Two-Tone Border for Floors

Add drama to an entryway or dining room with a two-tone, wood stain border of checks or diamonds around the floor. The Minwax Company makes a product called WoodSheen. It's a one-step stain and polyurethane finish that comes in various wood colors like pine, oak and walnut and can be applied to a new floor.

Borders
First stain the floor with a light color such as oak. Then, starting approximately 4 inches from the wall, place a strip of masking tape from wall to wall on the floor around the room. Create a grid of checks or diamonds by laying strips of 1/2" masking tape equally spaced in a pattern within the 4-inch border area.

Use a sponge brush or cheesecloth to apply dark stain, such as walnut to the unmasked areas. It should be applied lightly so the color won't bleed. Let dry. Peel away the tape. For a finishing touch use the darker color for the wall molding to frame the area.

Simulated Area Rug
Use this method to create an area rug to look like a floor cloth. You can use any precut border stencil design. Determine the size of your area rug. Draw a rectangle on the floor and using a stain color that contrasts with the color of the floor, stencil the design within the area to create the rug.

Copyright Leslie Linsley, author
Reprinted by permission HouseNet, Inc.

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