Use pre-sealed cork floor to fix bathroom

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2004 (7844 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DEAR Debbie — I have one of the ugliest bathroom floors possible. It’s from the late ’60s, and the tiles are 5″ x 5″, baby blue with grey grout that has water stains I can’t remove. Could this floor be painted? I cannot afford to tear the tile out and put down new sub-flooring for a few years. Thanks for your input.

–Anne

DEAR Anne — From the amount of mail I receive bemoaning the sorry state of bathroom floors, I’m beginning to think it’s an epidemic.

Well, it can be fixed, but not with paint. Although you can paint over tiles (with the proper preparation and primer), floors take considerably more wear and tear than walls and I don’t recommend paint for this job.

Instead, I suggest you look at putting down a pre-sealed cork floor. You will need to cover the old tile floor with a sheet of plywood so that the cork tiles will adhere properly. Cork is warm and soft underfoot and easy to maintain. It’s available in a variety of colours and will complement any style. And the great thing about a bathroom floor is that it’s small, so you will be able to handle this project without breaking the bank.

DEAR Debbie: After living in a rental all their lives, my mom and dad bought their first home three years ago, and have worked very hard to give it a fresh, updated look. They replaced the old wall-to-wall carpets with a beautiful three-tone hardwood floor of light, medium and dark oak planks.

There are crown mouldings and deep baseboards throughout the house, and a chair-rail in the kitchen. The kitchen is blue with white melamine cupboards. The living/dining room color scheme is soft mauve and white. Here is the dilemma: my mom wants to change to burgundy and something, but is not sure what would go best with burgundy, or where to put it, or how to co-ordinate a new set of colours. She watches you all the time and is sure you can help. Thanks.

–Monique

DEAR Monique — Going from the existing pastel palette to burgundy signals quite a change for your mom. It sounds like she wants to inject some drama into her home. The handsome oak floors and architectural details are already in place, so let’s concentrate on a new combination of colours. Consider pairing up two greens, a medium and a deep gray green with the burgundy.

The dining room is more suited to darker shades, so apply the burgundy to three walls and dark sage green as an accent wall. Then go with the medium sage for the living room (and hall). Choose some beautiful cushions and a throw for the living room in wine shades to tie these rooms together. Unify the main floor by painting the mouldings and baseboards throughout in an ivory tone that is closer to yellow than white. The blue kitchen and multi-toned floor will complement these new, bolder colours perfectly.

DEAR Debbie — Can you paint over a brick fireplace? I know it may sound like a foolish thing to do, but my decorating taste leans toward light and white, and the red/brown bricks are ugly and out-of-place in my living room.

–Margita

DEAR Margita — No decorating idea is foolish if it’s what makes you feel comfortable and at home. One of my very few rules is to do what you love. If it’s a working fireplace, you can paint the surround bricks white, but not the inside of the firebox. Use water-based paint and a bristle brush to get into all the crevices.

Debbie Travis’ House to Home column is produced by Debbie Travis and Barbara Dingle. Please e-mail your questions to house2home@debbietravis.com.