This content was originally published on OldHouseOnline.com and has been republished here as part of a merger between our two businesses. All copy is presented here as it originally appeared there.
I live in Cordova, Nebraska, a rural community with a population of 140. All the streets in town are named for Greek heroes and philosophers. My house is on the corner of Socrates and Andromache.
Michael Bristol
But what I want to show off here is a bathroom renovation. The project was part of my ongoing restoration of a 1908 house with a small addition. The first floor presented some challenges. In the kitchen/bathroom/laundry area, the original pine flooring had been overlaid with OSB and then covered in commercial carpeting. [OSB is oriented strand board, an engineered wood particleboard sheathing product made of compressed wood flakes and adhesive. -ed.] I dreaded pulling everything up, but adding a top layer of tile or wood would raise the floor level at least a half inch.
I started in the bathroom by pulling up the carpet. Then I thought: I’ll just paint the sheathing. After filling holes and a seam with drywall joint compound, sanding, and priming, I used paint, glazes, and antique graining tools to make the floor look like pine floorboards.
I replaced the tired mid-century vanity cabinet with a pedestal sink, and hung reproduction ‘Tulip Garden’ wallpaper from Aesthetic Interiors. Trim painted creamy white is more cohesive and lends a turn-of-the-century look. The traditional “pine floor“ warms the room. I plan to use the same treatment for the floors in the kitchen and laundry room.
A recent project has been to create a turn-of-the-century garden in the side yard. The plan and plantings are simple and suitable, to go with the philosophy I’m learning from my rural home.
- Cover prepared OSB or plywood with latex white primer; let dry. Choose “floorboard“ width and with tape measure, straightedge, and black marker, draw parallel lines on the primed sheathing.
- Here five colors were used, two light, one medium, two dark: Sherwin-Williams flat latex in Sociable, Tassel, Spicy Hue, Penny
Wise, and Rugged Brown. Take three lighter colors and separately mix each with glaze (Sherwin-Williams Faux Impressions). Apply quickly and at random with bristle brushes, in the direction of the “boards.“ Let dry. - With painters’ blue tape, mask every other board. Choose a dark tone and mix with glaze.
- Apply entire length of a board, then, with a continuous motion, pull the graining comb or rocker tool to lift some paint and reveal “grain.“ Continue for each unmasked board. Always allow the paint/glaze to dry before removing tape. Repeat on the remaining boards.
- Mix the darkest color with glaze for a wash; spread on three or four boards at a time, and while wet gently drag a soft rag along the “board“ to soften. In this project, the surface was then “stained“ with a mix of burnt umber liquid acrylic paint in glaze and water; use raw umber for a more aged look. Let dry.
- Against a straightedge, use a black permanent marker to redraw lines mimicking seams between “boards.“
- Protect the painted surface with a high-quality satin or semi-gloss urethane or varnish, applied in several thin coats