A floor to remember

Here are some tips and ideas for creating feature floors using Resene products.

Floors can often be written off as purely functional when planning a home. It's a missed opportunity to add extra colour and design flair to your rooms and spaces, often giving them a 'wow' factor that delights you and your family, and surprises guests.

A bold block colour floor

A bold block colour floor in Resene Tangaroa anchors a whimsical botanic mural in this bedroom.

Wall painted in Resene Half Escape with mural in Resene Tangaroa, Resene Cello and Resene FX Gold Dust metallic paint over a basecoat of Resene Apache, planter and end table in Resene Cello and wooden top of brass side table in Resene Colorwood Whitewash. Teapot from Bodum, bedlinen from Wallace Cotton. Project by Megan Harrison-Turner, image by Bryce Carleton.

Elevate outdoor paving stones with a simple stencil design

Simple stencil designs can elevate practical outdoor paving stones.

Pavers are painted in Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path tinted to Resene Landscape Grey, with stencilled designs in Resene Off Piste. Weatherboards painted in Resene Half Grey Chateau, coffee table in Resene Grey Chateau and planters in Resene Poet, Resene Jimmy Dean and Resene Grey Chateau. Hanging chair from Nood. Project by Megan Harrison-Turner, image by Bryce Carleton.

Here are some tips and ideas for creating feature floors using Resene products.

Wood with wow-factor

A lot of our homes have classic wood flooring, made from often quite beautiful native timber and hardwoods.

If they're in great condition, simply stain them with a natural wood shade like Resene Colorwood Teak or Resene Colorwood Oregon. If your floor is not in such good condition and you're less interested in preserving the natural wood finish, colour wash stains can still be a fun way to add a little personality to your floor.

For a relaxed beachy look, or a fresh Scandi finish try a wash like Resene Colorwood Light Greywash or Resene Colorwood Breathe Easy, suggests Resene Colour Expert Meryl Southey. "For a more rustic finish, slightly sand the coating back once dry."

Top tip: Always apply your wash or stain, and sand in the direction of the timber grain.

To level up your wood floors even more, why not experiment with stained stripes?

Meryl suggests applying one or two coats of your chosen Resene Colorwood stain in carefully masked-out stripes on a wooden plank floor. Or get more creative by having side-by-side stripes in alternating darker and lighter stains like Resene Colorwood Rock Salt with Resene Colorwood Crowshead. There's no need to stick to stripes either. A series of concentric squares or rectangles can add an interesting visual effect – almost like a rug. Try a background floor stain like Resene Colorwood Natural, and then bolder squares in Resene Colorwood Walnut.

Though it's often traditional to keep wood floorboards stained in natural woody tones, you can get funky, says Meryl, who suggests experimenting with vivid brighter stains like Resene Colorwood Desert Yellow, Resene Colorwood Deep Purple or Resene Colorwood Apollo Blue if wood hues are not for you.

Top tip: Resene Colorwood stain shades can be intermixed so you can create your own colours. Remember, the finished shade will always be influenced by the colour of the wood you are staining. Make sure if you intermix colours that you note down the mix combinations so you can recreate the same colour later.

When it comes to protecting your stained flooring, Meryl advises finishing with a topcoat of Resene Qristal ClearFloor 1K for light-traffic areas or Resene Qristal ClearFloor 2K for high-traffic areas.

A floor with a faux marble effect

A subtle faux marble effect will lend your floor elegant sophistication without needing a big budget.

The floor is painted in Resene Walk-On tinted to Resene Sugar Loaf with marble effect using Resene FX Paint Effects Medium and Resene Black Haze. The left wall is painted in Resene Armadillo, trimmed in Resene Blackjack. The right rear wall is Resene Beachcomber with shelves and pendant light in Resene Rolling Stone. Chair from Cintesi, artworks from Emma Willetts, Endemic World. Project by Kate Alexander, image by Bryce Carleton.

Replicate the look of an expensive tiled floor

Replicate the look of an expensive tiled floor with a repeat painted pattern.

This floor and the artwork are painted in Resene Meringue with a stencilled pattern in Resene Black. Walls painted in Resene Savour, console table in Resene Black and vases in Resene Savour and Resene Incarnadine. Sofa from Soren Liv, coffee table from David Shaw, cushions from Adairs. Project by Melle Van Sambeek, image by Bryce Carleton.

Creative concrete

Concrete floors are some of the most hard-wearing finishes you can have in your home. They're great for high-traffic areas, and, in their grey natural tones, can add some modern elegance and gravitas to your spaces.

But did you know you can opt for concrete flooring in different shades? Resene ConcreteWash adds a semi-transparent colour finish to your concrete surfaces in one of five different shades Resene Whitewash, Resene Greigewash, Resene Blondewash, Resene Claywash and Resene Stonewash to add earthy elegance and warmth, Meryl says.

The product leverages the technology of Resene Concrete Clear protective finish, with Resene Concrete Wax and Resene Concrete Clear for a hard-wearing finish that adds a subtle weathered effect – think Mediterranean villa.

To apply Resene ConcreteWash, first prep the surface with a coat of untinted clear to your clean floor. Then cover with one or two coats of Resene ConcreteWash in your chosen colour. The number of coats will determine the depth of colour of your finished result. Finish with Resene Concrete Wax to seal.

As with any paint or stain product it's a good idea to test your chosen Resene ConcreteWash shade on a small area of your concrete before committing.

Meryl adds that you can experiment with the application of Resene ConcreteWash, using a spray application for a uniform finish, but for a more artistic finish try applying with short brushstrokes in different directions.

Top tip: Resene ConcreteWash can also be used on other surfaces, such as walls or benchtops and can be used on both interior and exterior surfaces.

Tiles of the unexpected

Another simple way to add flair to concrete flooring, or flooring finished in sheets of ply or particle board is the classic checkerboard pattern, without having to go to the expense or effort of laying tiles, Meryl says.

"A classic checkerboard floor adds a timeless, heritage feel as well as visual interest," she says. "They look particularly good in hallways, bathrooms and kitchens."

A traditional checkerboard style is monochromatic – think Resene Double Alabaster and Resene Black, but you can play with any colour combinations you like.

"Experiment with softer tones which are very on-trend at present," Meryl suggests. Try going creamy rather than white with Resene Athena or Resene Solitaire, paired with a dusky pink like Resene Awaken. Or try two muted, similar shades like pale green Resene Transcend and warm Resene Avocado.

The simplest way to execute a checkerboard floor is to paint the entire surface in your lighter shade, then, when that is dry, pencil in and mask your contrasting squares.

This faux tile effect doesn't have to be limited to plain squares. You could stencil in a pattern to repeat in a contrast colour across the floor to replicate more ornate tiles. You can find some geometric stencil patterns on the habitat by Resene website.

"Just ensure the floor is clean and primed, if necessary," Meryl says. "For new concrete flooring use Resene Concrete Primer and for older concrete flooring use Resene Sureseal. For timber and particle boards flooring, prime with Resene Quick Dry.

Top tip: Use Resene Walk on general purpose flooring and paving paint tinted to your favourite Resene colour to create a tough finish for your painted floor. Apply Resene Concrete Wax over your finished design for extra protection against wear and tear.

More floor ideas to try:

Create a limewashed or marbled floor finish. Paint your basecoats in a neutral like Resene Half Spanish White or Resene White Pointer then add a limewashed or marbled accents in a second Resene colour add to Resene FX Paint Effects medium. Try Resene Black Haze for cloudy marbled veins or beige-toned neutral Resene Tea for a limewashed finish.
If you have a dramatic piece of art, or wallpaper on your walls, instead of going neutral on your floor, pick out a key colour in the wall design and repeat it on the floor. It will add impact to your art piece, rather than detract from it.
Complete the look: If you've gone for a bold block colour on the floor with neutral walls, why not add extra impact with a dramatic patterned wallpaper on the ceiling? Try a cool geometric like Resene Wallpaper Collection ONB100126062 and paint your floor in a complementary shade like Resene Deep Teal.
Children's bedrooms can be a really fun place to experiment with creative floors. Try painting a racetrack around the room for playing with toy cars, a hopscotch grid or even patches of lava that need hopping over.

Once you've finished refreshing your interior flooring, you can make a start on your exterior walking areas. Resene has a full range of products from Resene Woodsman wood oil stain for decks to Resene Walk-on for painted porches, Resene Non-Skid Deck & Path for a non-slip finish to Resene Concrete Stain to refresh faded pavers and Resene Walk-on Concrete Clear finishes for a clear finish that is easier to keep clean.