Half Bathroom Kristi's Studio

Whitewashed Studio Floor Progress

Last Updated on October 25, 2019 by Kristi Linauer

I had hoped to be able to show you my completely finished studio floor today, but I didn’t quite get everything done. BUT…I did get the entire whitewashing process finished, and I was way too excited about how things turned out to wait until Monday to show you.

If you missed the first part of this project, you can see that here…

So to this point, I installed the floors (obviously šŸ˜€ ), rented the big drum sander and sanded the floor, stained the floor with a custom mix of whitewash stain, painted a black and white chevron design on the back entry floor, and added two coats of white-tinted polyurethane.

I still need need to do three coats of clear polyurethane on the floor (four coats on the painted part, since I didn’t use the white-tinted poly on that part). But since those clear coats of poly shouldn’t affect the color at all, what I have now should be the finished color.

So just a reminder, I started out with unfinished red oak hardwood flooring, which looked like this…

Studio red oak hardwood floor in natural state before whitewashing

Red oak, as the name would suggest, has some very obvious red and pink undertones, and I didn’t want my finished floor to be red/pink.

So now, after the whitewashing process, the floor looks like this…

whitewashed red oak hardwood floor

Y’all!!! I’m am giddy with excitement over how this floor turned out! I had high hopes, but this exceeds my expectations.

whitewashed red oak hardwood floor

I am so glad I didn’t go with dark floors in there. The room is so light and bright and airy!

whitewashed red oak hardwood floor
whitewashed red oak hardwood floor
whitewashed red oak hardwood floor

So the hard part is finished, and I’m breathing a sigh of relief. I was so concerned that I’d wind up with a splotchy or rustic-looking floor. But there’s nothing rustic about my whitewashed floor, and the finish is so smooth and even. There’s not a splotch to be seen.

The clear coats should be the easy part, and in order to avoid the need to lightly sand the floor, those three coats have to be done today. If I wait until tomorrow (more than 24 hours since the last coat), the entire floor would have to be lightly sanded. I’ve already sanded this entire floor by hand (on my hands and knees) once, and I think I’d cry if I had to do it again. šŸ˜€

Finishing this floor was such a major hurdle in the studio project. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and it seems like a downhill slide from here on out. I can get to the fun and colorful stuff very soon. And speaking of fun and colorful, my wallpaper should be here on Monday!

I will be writing a post next week in which I’ll share every detail of whitewashing the floor, including all of the info about how I mixed up the white-tinted polyurethane, and how I applied it. So if you’re considering whitewashing your floor and wondering about the process, that info is coming. I just wanted to finish the entire process before writing about it in detail.

Update:

My floor is finished! Here’s how it turned out…

You can see the final post of this whitewashed red oak flooring project here…

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41 Comments

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  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Judy
    May 31, 2019 at 10:03 am

    Gorgeous! gorgeous! gorgeous!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Sharon C
    May 31, 2019 at 10:03 am

    The floor is absolutely gorgeous Kristi. YouĀ“ve done an amazing job. Well done!!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Cathryn
    May 31, 2019 at 10:05 am

    Stunning! Simply stunning!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    MP
    May 31, 2019 at 10:12 am

    I love the floor!!! I have been wanting to make a change to my cabinets and I wonder if something like this would work…? We have knotty Alder cabinets that are clear coated. So LOTS of knots in a yellow/orange wood. I know many of people like knotty Alder but I don’t. I’d love to make a change. I think I’m going to start looking for DIY whitewash solutions… You are an inspiration!!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Sheryl
    May 31, 2019 at 10:14 am

    I really like the look of the floor and am planning to do white-washed floors in my bedrooms when my carpet is finally ready to be replaced.

    Oddly, i have a red bathtub which came with the house and was the one thing i LOVED about my house when i bought it. If you’re concerned about your floors reading as “pink” or reddish, i think the intense pink color you’re considering for the walls are going to reflect on the floor creating a pink hue. In my red-tubbed bathroom, the color of the tub reflects on the walls and can shift the appearance of the wall color. I painted the walls a warm light gray so the tub could be the stand-out but the red shifted the wall color to a mauve/pink. I had to repaint a darker gray to overcome that tendency. Have you considered how the reflection from the walls will affect how you perceive the floor color?

    • Reply To This Comment ā†“
      Marianne in Mo.
      May 31, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      The walls are already the color she wants, they aren’t going to be pink. Maybe you mean the cabinets, which she is planning on doing a kind of persimmon shade. But I think I recall her second guessing the persimmon cabinets. We’ll just have to wait and see!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Peggy
    May 31, 2019 at 10:35 am

    This looks so good! I canā€™t remember what it was that you had originally planned that didnā€™t work out, but I canā€™t imagine what would have looked better than this. What an inspiring workroom!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Chelle Ellis
    May 31, 2019 at 10:56 am

    Gorgeous! I will be ripping up carpet and doing this to the parquet floor in my dining room (starting tonight šŸ˜¬), so Iā€™m looking forward to your instructions.

    My oak has yellow overtones, what would color should I use to mellow it out?

    Also, I took up carpet and found nearly perfect hardwood beneath in two bedrooms. Also yellow (which is okay) it seems to have no stain, but poly-ed over. Thereā€™s a couple of small bare places and I wondered if I can lightly sand those areas and reapply poly. This would have been done originally in the late 60ā€™s/early 70ā€™s and has had four to five decades of gross carpet over it.

    As always, I appreciate your guidance! Itā€™s nice to feel empowered enough to do what I want and know should be done even though my hubs is not interested in the project.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Deb
    May 31, 2019 at 11:13 am

    The floor is gorgeous and I’m beyond in love with the wall color. But the green entry just overpowers everything. I’m wondering if you just did a darker version of the studio wall color in the entry. It is your house and your decision–it just doesn’t seem to fit what you’ve got going in the studio which is absolutely stunning. And maybe it’s just the visual on the computer screen and what it looks like in person is totally different.

    • Reply To This Comment ā†“
      Kristi
      May 31, 2019 at 11:16 am

      The green came from the wallpaper. It should make more sense once it’s installed, and I add more green accents in the room. This is the frustrating part about showing the “in between” stages of a project, because in the middle, not everything will make sense.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Deb
    May 31, 2019 at 11:20 am

    I figured as much–it will all come together beautifully as usual. You’ve never done anything I have not liked. The funny thing is, I’m a green fan so it’s not the color as much as the saturation….I absolutely love the studio floor and wall colors. you’ve mastered muted and pastel without being too cute. It’s just stunning.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Danielle
    May 31, 2019 at 11:44 am

    Beautiful as always. What a testament to the hard work involved. Your creativity inspires me.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Cheryl
    May 31, 2019 at 12:11 pm

    This is beautiful! Great job Kristi!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Alta Craig
    May 31, 2019 at 12:12 pm

    CONGRATULATIONS! All you hard work has paid off, and it looks AWESOME! I think your decision to stay with the whitewashed floor was spot on and everything is going to play nicely with it. So happy for you, Kristi!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Sheila R Felix
    May 31, 2019 at 12:19 pm

    It is simply perfect!
    Sheila F.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Linda
    May 31, 2019 at 12:26 pm

    Stunning! That’s all……..stunning!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Julie
    May 31, 2019 at 12:34 pm

    Congratulations. Looking forward to your explanations. Do include explanation of why 24 hours requires resanding?

    Are the walls aqua? Or is that the light?

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    cindy
    May 31, 2019 at 12:54 pm

    WOW!!! Love it!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Jill
    May 31, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Amazingly wonderful floors!!!!! That whole area makes me giddy!!!!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    stargazr
    May 31, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    The floor is simply spectacular. I am in awe of such a profound and positive transformation. Well done!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Tabi
    May 31, 2019 at 1:57 pm

    so bright, love it.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Marianne in Mo.
    May 31, 2019 at 1:59 pm

    This floor is awesome, and dare I say “on trend?” I know you don’t do trends, but a lot of people are getting tired of the dark floors we’ve seen in the last decade or so. My question is, now that you have fallen for this floor, will you think of changing the rest of the house down the road to match this? Just can’t help thinking that you would do it once the major addition work is nearing completion. I DO love your classic floors, so this is not knocking them at all, I kinda wondered, since it sounds like you are super happy with the studio!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Joan Hornung
    May 31, 2019 at 2:12 pm

    Oh, just perfect! I really thought this was so much better in that room, than the darker stain of the house. Loving that studio – and it is exciting to see the next step – poly! Then, on to the next part! I SO look forward to your posts – thanks for the extra!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Debra Berchem
    May 31, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    I absolutely love these floors! It makes me want to completely change the floors in my house which are a darker grey floor now. So light and bright!! Love it!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Karen
    May 31, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    Wow! Just wow!

    You are one awesome, impressive, and dedicated Jill-of-all-trades!

    Canā€™t wait to see the completed studio!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Elaine Ness
    May 31, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    Kristi, the floor looks so beautifully perfect. Looking at the mockup of the wallpaper that I just looked at again (dated May 11th) compared to the airy feeling of the light floor makes the room so cheerful.

    And, I know we haven’t seen anything yet. Let the fun stuff begin!!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Mona Keegan
    May 31, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    Spectacular! You have done a job way above the average DIY project. Pat yourself on the back and celebrate!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Mary Lee Butterworth
    May 31, 2019 at 4:02 pm

    Itā€™s just wonderful

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Barbara
    May 31, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    You never fail to amaze! Beautiful job, Kristi.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Pamela
    May 31, 2019 at 4:53 pm

    Ya’ know, I always shake my head in disbelief about the amount of work you put into your projects asking “why would she do that?” and then when you’re done it’s like OH, THAT’S why! My daughter’s college friend turned down a marriage proposal upon graduation & I thought the same thing…she wanted to become Miss America. I thought she was nuts, guess what? The next year she was crowned Miss America. You’re like the Miss America of DIY. Long may you reign šŸ‘øšŸ»

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Liz
    May 31, 2019 at 6:16 pm

    Think of all you’ve accomplished in the past six months! It’s mind boggling! And this will be such a cheerful place to work. I love everything you have done.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    cyd
    May 31, 2019 at 7:07 pm

    Absolutely love it and so glad that you’re happy with it.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    KathieB
    June 1, 2019 at 5:09 am

    You’ve done it again, Kristi! Knocked that ball straight out of the park. I grinned from ear to ear when I read that the outcome exceeded your expectations. Hooray for Kristi.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Debi
    June 1, 2019 at 10:02 am

    You’ve done an amazing job on your home, and these whitewashed floors look AMAZING! I can’t wait to see the final dĆ©cor!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Seattle Sue
    June 2, 2019 at 12:30 am

    One word. . . . CONGRATULATIONS!

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Sherry
    June 3, 2019 at 2:40 am

    Three words. Iā€™m so jealous.

  • Reply To This Comment ā†“
    Julie
    June 4, 2019 at 11:29 am

    Curious.

    If you had changed your mind once you had applied the whitewash stain would you have been able to go right over the top of it with a dark stain? Or would you have to strip or sand it down, then apply new dark stain? I’m learning as I watch you.

    • Reply To This Comment ā†“
      Kristi
      June 4, 2019 at 11:41 am

      The wood was still VERY porous and dry after the first coat of whitewash stain, so I definitely could have stained over it with a darker stain. The white would definitely lighten the dark stain, though. So two coats of dark may have been required to get the desired color. And I’m not sure if all woods would be as easy to work with, so I can just speak for my experience specifically with the oak.

      However, my new staining method for pine involves a first step of applying whitewash stain in order to cut the orange and yellow undertones, and then going back and applying dark stain. You can see that here:

      https://www.addicted2decorating.com/how-to-refinish-pine-wood-countertops.html