milovany Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I learned about paper bag flooring on this board, and my husband is going to install one in our kitchen when the rest of us are on vacation next month. I have the instructions, but my question is the sub flooring. We're going to be pulling up tile to put this down, so it seems like it will be a lot -- lower, I guess, than the tile (thickness of a paper bag compared to the thickness of tile). Will that matter? I also wonder about how hard it will feel to walk/stand on with just a layer of paper bag there (although, not much is harder than tile). Are there any simple/inexpensive subfloor options that would add a little cushion under the brown paper? Do we do several layers of the brown paper? How many coats of polyurethane did you do? Thanks for any help/advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie G Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 That looks nice! It kind of looks like leather. I think several coats of poly would be needed- the link says six, which will take some time. But it's so unusual looking! Post pics when it's done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 We are working on it and have done a few rooms now. It really doesn't feel too hard, especially compared to tile. We've done 5 coats of poly/varathane on ours. You only need 1 layer of paper bag but it has to overlap on the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heliconian Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 This looks beautiful. Pair it with one of those floors made out of pennies and it would be breathtaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamzanne Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 I'm pretty sure a blogger from my town started this trend! She has lots of FAQs regarding it on her blog. I've wanted to try it since I saw it several years ago! Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 24, 2012 Share Posted July 24, 2012 Thanks for posting this thread! We need new flooring in This Old House, but it would be a long time before we could afford wood and new carpet. How does it compare, cost-wise? How much time allowed between coats? Will it hold up to high traffic (ie, pulling chairs out from under a table on a regular basis)? I really like this and have been emailing dh some images (google searching since I saw the OP!). He says he is willing to give it a go, we just have to decide on a room to start, yay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Time between coats is variable depending on the temp and humidity, this winter we could do a coat every 2 hrs, this summer it is several hours between each one. Cost- if you are putting it down on wood subfloor it is about 50c sf IIRC, we are putting it on concrete so using a much more expensive glue/sealer and it is about 75c. Ours is rather new but from what I've read people have put it on high traffic stairs and bathrooms without difficulty, you can "patch" it as well if there is any problem. Dh was VERY skeptical but he loves it now and everyone who has seen it is amazed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I have a friend who covered her dining room walls with this treatment about 9 years ago. It turned out nice. Instead of using paper bags they bought a roll of paint contractors paper (a roll of brown paper). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I want pictures when you're all done! That looks so col. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Time between coats is variable depending on the temp and humidity, this winter we could do a coat every 2 hrs, this summer it is several hours between each one. Cost- if you are putting it down on wood subfloor it is about 50c sf IIRC, we are putting it on concrete so using a much more expensive glue/sealer and it is about 75c. Ours is rather new but from what I've read people have put it on high traffic stairs and bathrooms without difficulty, you can "patch" it as well if there is any problem. Dh was VERY skeptical but he loves it now and everyone who has seen it is amazed. could you post a picture? I'm dying to see what this looks like in a real house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2hunangirls Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I have a friend who covered her dining room walls with this treatment about 9 years ago. It turned out nice. Instead of using paper bags they bought a roll of paint contractors paper (a roll of brown paper). I have a friend who did her walls and an antique world map on the ceiling. She used the roll of paper too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 could you post a picture? I'm dying to see what this looks like in a real house. LOL, I'll have to see if dh can(I cannot seem to figure out such things), I know he has pics on the camera for showing the guys at work. Bear in mind though the room is not entirely finished and we have a cheap camera. It is very shiny so it is hard not to get glare as well. We used contractor paper as well, we are doing about 900 sf total, it would take a boat load of bags. The tearing and crumpling of the paper is by far the most time consuming and tiring part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 We have been humming and hawing about doing it too. I think I'll be starting in the play room. If it can survive in there, than it'll survive anywhere. I am curious as to how it would resonate with the sound in a music room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 We did this on the walls in both bathrooms of our old house. We used elmers glue to adhere it. We only did one layer. In one bathroom we put a clear coat on top, in the other we did not. It never occurred to me you could do it on the floor. It does look nice and, on the walls anyway, if there was a mistake or child who messed with it, it was fixable. Just slap up some more paper. The contractor paper was like $8 a roll at Home Depot. Leftovers are good for kid's crafts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Oh my! Would it work over the existing tile floor? How can I make the tile floor rougher in order for the glue to adhere better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I love the idea of doing that to walls! Did you use poly to seal it on the walls too? If so, is one coat enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Let us know how it goes. This is my plan to do in the girls room this summer, but I have not had the chance to start. I am hoping to get the existing carpet torn out by the end of this month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I would add a layer or two of luan (thin plywood) to level the floors before starting. Here is a simple how-to: http://www.ehow.com/how_7371982_installation-luan-underlayment.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Wow I have to say this is very, very brave! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaleidoscope Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Hmmm, we pulled the carpet out of one of our bedrooms and so far we have nothing there. We didn't want to put carpet it. We were leaning towards a cheap vinyl. I like this so much more. Down the road could you just carpet over it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I want pictures when you're all done! That looks so col. :iagree: :iagree: :iagree: I'd never even heard of it until I saw this thread, but it looks very interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm pretty sure a blogger from my town started this trend! She has lots of FAQs regarding it on her blog. I've wanted to try it since I saw it several years ago! Good luck. Thanks for the link. They have a great how-to video on the blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I haven't heard of this. Let us know how it turns out and post pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLBMom Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Anyone know how durable this is? We are getting ready to start a remodel of the boys room. Currently they share a room and oldest ds has a loft bed in there. Youngest ds will be 5 next month and has requested his own loft bed. He doesn't actually have his own bed right now, he sleeps with ds,dd or us. Dh is going to build his bed and we are going to paint and redo flooring. It will be a baseball theme. The carpet in there now is nothing short of disgusting. We have pets and two boys, need I say more:tongue_smilie: We have laminate everywhere but the kids rooms. Unfortunately $ is tight and we can't afford to put that in their room right now. I also hate to put carpet back down because it gets gross so quick. Oldest ds has asked that the floor look like dirt in a baseball field :lol:. If this stuff is tough enough it might just be what we are looking for. Does anyone have any experience with this and kids? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 25, 2012 Author Share Posted July 25, 2012 Anyone know how durable this is? Read the blog link someone posted upthread (and I quoted it at one point). It has a FAQs section. Everything I've read says it stands up better than people expected it to and that it works especially nice in bedrooms where "traffic" is lower. And for $65, you can afford to try it out, maybe? (If something wears or rips, you just cover over with more anyway). We're putting it in a high-traffic kitchen so we'll really put it to the test! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLBMom Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Read the blog link someone posted upthread (and I quoted it at one point). It has a FAQs section. Everything I've read says it stands up better than people expected it to and that it works especially nice in bedrooms where "traffic" is lower. And for $65, you can afford to try it out, maybe? (If something wears or rips, you just cover over with more anyway). We're putting it in a high-traffic kitchen so we'll really put it to the test! I think we may try it. It won't get that much traffic other then the two boys and two desk chairs. I'm more concerned with getting something easy to clean. This doesn't look like it would be any harder to care for then my laminate floor. It also meets the "looks like dirt" requirement of my ds :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykdsmomy Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 This looks so cool! I wonder if it would ruin existing but old parquet floors that had been covered in carpet for years and years? I'd like to do it in our bedroom but I wouldn't want to ruin the parquet in case we wanted to re do those down the line, yk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 This looks so cool! I wonder if it would ruin existing but old parquet floors that had been covered in carpet for years and years? I'd like to do it in our bedroom but I wouldn't want to ruin the parquet in case we wanted to re do those down the line, yk? I'm pretty sure glue and polyurethane would be the end of those parquet floors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Just putting in a timid word of caution to those considering putting this on bedroom walls... I just saw this irl a few weeks ago in a bedroom. We were visiting someone's new house and they were trying to figure out how to get it off the walls so they could paint. We all thought it was rather terrifying because it *really* looked like a wall of human skin - like something out of Silence of the Lambs. {{shiver}} I imagine it looks much better on the walls of a smaller room - and even better on a Floor. But, on all four walls of a regular-sized bedroom, it was downright creepy. Of course, furniture would probably help too - this house was empty and someone had broken in before they bought it and threw paint all over the walls of another bedroom, so the somewhat creepy factor was already in full-force, lol. But, still... {{shiver}}. JMHO, of course, but wanted to put that out there for those considering it on bedroom walls - just something to think about before putting in all the work. I can sure vouch for its durability, though!!! They have spent HOURS upon HOURS trying to get it off without destroying the sheet rock behind it. Finally gave up that hope and are having to do major work in that room to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom in High Heels Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 This is the coolest thing I have ever seen! I so want to do it now. I'm pretty sure the army would frown on me covering our newly done wood floors though. :D I wonder how you would put something over it down the road if you wanted something new though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Dh said he would post some pics tonight. Fwiw everyone that sees our floors thinks they look like leather or rocks, we've never gotten a human skin comment :) A lot depends on how much you crumple the paper before hand, the more you do the more creases, which makes it look more distressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I think we may try it. It won't get that much traffic other then the two boys and two desk chairs. I'm more concerned with getting something easy to clean. This doesn't look like it would be any harder to care for then my laminate floor. It also meets the "looks like dirt" requirement of my ds :lol: Ya know... You could really go for the theme here, and use green painter's rolls for some grassy area, drywall seam tape for baselines... It could turn out very cool. Or very "crying home owners on Trading Spaces", I guess. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm excited to hear about this. I have 2 rooms desperate for new flooring and there is no cash in the budget for it. I think I'm brave enough to try, but I am worrying about all the wrinkles I saw on the blog video. I know, the people said not to worry about them, but I do. :D Is somebody certain that they will disappear? It would throw me into an OCD tailspin if all that work looked like a wrinkly human skin disaster...:lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I can sure vouch for its durability, though!!! They have spent HOURS upon HOURS trying to get it off without destroying the sheet rock behind it. Finally gave up that hope and are having to do major work in that room to fix it. Worst case scenario they would need to scuff it up with a hand sander before priming and painting.:confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3browneyedboys4me Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 another neat option for floors, if you have concrete, acid treatments. They are realllly cool. You can do all kinds of really neat things on concrete now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plink Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Worst case scenario they would need to scuff it up with a hand sander before priming and painting.:confused: Nope, on walls that wouldn't be even close to enough for most people's standards. Every little bump will look terrible if you just paint over it - Drips and shadows everywhere. Textured surfaces are a pain to remove. (we own an interior design store and have had to deal with repairing lots of diy projects.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 e Nope, on walls that wouldn't be even close to enough for most people's standards. Every little bump will look terrible if you just paint over it - Drips and shadows everywhere. Textured surfaces are a pain to remove. (we own an interior design store and have had to deal with repairing lots of diy projects.) I agree I'd be leary putting it on the walls. The glue will adhere to the sheetrock paper making it impossible to remove, it is not the same as wallpaper glue. Plus, there is overlap between each piece so even if you scuff it then it will be uneven all over the place and every little wrinkle is going to take the paint differently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 Worst case scenario they would need to scuff it up with a hand sander before priming and painting.:confused: Yeah, seems a bit of sanding and a coat of primer would cover it. I have covered oh-so-many things with a $14 gallon of Bullseye! I am guessing that it's the layered texture that shows through, and may be hard to sand to an even surface due to the layers of polyurethane? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 another neat option for floors, if you have concrete, acid treatments. They are realllly cool. You can do all kinds of really neat things on concrete now. hehehe... look out basement, you're next.....:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 (edited) Worst case scenario they would need to scuff it up with a hand sander before priming and painting.:confused: :smilielol5: Nope. Not even close. These are not people new to home-improvement, btw. They do this thing often ... but these walls were a bugger. If you love it, though, the durability would be a positive thing... so. Just passing along the information... food for thought... having seen it firsthand. :) ymmv and all that... If all I'd seen were the blog pictures, I'd have thought about doing it on the walls too... the pictures are beautiful! But,irl, on all 4 walls, it was... unnerving. It wasn't just us who thought so. I still like the look of it on the floors! :) Edited July 25, 2012 by orangearrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arstephia Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I have done this technique in our house and in a rental on the walls without the poly top coat. It is in the kitchen and dining area in the rental and it is WONDERFUL because it can so easily be repaired if stained or damage. Crumble paper, add glue, DONE. The renters just seemed so hard on the walls - no matter who they were. So I have been happy. As for my own house, it is up my stairway and in my school room. We have an old house and some of the plaster was cracked so that was my solution. 12 years later it still looks great and I still have people ask me how I did it. I am now considering it for a flooring option... I will have to research this a bit more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm totally going to try to talk dh into this for our family room. Right now it is super ugly (and slightly smelly) brown carpet over concrete. This would look SO much better and would be affordable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted July 25, 2012 Share Posted July 25, 2012 I'm pretty sure glue and polyurethane would be the end of those parquet floors. :iagree: Just putting in a timid word of caution to those considering putting this on bedroom walls... I just saw this irl a few weeks ago in a bedroom. We were visiting someone's new house and they were trying to figure out how to get it off the walls so they could paint. We all thought it was rather terrifying because it *really* looked like a wall of human skin - like something out of Silence of the Lambs. {{shiver}} I imagine it looks much better on the walls of a smaller room - and even better on a Floor. But, on all four walls of a regular-sized bedroom, it was downright creepy. Of course, furniture would probably help too - this house was empty and someone had broken in before they bought it and threw paint all over the walls of another bedroom, so the somewhat creepy factor was already in full-force, lol. But, still... {{shiver}}. JMHO, of course, but wanted to put that out there for those considering it on bedroom walls - just something to think about before putting in all the work. I can sure vouch for its durability, though!!! They have spent HOURS upon HOURS trying to get it off without destroying the sheet rock behind it. Finally gave up that hope and are having to do major work in that room to fix it. Dh said he would post some pics tonight. Fwiw everyone that sees our floors thinks they look like leather or rocks, we've never gotten a human skin comment :) A lot depends on how much you crumple the paper before hand, the more you do the more creases, which makes it look more distressed. Skin?:ack2: Never thought of that! We got lots of complements. We didn't do the crumpling technique. Just dipped in glue and put onto the wall. Then painted more glue over top. When you don't poly over the top the result is a dry not wet look. It peels, so it would potentially be easier to remove. If you were dead set on repainting, you would probably need to texture over the top because the polyurethane kind is not coming off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto2Cs Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Do you think the paper bag technique would work with Sunday comics (newspaper), or would that be too thin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) Do you think the paper bag technique would work with Sunday comics (newspaper), or would that be too thin? I would think the wetness of the glue/water would cause it to rip. You could always try with a small amount (just brush some newspaper with the 50/50 glue/water mix). It sounds fun, though! Edited July 26, 2012 by milovaný Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLBMom Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Ya know... You could really go for the theme here, and use green painter's rolls for some grassy area, drywall seam tape for baselines... It could turn out very cool. Or very "crying home owners on Trading Spaces", I guess. :D My ds saw it and said to paint part of it green! He's trying hard to figure out where the bases should be :lol: I'll let y'all know how it turns out. Soon as ds and I convince dh to try it :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 here is a page showing the project in different colors...i was in a bathroom as a kid that was covered in really old newspapers...guess not a new technique;) http://paperbagfloor.com/Walls_and_Ceilings.html Okay, now I am really thinking about this.... We have a drop ceiling in the basement and those old tiles need to be changed out. We were thinking of getting some with an interesting texture, but they are pricey. I wonder if I could just rehab the old ones with a paper treatment? I could just do them one at a time, kwim, so it wouldn't even be an overwhelming project. This thread is giving me quite a list of possibilities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milovany Posted July 26, 2012 Author Share Posted July 26, 2012 My ds saw it and said to paint part of it green! He's trying hard to figure out where the bases should be :lol: I'll let y'all know how it turns out. Soon as ds and I convince dh to try it :tongue_smilie: I saw the same paper that one usually uses (brown) in green, when I was at the Home Depot website today. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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