7. Unless you are a floor genius you will more then likely end up with a gap on one side or both. This is also why you want to do a rough draft. To best figure out how to deal with that.
8. I used this patch and leveler to fill those gaps. Simply because it is what we had. For the stairs I also shoved wooden skewers into the gaps before using the patch (yep, real scientific.). Just be sure to use a putty knife or something like it to get a nice clean look.
Your diy floor is now done. Add threshold thingys to any doors. And finish it how you like. The best part of this floor is that it isn’t perfect. It looks very charming and cottagey. I chose to paint it. But, even staining it or using clear poly would look lovely!
There is my diy cheap flooring. And I’m telling you…this floor is soo pretty! I want it in my whole house. Really! One of my better diy ideas, if I don’t say so myself!
Update:
I have answered all the questions I’ve received about this project in this post.
Disclaimer:
Lath is not designed for flooring. I did this because I could. I wanted to try it. And I am okay with it not working…I’ll just do something else. This is what my floor looks like NOW. In 1 year? who knows. (Actually, I know now…it holds up well.) I’ll tell you. So…please think, research, and ask before doing lath for your floor. It might not be as cool and awesome for you! And…it is probably not recommended if you may need to resell. Got it? Good.
For the complete hallway reveal… head HERE!
For an idea for a DIY Area Rag Rug check out THIS TUTORIAL.
For an idea for a DIY Rug from a dropcloth check out THIS TUTORIAL.
Or, better yet… check out a full round-
I would sand it, and then pour that polyresin stuff on it. That stuff makes it pretty much indestructible.
Author
Good tip! Although, I will say that the porch paint we used was crazy strong stuff!
Did you do the lath down the entire stairway? I love what you have done, it has inspired me to replace my lanolium floors with lath in our hallway! And the carpet on our stairs. Just curious if you posted or have any photos of the stairs.
Author
No, I didn’t do it down the stairway. I used a solid wood cap for the stairs and painted it the same color. You can see a peek of it here… https://www.nelliebellie.com/my-hallway-reveal-epic/
When you nailed it down do you do it diagonally like traditional hardwood or did you staple/screw through the top?
it’s brilliant. Where did you buy your wood laths? Thanks.
Author
We got ours at Menards. I believe they are available at most lumber yards as well.
that is a BRILLIANT idea!!! wow- congrats.
Could this be glued to concrete slab?
Um…we have absolutely no idea! Not the answer you wanted…but hey, honesty is better than telling you it will work and then finding out later we are liars, right?
I have seen on Pinterest where some have used Liquid Nails or some other super duty glue to glue down wood floors. I will be attempting this as we have concrete floors under our carpet.
Author
Good luck! Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you!
Great idea for floors in trailors, light weight and mommy can do it. What do you recommend, before we moved in, the lamenant floor was is actually the subfloor, so lath or reclaimed pallets for floor to place over after removing lament tiles?
What type of nails did you use to keep the wood from splitting? We are doing our floors with the Lath and we are afraid that it will split. My father in law has a nail gun fo us to use. We just need to know what size nails.
We don’t remember the exact number, but they were just basic finishing nails that fit in our nail gun…
How does it look now??? I want to try this but I want to see how its held up!
There’s actually a link at the bottom of the post to show how it held up. I could get the link for you…but to be honest, I’m too lazy today :)
Wonderful work!!
WOW! This is such a huge difference. Love the color you chose for the floor. It really looks great!
What kind of paint did you use? How is it holding up? Looks great!
Hi! I was tickled pink when I saw you did this! I did something very similar to my entire house (except the kitchen, which I still want to do!) I work at Home Depot, so I had one of the guys rip bunch of plywood (quarter inch I believe) into twelve inch planks. I staggered them and screwed them down with deck screws. I was looking for an “Old Farm House” look, and that’s exactly what I got!! I painted them white with porch and floor paint, and they have been down for about 8 years, and get better looking the more beat up they get. And trust me, with 3 cats, a puppy, a 16 year old and a husband that works outdoors every day, they take a beating!!! I just mop them like you would a regular floor because the porch and floor paint is made for outdoors and can take the moisture. Thanks for sharing that, now you lit a spark under my butt to do the kitchen!!! And my husband will thank you for that!! Have a great day!!!
I would love to see a picture of how your floor looks!
I used lathe to cover the wall under the bar at my sons house. We love how it looks! We stained his and applied it to a piece of plywood for the base and then installed the plywood on the upright wall. After it was screwed to the studs we applied the final strips of lathe to cover the wood screws . Inexpensive but time consuming. :) However the end product was so worth it. I got my inspiration from a bar front at a Starbucks.
That’s a great idea! I love using lathe. It is time consuming but it turns out such a cool end result!
My husband and I are OBSESSED with this!! Mind if I ask how it’s holding up now that you’d had it down for a while? We’re thinking about putting the same down in his man cave. It won’t be a super high traffic area like your is, so I think it’ll be fine. Just wondering :)
It is holding up beautifully for us! I am fairly certain the super paint helps, but…we are loving this!!
Go Girl! Spectacular!!! Love cheap and giving anything a try.
Looks awesome! What paint did you use??? I love love loveeee the color!
Last question in this post. Thank you!! Me too! https://www.nelliebellie.com/lath-floor-hold/
The color of the floor against the white walls is “eye candy.” Great idea!
Thank you!! I love that color, as well!
Did you give it a sanding before painting it? And I was also wondering, do you have it in a “high traffic” house? I currently have carpet and dogs, they are all trained but I still can’t figure out how to teach them to wipe their own paws before coming in. Lol oh and kids too so just wondering how it would compare for wearing issues. I’m totally thinking of doing this in my kitchen, dining and living room areas !! Thank you for the tutorial. Awesome idea. I’m totally gonna try it !!
some questions answered are in this post… https://www.nelliebellie.com/lath-floor-hold/
It was fairly high traffic. In our hallway to bedrooms.Not as high traffic as a kitchen or living room. But, fairly.
Do you have a facebook page I love this flooring
what a transformation. Congrats! I so love the color, very cool to the eyes :)
Thank you…I do too!
Looks really pretty. How’s it holding up a year later? Have you seen the tutorial about using plywood ripped into strips to create a floor? Any experience with that?
It is holding up fantastic!! I might give it a quick coat of paint. Yes…I have seen that. No, I don’t. Truthfully…this floor is so wonderful that I wouldn’t feel the need to try something else!
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I yanked up some stair carpet (after unsuccessfully trying to patch a problem area). I was not planning to do that nor suddenly find myself needing to spend a fortune to have new wooden treads or some other option put in. I was thinking of doing lath strips, since they are so easy to cut. I thought I would stain them. As you said, it is a cheap solution and if it does’t last – no big deal. It was great to hear they have held up.
I’m so glad to hear I gave you some inspiration for getting fabulous without costing alot of money!
Hi love it ..I think Im going to do this ..question “ dont you have to put space between the boards? I thought you had to ..what nails did you use “ nail gun or a hammer” did you glue them down first and I am sure you sanded after …great I want to do it too….sally
Hi love it ..I think Im going to do this ..question “ dont you have to put space between the boards? I thought you had to ..what nails did you use “ nail gun or a hammer” did you glue them down first and I am sure you sanded after …great I want to do it too….sally
Author
I didn’t put space between the boards. Well, I take that back…I stuck a penny in between each one (the vertical way). We used a nail gun and yes…sanded them afterwards!
Did you nail the face of the boards or the edges?
On the face. I think if you were to nail on the edges there would be splitting?
We were inspired by your lath flooring months ago and decided to give it a try throughout our mobile home. We tore up carpet, took out a bathroom, replaced some subfloor, and then laid the floor. We used staple guns and it went down pretty fast. We included some holey pieces and different colors of the strips (red, grey, etc). We sanded it smooth and added 7 layers of polyurethane…. BEAUTIFUL! Everyone who walks in loves it. Thanks for the cheap inspiration!
Author
That is incredible! I am so pleased to hear it…and love your 7 coats of polyurethane AND the strips of color. What a fabulous idea! Thank you so much for letting me know of your success. And congrats on that hard work!
AAAAAAMMMMMAAAAAAAAAZING!!!!! Thank you sooooo much for saving me a bundle on my master bedroom build!!
Wow! What a beautiful transformation! I had not even heard of lath…thanks for sharing what it is!
this is a great use of inexpensive wood. awesome look!!!
Your new floor looks great! I like the color that you chose.
Looks great! I’m sure you are glad it is finished :) Lots of work huh?!
I am in love with your new floor! My favorite color and my favorite budget, cheap! Fabulous!
Wow wow! That is awesome! I wish we had a house. *sad face* Great job! :)
Looks great! Did you prime, paint and then seal the floor? Did you use floor paint like the kind for outdoor wooden porches? If not, what kinda paint did you use?
Author
Hi Carla!!
These were painted with a specialty paint …Porch and Floor by Dutch Boy with primer/sealer. This is a very, very sturdy paint. It is for porches. And, I love it.
Love that floor! Looks all gappy and old.
P.S. thanks for commenting!
Beautiful boards, Nellie, such a great color! It looks like award season in Blogoland, so please come over to receive the Dardos Award!
Brilliant…gorgeous…I want to try this!
You picked the perfect color for the cottage look. You and your helpers did good, looking forward to the reveal.
Bliss
Good job, girl! Beautiful color. Thanks for answering that lathe question….I had no idea what that was.
Wow, girl you got it going on! :) Great project!
Love, love, love the color and the cost can’t be beat! I asked for lath at the local big box store and got a tilted-doggy-head “huh?” Oh well, I’ll keep looking and in the meantime drool over your floor :)
Your floor is amazing! Wow…I love the color. Megan {Our Pinteresting Family}
looks great Janel! I love a pretty cottagy floor. :)
Lucky you finding all those bundles of the same widths! Although staggering widths might be another cool look. Really love this project – when did you sand the lathe? before or after the install?? Have a great week!
Author
Believe it or not…I didn’t sand the lathe. This stuff was so great. And I used a very thick paint that eliminated all need for sanding. But, you are right…it is a step that should probably be done if necessary!
GET OUT! Wow, that looks so beautiful – well done girl!
That is soooo awesome!
Wow! This is truly amazing. Great work!
Author
See potatoes and aqua floors. It’s meant to be :)
Holy crapola!!! Those are AWESOME!!! And EXCELLENT Tutorial! I’m leaving this on my dear husband’s FB page, so he can get over his “not again” phase before he gets home from work!
Kristy @ Shona Skye Creation
http://shonaskye.blogspot.com
Author
Thanks!! Good luck on getting your husband over the phase :).
He’s a dork. He said, “You want blue floors?” While I love your color choice, it wouldn’t work in my house. I said, “No, goofball, I want to try the technique!” LOL
You go girl! It’s simply amazingz!!!
Holy moly girl! I LOVE it!!
Author
Thanks so much!!
This looks amazing, Janel! The color is fantastic and the price is even better :) Also, I may be a little late in noticing, but I love your new picture… you look beautiful!
Author
Thank you!! You aren’t late…it was just added yesterday!! You are right on time! Thanks for noticing!
More with the teasing? Well.. I LOVE the color, It’s like a tropical vacation :))))
Author
absolutely! Milking this one. Really, I’m still working on pictures.
Good Gosh Holy Smosh – this is AMAZING~!!!! Love that Floor…one day I will come over and dance my feet across it- One day I will! Great job!!
Author
some day we will sit and chat right on that floor. why bother with furniture when we can use the gorgeous floor :)
You know thats my favorite colour right? So I’m in the front row to see the big reveal!!!! Cant wait. And so far – looks AWESOME!!!!! xxx Nat
Author
Thanks Nat!! I love that color too…so pretty!!