I decided I had to do something about my floor. It is etched and stained (warm golden yellow) concrete floor that we had professionally done almost ten years ago. After many years of art and craft mayhem, it was looking pretty sad and permanently dirty. I had also painted a small mandala on the floor, but knowing my new layout, it was off-center and faded.
To fix this, I decided to paint a giant mandala over it. It also helped to cover some unsightly paint and ink stains that were on the floor. I used leftover paint that I found in the garage to make a large, solid circle as my blank canvas.
I used regular indoor house paint – Valspar samples to be exact, in satin finish. They were awesome! I had all my favorite colors made and it was the perfect amount of paint. Not too expensive–a few dollars per paint color. I made a pencil-string compass to draw out the circles and used Stabilo Woody 3-1 pencils to draw out the design.
I used a kneeling pad to sit on as I scooted around the floor painting. It took about 8 hours of straight painting time and my back and neck were not happy when I was done, but it turned out great and I love it.
The thing about this floor is that you can’t be “precious” with it. It’s going to get ruined over time if you plan on walking on it, or in my case, roll around on a chair over it. I’m also a very messy painter. I spill and splatter things all the time. So, I choose not to worry about it. I sealed it with a satin varnish and have since mopped it with cleaner several times. It’s holding up well. I may have to paint over it someday, but I think it will be good for a long while.