As one of the largest single surfaces in any room, it goes without saying that your floors are certain to be one of your biggest design decisions. So it's ironic that homeowners rarely ever do anything with the actual floor. Most ground-level design choices are limited to rugs, carpeting, or the choice of floor material. Hardwood floors have long been considered a style choice all their own, with their warm wood tones and polished finishes. For flooring made of concrete, however, the traditional view is somewhat dimmer. Viewed more as utilitarian necessities than as something pretty to accentuate a room, concrete floors have driven more than one homeowner to despair. And yet there is hope. With a few stencils, some paint, and a bit of tenacity, your concrete eyesores can become the cornerstone of your design—turning a basement into a palace or a bathroom into a Moroccan oasis. And that's a cause that will have most homeowners scrambling to find their inner DIYer.
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Complete the Look
While wall-to-wall carpeting tends to be monochrome, a stenciled floor acts almost like a custom room-sized rug, bringing loads of color and pattern to your space. Here, a delicate-looking floral stencil over a painted blue floor completes the vintage look of this rustic space.
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Go Global
To fill your rooms with a global flavor, use stencils that echo the designs of your favorite global pieces. This latticework stencil creates a Moroccan star pattern that works with the pattern along the bottom edge of the seating.to create the feeling of a North African lounge. And together, they create the perfect backdrop for a pop of floral pink.
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Create an Ode to the Stars
This is another beautiful ode to the starry nights in Marrakesh.
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Keep It Simple
If you're looking to spruce up your concrete floors without necessarily making them the focal point of your entire room, go with a simple pattern. This neutral-on-neutral herringbone design adds interest on the floor without taking over the room.
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Add Pattern and Texture
A beautifully stenciled floor can do more than breathe new life into your basement. It can add interest, style, and charm to your bedroom as well. To the elegant gray and white palette that defines this room, the stenciled floor adds pattern, texture, and an air of fantasy.
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Establish a Vintage Style
While a little extra color is always welcome, the best part about stenciling your concrete floors is that you don't have to paint them first. In fact, painting a stencil with a classic pattern over as-is floors can give them a vintage look as if the work was original to the home—adding tons of charm to your space in the process.
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Make a Little or a Lot
If seeing all of these images of floors stenciled from wall to wall is giving you pause with thoughts of weekends lost and blisters gained, don't worry. When it comes to floor art, a little can do as much as a lot. Just trim the edges with a stylish print, and let the rough texture of your floor be the backdrop for this classy statement.
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Stencil a Tile
You can even stretch your design to half the floor, making your stencil into the perfect area rug. This beautiful combination of patterns and colors gives the appearance of tile at a fraction of the cost.
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Play With Scale
Use oversized patterns to reduce the amount of time it takes to cover the floor.
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Add a Designer Look
With the right combination of patterns and colors, a stenciled floor can be all you need to add a designer look to your space. It's an ideal way to ramp up the style in the most utilitarian rooms in the home, such as in kitchens and bathrooms, where the room for other accessories may be hard to come by.
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Mix Motifs
When using stencils to create interest on your floor, there's no reason to stop at just one. Mix and match complementary motifs to create a dazzling effect.
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Create Budget-Friendly Floors
Don't forget to include the kitchen. In one of the most highly trafficked rooms of the house, floor stencils provide a more economical alternative than tiles or linoleum.
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Keep It Going
Why stop stenciling just because you've run out of floor space? In rooms such as the bathroom, where there may be less room to make a big statement, keep the pattern going and double the impact of your pattern with a feature wall.
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Use a Helping Hand
Are you looking for a little instruction? Head over to Domestic Imperfection where Ashley will walk you through every step of her DIY floor transformation. And for absolutely everything you need to know to start your own floor project, from cleaning to polishing to painting (and even staining) your concrete floors, check out this post by Christine at Decorated Life.