go. 
We didn't layer it, just over lapped a few inches on each piece.

Work in random patterns.
We didn't place the paper.
We just covered the concrete.
If there was a spot of concrete showing, we just applied another piece of paper.

This process has taken 3 VERY LONG evenings, to complete.
When the water/glue/dye mixture is dry, it will be covered with several coats of sealer.
We will be using a two part epoxy.
The same that was used on the stained concrete flooring.

Tips we picked up along the way;
One person Rip
One person Crimple
One person Apply
Why?
Everyone rips, crimples and applies differently.

We can see where Flower Boy stopped applying and I started.
Maybe it's just us, but WE can see it.

Although this is a very inexpensive type flooring, it provides a very rich look!
Although this is very easy to install, it is painstaking work!
Although our knees, back and hips are killing us, we are very glad we applied this flooring!

Stay tuned to see the final result!
We are off to get a massage and see the chiropractor.

Wishing I had my tub installed...


2 comments:

  1. Crystal1/03/2014

    I just started reading your blog (I like to read from beginning to end) and thought this was amazing! My MIL did this on her bathroom walls 25 years ago and it still looks great! I keep trying to convince my hubby that we should do it too; aparently he has nightmares from the first time he spent days ripping paper.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Crystal!
      We love our paper bag floor. It has held up great with our ranch lifestyle. No rips or tears and no moisture gets past the floor finish.
      We are blessed by your visit.
      Enjoy the read! It's been a ride since the House Fire!

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