DIY: Painted Floor

In the spirit of SHIP & SHAPE Fine Goods' handmade credo, we want to share more projects here! Paul and I tore out the carpet in our house to reveal hardwood flooring, which he refinished, but in the porch there remained a defaced plywood subfloor. I finally decided to fix it up, and after contemplating many motifs, I had the best idea of all – to appoint a duo of painting virtuosos that I'm lucky to know. Tynan Kerr ended up creating this masterpiece solo, and I'm so happy with how it turned out.

Not wanting to outsource the whole job, I did what I could to prep the surface. I started by removing the lingering nails and staples, and sealing gaps and holes with all-purpose filler. I relied on Erin's carpentry prowess to patch a giant missing chunk of board. I did a somewhat cursory job with a hand sander, and scrubbed the whole thing clean. The walls and bordering edges were masked with painter's tape, and I rolled on a coat of primer. I equipped Ty with only some textile inspirations and let him do his thing. He worked from one end to the other, taping off and painting sections. I was excited to watch it progress, and overjoyed with the way the pattern and color shifts at the end. Several coats of poly later the floor was complete, and it looks great even with a bunch of furniture, bicycles, and plants all over it.

—Maddy

Check out Ty & Andie's art here.