I hate to interrupt right here, but don't know where else to write about the floor, so here it is. It might be a little bit long so if you aren't interested just skip right over it.
Two years ago I ripped out an ugly carpet in what had once been a garage, then converted to my children's game room, and now it is my studio. Art studios absolutely do not need carpeted floors, not mine anyway, so out that carpet went. The room is 13'x 20' with a wet bar at the end not included in the measurement but there because for years it was a game room for my children and it was a good place for a little fridge for their snacks and juice with a sink for washing sticky fingers. And so it was for about 30 years. The walls are all natural western cedar and there are shelves everywhere. The bar that can be seen from the room is brick as is the step up into the kitchen. It has double windows and an outside entry door. It also opens up into the living room and leads into the great room as well as the step up into the kitchen from the bar side. It is a floor that can be seen from just about everywhere. So you get the picture. As a studio, there's lots of light and a great place to work with running water, but I had to get rid of that annoying carpet that seemed to never be happy with spilled paint and moist or dry clay dust. I yanked it all out. There was a foamy type padding beneath and I had a real joyful time getting the glue off the concrete, but thought throughout about the ugly places that glue would surely leave, wondering how to fix them. So I thought my way through a couple of days of yanking carpet and pulling up padding and prying up strips of upside down carpet nails. I decided I'd just let the glue residue be texture since I knew there was no way I could rid the floor of all of it.
I wanted it painted but I wanted it pretty as well and easy to clean, so I went to Lowes. There I found lots of different kinds of even textural concrete paint but there was such a large variety of prices I was addlepated for a few days. Not unusual for me. But then I fell back on my art training and settled on a thickish concrete paint that was basically latex, near enough to acrylic . . . so I felt comfortable with trying it. Reasonably priced as well. After all I could always paint over if anything went wrong. The room at the moment is piled high with boxes that my daughter is moving from one place to another, so I can't get a really good picture of the entire room. This is also a new computer and I don't have old pictures transferred to it from the old one. So you'll have to settle for what I can show you this morning. I tried to work around all those packed boxes.
The paint came in 5 gallon buckets and I thought two of them would be enough. I can't get to the paint buckets that I keep handy in case the floor gets chips, so I can't tell you the kind or the brand. I can just tell you that it's from Lowes and it's for concrete and not very expensive as concrete paint goes. I'll have to get a picture of the label later.
I thought two colors would give a soft mottled effect so I chose a rich chocolate and an equally rich terra cotta. Between the two of them I could get many many shades. I wanted that look, a soft look, and I wanted the colors to blend in with each other but didn't want them to be one solid color. So one can of each color.
I bought 3 trays, one for each color and one for the roller brush that would mix the two wherever I wanted to have that mixed look.
3 roller brushes, the kind for concrete, so a little thicker tufted than what you would use for a wall.
I set to work, a little bit of terra cotta in one tray, a little bit of chocolate in another, and one empty tray for the mixing roller. All the rollers were on types of broom sticks, so there was no bending for me.
I'll have to admit I started with my heart in my throat and I did small sections at a time but by about a 3'x3' square it began to be fun and I was already loving it. Yay for Lowes and yay for my bright idea.
The over all color is in brown tones with some darker than others. The light plays with the paint, softening it, making it lighter sometimes, but always it is a really soft and comfortable look. Notice in the close up pictures you can see the slight pattern of the soft thick roller, that texture is what I wanted, sort of like a tweed look. It worked with that heavy thick roller. So here are some pictures, I'll send you more of the entire room complete with easels and stools and lamps and books and a jillion stored paintings if my darling daughter ever gets her stuff outta here.
I hope this helps. Ask away if you have questions. I don't have much to do but sit here and play on this computer till forever, it seems! .
