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<\/a>We’re staying on track\u00a0with more Train-Themed Murals<\/strong>, and I mean that quite literally. \u00a0In this blog, I’ll show you how to Paint Concrete Floors<\/strong>. \u00a0I wish I could take credit for the idea, but it was already done elsewhere. \u00a0Once I was shown a picture, I couldn’t wait to paint the concrete floors in my church’s Kids’ Ministry area and see if I could improve on the idea! <\/span><\/a>The concrete floors were already stained when I got ready to tackle them.\u00a0 They were a blotchy, sort of a transparent brown, that was the perfect backdrop for train tracks.\u00a0 The challenge for me was keeping people off the floors, so they would stay clean and dry while I worked on them.\u00a0 That meant painting after hours, when everyone went home.<\/span><\/p>\n With the coast clear, I first decided how big I wanted the railroad ties to be.\u00a0 I then cut out a pattern on a piece of cardboard and used it to trace my pattern onto the floor in pencil.\u00a0 Starting from the front door, I spaced each beam exactly six inches apart. I started with the brown paint, filling in the rectangular pattern of the railroad tie.\u00a0 While the brown paint was still wet, I took another brush and dipped just the tip in a little bit of white paint, then lightly brushed it over the brown.\u00a0 This allowed the two colors to blend in different areas, helping it look more like wood.\u00a0 (To save time, I had a friend with a steady hand help paint the brown portion of the ties, and as soon as she was done with one and started on the next, I’d follow behind with the white and black detail.\u00a0 We eventually got it down to a science.) I then took a small artist brush and used that to add detail in black paint.\u00a0 I outlined each railroad tie, then added wood grain throughout, being careful to make every tie look different than the next. <\/span><\/p>\n I purposely wanted the railroad tracks to swerve back and forth, so the children would have more fun following the tracks as they walked down the hallways and into the classrooms.\u00a0 To do that, I kept the outer portion of the tie six inches apart, and brought the inside much closer.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Once all the ties were painted, it was time for the rails.\u00a0 Here again, it’s a lot of measuring and penciling in your pattern.\u00a0 Once I was happy with the pattern, I started by outlining the outer edges of the rails in black.\u00a0 Then, while the paint was still wet, I brushed in white along the middle, allowing the two colors to blend and look more gray, like steel.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span> These tracks were the perfect finishing touch for the train-themed murals<\/strong> painted throughout the Kid’s Ministry area of the church.\u00a0 I may have felt like I was workin’ on the railroad all the live-long day, but painting<\/strong> these concrete floors<\/strong> sure was rewarding once I saw the children’s faces light up when they walked through.\u00a0<\/a><\/span>With my pattern traced onto the floor, I was ready to paint.\u00a0 I used Behr concrete paint in three basic colors:\u00a0 dark brown, white and black. \u00a0It’s more expensive than regular wall paint, but it’s a must when you consider how much more abuse our floors take.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0 <\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Because I had so much ground to cover, and I could only work on these railroad tracks after hours, I had another friend help me with the rails.\u00a0 Still, this whole project took SIX days.\u00a0 When the painting was all done, it was sealed with a clear acrylic epoxy to protect it.\u00a0 <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n