Painted Parquet Floor Part 2

My floors are finished and I couldn't love them more!  Sometimes, I have a picture of what I want a project to look like in my head, but it doesn't always turn out how I imagined it.  But, in this case I am happy to say that it looks just like I imagined! I am so happy to be rid of the orange parquet floors! If you missed Part 1, go check it out here. All the prep work is explained in that post. 

For painting the floor, you want to use an oil based paint or a porch and floor paint. It was really about the same price. I opted for the regular oil-based paint because it was already mixed in a gloss white and a gloss black.  I want this bad boy to shine!  Also, after doing a little research (on Pinterest) and taking the recommendation from the friendly Ace hardware employee, I opted for Deft to seal the floors.  It is a water based poly and isn't supposed to yellow over time. That is very important when part of your floor is white. 

 So, prime (more on that in Part 1), paint the base coat, then start taping off your design if desired. (The picture above has two coats of primer, Zinsser, and one coat of paint.)

I wanted black and white stripes, but instead of just straight across stripes, I opted for squares.  I used painters tape and the natural lines of the parquet floor to get my straight lines.  I put small pieces of tape on the sections that were to be painted so I didn't get confused and make a mistake. 

Then, I decided it needed a little somethin' somethin'. So, you know how all of us southern gals are like.......

I decided where better to put a monogram than on a foyer floor? Right?  So, I used my painter's tape to get my monogram.  I used a razor blade to get my straight edges when taping.  I did think about doing a fancy, swirly "H" but decided to do a simple block "H" so that it would look the same whether you were coming in through the front door or from the living room. 

This room isn't perfectly square, so the painted squares aren't perfect, but that is ok with me. The way I did it enabled the monogram to be right in the center. That was the most important thing. 

Here is what it looked like after two coats of black paint, and a little touch up on the white (because I am a very messy painter and almost always make mistakes.)

After the paint dried, I pulled up the tape, and applied the clear poly. Look at that shine!  So, so pretty!

After I moved my furniture back into the room, I loved it even more. (happy dance!)

A couple more things about painting parquet:
*Don't use latex paint!
*It takes a while for the oil-based paint to dry and not feel "tacky."  This isn't a project you can do in a day or two.  Depending on how intricate you get and how many layers of paint you need, it could take a minimum of three to four days to ensure proper drying time. 
*Keep floors swept and vacuumed between paint layers.  Dust and hair are obviously super attracted to freshly painted surfaces and want to make it their new home!  Once it dries in the oil-based paint, it is there to stay. Be vigilent about keeping it debris-free!

If you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to help!  Thanks for stopping by!

Linking up to:

Chaos and Kiddos Social Media Mixer
Making Monday at Confessions of a Secret Crafter
The DIYer's at Home Coming
What You Wish Wednesday at Nikki's Nacs
Before and After Wednesday at The Dedicated House