All Pāua to You

Bringing the beach home tends to mean sand tracking in on your shoes or a seashell in your pocket. In Carol Larson’s case, she created a permanent souvenir in the way of a painted mezzanine floor.

The Pourerere Beach bach had just been completed and the flooring was laid out with laminated chipboard. The initial plan was to cover it with carpet, but the texture inspired Carol, who has a background in marine science and a love for the ocean.

“It looked so cool in its natural state and it reminded me of the textural patterns inside a pāua shell,” she says.

The transformation took a couple of weekends to complete and used a range of different products. Carol started with Resene Colorwood interior natural wood stain in Resene Apollo Blue and Resene Emerald Green, applying it in overlapping patches. Then, Carol added Resene Obelisk metallic paint. For the final touch, she added three coats of Resene Qristal ClearFloor. The finished result is something that resembles the iridescent interior colours of a pāua shell but with a personal touch.

“Everyone who enters the room notices the beautiful floor and comments on how it looks,” she says. “This was a change for me. I often choose neutrals in my house.”

The shimmery texture and unique colours have inspired Carol to try more fun projects. “Once you see the results and break your own rules, you get the confidence to do something different.”

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