If You Have Concrete Floors But Prefer The Look Of Wood, Try This Stunning DIY

Wooden floors add elegance to any space, but installing them can be pricey. Fortunately, if your existing floors are concrete, then you can fake the look for less. All you'll need (aside from patience) is a sample plank to trace, two shades of floor paint, masking tape, a wood-graining roller, and concrete sealer. 

As seen on Bear Creek Design Co.'s TikTok, painting a base coat in a darker color, tracing out the shape of the plank of your choice, and laying down masking tape are the first steps to this expensive-looking DIY. From there, you'll go over the planks with a lighter color, use the graining tool to create the appearance of real wood, and lift the tape before sealing it all in.

The great thing about this hack is that in addition to being deceptively inexpensive (especially compared to the cost of real wood or luxury vinyl plank), it's customizable in any way you prefer. Bear Creek Design Co. opted for a light gray floor paint as the base topped off with additional floor paint in a whitewash shade, but if you'd prefer something warmer, you can play around with colors. Depending on the brand you use, a gallon should cost between $32 and $39 on Amazon. You can also get creative with the kind of grain you prefer, which also won't cost a ton of money — bank on around $24 on Amazon.

Thanks to the relative cheapness of the materials for this project, painting concrete floors is sure to save you a ton of money. However, before getting started, it's worthwhile keeping in mind that while this hack is a cost-effective one, it would be a mistake to think painting concrete floors is anything but a lengthy process. While it's tempting to see Bear Creek Design Co.'s sped-up TikTok video and think of this faux wooden flooring hack as a quick and easy DIY project, it is not. For starters, you'll need to prep the floors — then, once they're ready, they'll need to dry. Be sure to check the specific paint you're using for exact times. Only once it's done can you lay down the tape and get started on painting the second coat. 

Just for reference, you'll be doing this second coat outlined plank by outlined plank, so that'll take some time, too — and depending on the layout of the space you're painting, you may even need to do it over the space of a few days. After all, no one wants footprints in their freshly grained floors. If you think you can handle the time that goes into this project, it's definitely a great way to cut down on costs. As always, be sure to check out any precautions unique to the specific paint you've chosen.