DIY Tumbling Blocks Hand-Painted Floor

This post is sponsored by Dunkin’ Donuts.

The painted floor in the bathroom is done! It only took a million hours!

‘Tumbling blocks’ is a classic pattern that has been trending for a few years now. I think of it as a quilting pattern from the 1800s, but decorative rhombille tiling goes back centuries. If I were doing a full renovation of my bathroom, I would lay tile like this, but this project is more of a refresh. The wood floor was already painted and in need of a fresh coat, so I figured why not go for something interesting? And of course, I have painted a floor before. I know it takes time and I know I am sore by the end of it, but I also know it’s worth it.

I’ve seen people take on this particular pattern before, or a variation of it. Here are a few examples.

• How to Paint Concrete Floors: Geometric Style, Wills Casa
• DIY Geometric Cube Painted Floor, Little Green Notebook
• A Brooklyn Rental Makeover, Megan Pflug
• A DIY Painted Patterned Floor, Apartment Therapy

I found a free template, and I played around with the colors and scale in Photoshop. I was torn between black and white or pink and red, and I decided to go with the more colorful scheme inspired by this encaustic cement tile from Mosaic House.

I looked through my paint fan decks and chose three colors. I wanted pink and red, yes, but not too bright or candy-colored. The pale pink is Puppy Paws, the medium is Odessa Pink, and the red is Crimson — a quart of each in floor and patio low sheen enamel, stopping on the way at Dunkin’ Donuts for an Iced Macchiato.

I used to be more of a latte fan, but the macchiato has become my new favorite. When I was at the Dunkin’ Donuts headquarters last month, we were able to learn about the different hot and iced espresso drinks they offer and then make our own. Both drinks are made with milk and espresso, but a latte only has one shot of espresso and a macchiato has two, giving it a stronger coffee flavor and more caffeine (which was definitely needed as I worked on this project!). I like to order mine with a Mocha Swirl because: chocolate. Delicious.

So, coffee and paint in hand, I was ready to get started.

I started at the far end and worked my way towards the door. Luckily it worked out and my pattern stayed aligned with the floor boards (for the most part). If I were doing it again though, I would have started at the doorway where the pattern is most visible. That’s the recommendation when working with tile too. You want to start your pattern where you are most likely to be looking at it, and if it’s going to go wonky, you want that hidden toward the back.

I only drew out the pattern on the far side because I figured I would smudge/erase it as I worked if I did the whole floor. Again, if I were doing it again, I would have started at the doorway, but alas. I drew a portion of the pattern, painted some of the lighter areas, drew more of the pattern, painted some more, repeat.

I have a pretty steady hand, so I painted the whole thing freehand with a pointed artist’s paintbrush (round, size 16). You can create a stencil or tape off the pattern too, but neither really seemed easier to me than just going ahead and painting it with a brush.

It took three full days of work, and three coats of paint for each color, but it’s done. Hooray! And now you can pretend to play Q*bert in my bathroom.

I just have a couple of details to get to, and the whole space will be finished!