Painted porch floor and gray and cream vinyl floorcloth.
Painted Floors
A painted floor can be charming, an opportunity for color, and a relatively easy fix to hide damaged floors. In my last apartment before becoming a homeowner, the wood floors had dark water stains. The owner agreed to my painting them and I used a taupe, which was lovely and hid dirt.
Painting the floor is common for porches and cottages, where a cheerful dose of color is welcome on the floor. However, white painted floors are common in Scandinavia, where they have short daylight hours in winter, and want to maximize the amount of light.
In general, a darker, grounded color is best: barn red, medium to dark greens, and neutrals. Here are some I would use:
Benjamin Moore Cottage Red HC-184, a very dark barn red
BM Crownsville Gray HC-106, a medium/dark gray green
BM Coffeehouse Tan, CW-130, a nice mid-tone tan, like coffee with cream
The larger the floor area, the more you need a subtle, muddier color. A small area such as a porch can take something brighter.
Painted Floorcloths
Floorcloths were first created and used in 18th century England. They were made of an oiled or painted piece of canvas used for warmth, decoration, or used as a bottom layer to protect expensive carpets. Most modern floorcloths are made of heavy, unstretched canvas with two or more coats of gesso. They are then decoratively painted freehand or with stencils and varnished to make them waterproof.
A floorcloth is an opportunity to add pattern and color in a customizable color scheme that goes with your room. A company that makes a superb line of modern floorcloths in vinyl in a huge variety of patterns is Spicher and Company, available at cottagehomefurniture.com.
Wishing you a colorful month. Contact me for help with your interior or exterior paint job color in Contra Costa, or Alameda counties. Please contact me through my website: www.beforeyoupaint.net