If you’ve been embracing the Cottagecore trend like me, you’ll know gingham is one of the signature patterns- sweet, nostalgic, and full of charm. So today, I’m sharing how to paint gingham floors step by step so you can try this affordable upgrade in your own home.

I love my living room, but I’ve always despised the grey floors. When we bought our house seven years ago, the gray painted floors stayed “temporary” while we waited for the right time (and budget) to upgrade them.

But I finally got tired of waiting! Instead of spending a fortune, I decided to give them a new look with just paint.

I’m going for a gingham (or buffalo check) pattern, which feels so right for the space.

How to Paint Gingham Floors

Tips Before You Start

Here are a few things to keep in mind before you begin:

• Select a light, medium, and dark shade of your chosen color. I recommend choosing a color you like and then picking colors next to them on the fan deck so they’ll all flow nicely together. For example the color I choose is Frosted Sage which has a code of N400-2. Then I choose the colors N400-3 (Flagstaff Green) and N400-4 (Forest Path) to get colors next to each other.
• Stick with a neutral background- white, cream, or light gray works best.
• Sample jars are perfect for the mid and darkest tones to save money. I needed 2 sample jars for each color for my large room.
• If you already have a gallon of paint on hand for your lightest tone like I did, even better, that makes this project  budget-friendly!

SUPPLIES

• Paint in three shades of the same color (light- Frosted Sage, medium- Flagstaff Green, and dark- Forest Path)
• Floor paint for durability (I used the color Studio Clay in Behr’s Porch and Patio Floor Paint)
• Paint brushes and a roller with an extension pole
• Painter’s tape (delicate surface tape works best)
• Ruler
• Vacuum and mop
• Optional: sander and primer if your floors aren’t already painted

 

step 1- Move Furniture and Clean

Since I’m working in my living room, I moved most of the furniture to one side and a few pieces into another room. I planned to paint the floors in two phases because there’s just too much heavy furniture to completely empty the space.

Once the room was cleared, we vacuumed and mopped thoroughly. Good prep is key for a smooth finish. My floors were already painted, so I skipped sanding and priming, but if yours aren’t, it’s smart to lightly sand, clean, and prime before painting.

step 2- Paint the Base Layer

Usually, a gingham floor starts with a white background, but since this is a high-traffic space, I went with a beige instead to make it easier to clean. My color: Studio Clay by Behr. I’m using the Porch and Patio Floor paint for as much durability as possible. Choose your paint color and at the paint desk ask for it to be mixed in the floor paint. Pretty simple. 

I cut in around the perimeter with a paint brush, then poured paint directly on the floor and used a roller with an extension arm for quick coverage. Instant improvement! Honestly, I wish I’d done this years ago.

Wait at least 4 hours for the first coat of paint to dry. Apply a second coat of paint to the floors for full coverage.

step 3- Paint the Medium Stripes

Next, it’s time to start building that gingham pattern! I used my lightest color, Frosted Sage, and painted stripes following the original wood boards in my 1905 home — every other board got painted mint.

For this, I just used a paint brush and slowly went along the edge of the board. I didn’t use any painters tape, though you could if that’ll make it easier for you.

If you’re not working with floorboards as a guide, just tape off even stripes using your desired width (mine are 5¼ inches wide). Apply a second coat of paint to the stripes on the floors for full coverage. Let dry.

Why am I not using painter’s tape? Because it adds to the cost. Then it adds a lot of time to apply the tape perfectly. And it makes for a lot of waste when it’s removed. Plus, if something goes wrong with the tape then you have drips or the tape pulls off the base layer creating more work. So I’d rather see what I’m dealing with while I work. 

step 4- Add the Light Stripes

Next, take a long ruler and a pencil and draw lines on the floor. I went perpendicular to the stripes I just painted and drew lines from one side of the room to the other every 5-1/4 inches. Use the same width measurement as the stripes so your pattern stays even.

Now take your mid-tone color, I used Flagstaff Green, and paint in the squares you just drew on. Paint between the stripes on top of the base color. 

You’ll be painting over the base color only, not the stripes. This is where your gingham pattern really starts to appear!

Note, this is a slow process. It took me three hours to do half the room. Put on an audio book, grab knee pads for kneeling on, and get to work.

step 5- Fill in the Darkest Squares

Where the light and medium stripes intersect, paint those squares with your darkest shade- mine is Forest Path.

Tip: If you’re using tape to get crisp lines, make sure to use delicate painter’s tape so the fresh paint doesn’t peel when removed.

I personally am taking a paint brush and carefully painting inside the pencil line box to get a perfect box. Again, this was slow. At least 3 hours to paint the squares for half the room.

Between each step, I waited at least two hours for paint to dry and kept a fan running to speed up the process. We walked carefully on the floors in socks only as needed, giving it plenty of drying time.

Once one side of the room was done, I let it cure 24 hours before moving furniture over and painting the other half.

after

After everything dried, I stood back and smiled- our new gingham floors are gorgeous!

The pattern adds so much personality, and the mint color feels fresh, cozy, and perfectly Cottagecore.

If you’ve ever wondered how to paint gingham floors, I can tell you: it’s easier than it looks, budget-friendly, and totally transforms your space. I’m so happy I took the plunge!

How long did this take? I was painting for 5 days to get these floors completed.

The first day was moving furniture, cleaning, and painting the base layer. Day two was painting stripes and the mid-tone squares. Day three was painting the darkest squares and then letting the paint dry. Day 4 was moving furniture to the other side of the room and a repeat of day 2. Day 5 was a repeat of day 2 and day 3 (I painted over 8 hours that day). 

On day 6 we moved everything back and did a few touch-ups to the paint.

price breakdown

To get the gingham floors, I spent $40 on a gallon of floor paint (in the base color). I used paint I had on hand for the lightest color. Then I spent $18 for paint for the mid tone and $18 for paint for the darkest tone. I only needed a quart for each of the three mint colors. The grand total for this project? $76.

I saved a lot of money by only using Behr’s Porch and Patio Floor Paint for the base color. The floor paint only comes in a galloon size. Since I only needed a quart for the rest of the three colors, I used normal latex paint. If that makes you uncomfortable, use the gallon floor paint for all 4 colors. It will cost more, but it’ll all be in the floor paint.

Honestly, some of the painting was frankly tortuous. But I LOVE how it turned out! And $76 to totally upgrade flooring I hated for 7 years? Now that was absolutely worth it! I love them and can’t wait to decorate for Christmas with my new floors!

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