brown paper bag floor?

[PanelDeland]

Are y'all too young to have done "Deco Pauge" in school/scouts/camp"? This is just a great big one.

[S. Heisley]

Louella:

Evidentally, part of the Brown Paper Bag write-up got deleted with the transfer to the new system. I didn't realize it until just now. I have replaced it tonight. However, to save you time and aggravation, the original has been pasted here for your reference. If you still have any questions, I'll be happy to try to answer them.

... So, this week, I worked on making my own flooring out of brown Kraft paper.

You can see the basics for making a Paper Bag Floor here:

http://www.familycorner.com/homegarden/ ... loor.shtml

But, as you probably know by now, I have ‘One-more-thingitis’ and just can’t seem to do things fast. I do them My…Ah…way. So, I bought a couple rolls of Kraft paper, some Minwax Polyurethane and then visited a local native black oak tree (Quercus kelloggii) to pick up some fallen leaves and preserve and strengthen them by ironing them between waxed paper.

I stained some of the Kraft paper close to the color of the freshly gathered, unfaded leaves:


Using a brightly colored gel pen, I copied the outline of each leaf onto the stained paper, drew in the veins, and cut them out. To ensure that the colors wouldn’t run, I sprayed each “leaf” with varnish.



Then, I set about laying the basic brown paper floor. Here is a picture of part of that, without leaves:


After that had dried, I tossed the leaves up in the air and let them fall where they may, arranging any that didn’t suit me. I then added them using the same procedure that the brown paper had been laid with.

After that was dry, I pulled off the blue painter’s tape and pulled too much:

(I scored the rest of the way with a knife before pulling any more tape!)

That little Oops! was easily fixed with a “damaged leaf”. Mother Nature isn’t perfect and neither am I.

After the leaves had dried in place, I began ‘topping’ the floor with more layers of Minwax Polyurethane. Here, you see it with the second coat freshly applied:


…Two coats down and four more to go! Then, I’m supposed to wait 3 days before ‘using’ it and 7 days before walking on it. But, there are lots of other things to do while I wait….

[S. Heisley]

.
Below are the answers to questions that were asked about the floor after I posted the floor pictures:

I will walk on it after 7 days. I'm using the Minwax polyurethane that is a water-based, oil modified mixture. The can says it can be used as a floor coating substance. People have been using polyurethane instead of wax on floors for a good 25 years or more with great success. They just don't tell others about it. As a bonus, paper floors are easy to repair. You just add another piece of paper and coat with another layer of polyurethane.

The down side is how long it takes to lay the paper flooring. It took me a full day to mask, paste the paper and leaves, and put on the first coat of polyurethane in that small trailer. That doesn't include creating the 'leaves', which I did while watching television nor am I including the last 5 topcoats of polyurethane.

Minwax recommends lightly sanding with 220 grit sandpaper between coats if you're applying it to wood; however, sanding in this application would definitely damage the paper, even with a fine grit like 220. The various paper-laying instructions that I have read do not suggest sanding either; but, they do mandate that each of the 4 to 6 coats of polyurethane be put on in rapid succession, as soon as the previous coating is dry. Once all coats are on, you do not disturb the surface in any way for at least 24 to 72 hours, longer being better. Minwax instructs not to use throw rugs on it or walk on it for 7 days. From that, I am assuming that a full cure takes 7 days and, chemical bonding can take place during that time. I have known people who mopped coats of polyurethane over vinyl kitchen flooring with no sanding and they have had no problems with that application.

I collected the leaves but elected to use hand-made copies of the actual leaves for a couple reasons: 1) any dampness still in the leaves could be problematic once encased in polyurethane and, most importantly, 2) since mine is a walked-on surface, the weight of people might eventually pulverize actual leaves. Your leaves will look great on a tabletop!

Parnold wrote:

Will there be enough polyurethane on it so that it will be smooth, or will it have a slightly textured feel to it!

Paul,

As I thought about your question, I decided that I need to explain a little more in case you or someone else needs this information.

The reason for wadding up each piece of paper is to give it random small breaks in its surface so that more polyurethane will be absorbed at those places, thus, changing the shading there. The color also changes on the torn edges. The more you wad the paper up and even which side you put up can change the shade and ‘print’ of the piece you are working with. When you polyurethane the piece down and smooth it out, the wrinkles disappear but not the newly added color shadings. As the pieces are placed and begin to dry, air bubbles develop under the surface. Even though you smooth these bubbles out to remove the air pockets, in some places, the paper will have stretched. This is what leaves a sort of raised wrinkle here and there and gives it that nice texture. The color changes and raised wrinkles are what give it that leather or sandstone look.

I have just finished putting on the 5th coat of polyurethane and I can tell you that, yes, it will still have a slightly textured feel to it, but not from the original wadding of the paper. The wadding wrinkles are gone.

One more tip: Get and wear some disposable gloves and change them about every half hour. This is because you use your hands to smooth out the wrinkles and release air bubbles. You hands work the best to do this. However, after about half an hour, some of the polyurethane starts to dry and flake off. If you have disposable gloves on, that's easy to fix. You just replace your gloves with a new pair. Also, when you take off the old gloves, save them. The inside of the glove is still good and can be used to contain a wet sponge brush or paint brush so you can use it for your next application. You just stick it inside the palm area and twist the wrist area around the handle until you're ready to use it again.

There is even an answer to a question you asked:

Eaglesdare:

If you are putting this type of paper floor over wooden boards, please be aware that every seam will show. My cabin is plywood but it has one seam that shows. If you go back to the picture of the floor, you will see a part of that seam in the pictures. It is about 8 inches out from the benches, near that big brown leaf. That one bit of seam doesn't bother me as even vinyl flooring seams show; but, if you are laying boards side by side and don't put something over all those board joinings, this type of floor might look a bit strange.

That said, this paper floor is "on trail" in my trailer. If it holds up well, I plan to put something similar down on my den floor in a few years. For that, I plan to use several colors of stained paper and make a mosaic pattern from them. You can use Minwax Wood Finish to stain the paper as it is compatible with Minwax's polyurethane.

Steve Smoot wrote:

Where did you get that idea?

A local decorator's shop owner was creating a paper floor in his new addition when I was there, shopping. That was about 7 years ago. I'm guessing that thousands of people have walked on it since then and the floor still looks good. Additionally, I had a friend who used polyurethane on her kitchen vinyl floor once a year instead of constantly waxing it. I remembered these experiences and looked up 'paper bag floor' on the Internet. I have done decoupage in the past; and, really, the trailer floor is just a giant decoupage. The leaf idea was something I dreamed up on my own.

Now that we have a thread about paper floors, we can just add any more here and we'll always know where to find it!

[eaglesdare]

thanks sharon! i thought i was imagining things in that thread. i knew there was more to. thank you so much for adding.

its still too early to really judge anything. but i still am not worrying over this. if this elmers fails or the wrinkles don't all go away, i can always scrap the wrinkles off. and just do something else on top. its only as thick as paper.

i do have poly out back, so i want to try the other 1/2 of the floor in this.

i also read on a blog about this, how someone did it in fabric.

[eaglesdare]

hey sharon, did you get any wrinkles? nevermind. i read it where you still had some of the wrinkles, that develop because of the wet stuff being put on top. so this floor will end up with a textured feel?

[GPW]

Great looking floor ... recycled !! The torn edges really Make it look “natural” !!!

[eaglesdare]

Great looking floor ... recycled !! The torn edges really Make it look “natural” !!!

well its only recycled if you use old paper bags. but we are using the rolls of brown paper you buy at craft stores of lowes/home depot.

i don't think hubby is going to like this, but i have to bring my floor into the house sometime today. we are expecting rain tonight/this weekend. i can't have that floor getting wet yet, it is so far from being waterproofed at this stage.

i have to remember also to keep my dog away from my work area. simba kept laying down right on the glue. i had a hard time picking glue out of his fur. ick.

[S. Heisley]

Great looking floor ... recycled !! The torn edges really Make it look “natural” !!!

well its only recycled if you use old paper bags. but we are using the rolls of brown paper you buy at craft stores of lowes/home depot.

i don't think hubby is going to like this, but i have to bring my floor into the house sometime today. we are expecting rain tonight/this weekend. i can't have that floor getting wet yet, it is so far from being waterproofed at this stage.

i have to remember also to keep my dog away from my work area. simba kept laying down right on the glue. i had a hard time picking glue out of his fur. ick.

I still opt for plastic bags at the store because I reuse them on my doggie-do walks; so, I would not have had enough paper grocery bags. Also, most grocery bags have printing on them and you'd have to check to see if the color shows through when used on the floor or else rip that part off. Additionally, not all paper bags are the same consistency/thickness. Those really thin ones probably wouldn't work too well.

If you get the floor far enough along to put a couple coats of the polyurethane on it, you'd probably be okay if it got wet. Check the can of what you are using and see. You might be able to put a coating on in the morning and another coat on in the afternoon and have it dry enough by the time the clouds start to sprinkle.

HaHaHa! It sounds like you're going to be adding a cat fur design to your floor! You could make it a consistent design feature by brushing the dog and sprinkling the results over the floor while it is still wet with the first layer of polyurethane.

[eaglesdare]

i am still laying the paper down. i just looked thru my scrapbook papers. i have a couple of books full of paper that i have never opened yet. it has black on one side, and if you crimple it or lightly sand it, or tear it another color comes thru. so i am going to try that and see how that turns out. i also just got a space cleared away for this piece of floor. thank goodness i am doing it in 2 sections, or i would never beable to get it in the house.

and now that it is drying up pretty good, it actually does look pretty cool (the stuff i did yesterday). so i just might be taking a pic of this.

[S. Heisley]

Remembering back to my decoupaging days, we would paste our papers down and let them dry. Then, we would lightly spray a couple coats of special finish on. With the light spray, the papers didn't buckle or wrinkle. So, I would think you could spray a coating over the pasted papers so that they would stay flat and then follow up with several coatings of polyurethane. Just be certain that the glue, spray sealer, and polyurethane are all compatible with each other. Regardless of whether the paper wrinkles or not, there will be light ridges where a paper lays on top of another and it is more difficult to get that perfectly smooth. But, why try? It's part of the beauty of it.

Thinking about the Elmer's glue that you used, it probably won't be a problem. The bottom of your floor gets sealed with that evil black goo roofing stuff; so, no water should get under your paper anyway. Many water based products are only susceptible to water and other liquids while they are still wet, not once the water is gone and they are dry.

I want to see your floor, Louella!!!!

[eaglesdare]

ok here is a little tid bit. you can sand the brown paper! so you could get those wrinkles out, without destroying the look! once i get the new paper a little bit further along i will take a pic. i like it.

[droid_ca]

I guess you could use your scanner and scan leaves and what not, and then just print them off. Heck for that matter it would be neat to have a good picture of anything like say a frog or something and paste it in...hmmm thanks for the ideas ladies

[eaglesdare]

well droid there is only one problem with that. the wrinkles. some wrinkling will happen. right now i am using poly with scrapbookers cardstock paper. now i am not getting as much wrinkling as the brown paper.

[eaglesdare]

ok, here is a pic for you. in real life it looks more that the farther back colors, the front ones got washed out with the flash a bit. but i think overall it looks pretty darn cool, and you can't see my wood working flaws! also i have a seem in there (in the wood) and you can't really see that one either.



just a couple things i learned in this process: i saw on you tube some used elmers glue (watered down), while you can use this and it does in fact work, its really a pita. also completely unnessesary(i know, i have no idea on that word ) the glue takes too long to dry also.
use the poly, it dries really quickly, it works as the glue and as the shine. no need for elmers.
this scrapbooking paper worked great, so if anyone tries this type floor, experiement with other paper. the brown paper works great also, and it can in fact be sanded down smooth. then just go over it with more poly. however, i just covered it with this paper i was using.
work in an area without kids or dogs or cats! for some reason my dog wants to lay down anywhere i happen to be using liquid sticky stuff.
make sure you have enough paper to cover your area. i have one small section, about 18'' x 18'' still to go, but ran out of paper.. i have ordered more, but now i have to wait for it to come in to finish it.
you can get this stuff pretty darn flat, with lots of rubbing out. so have tons of paper towels handy, this stuff does get a little messy. if you want you can wear disposable gloves, but i just used my bare hands.

well enjoy. i can't wait to see this in the trailer now.

thanks sharon for doing this in your trailer!

[GPW]

VERY COOL !!!