Easy DIY Flooring on a Budget

DIY Pine Plank Flooring on a Budget

After moving into our home, we ended up adding the pine plank floors in our master bedroom because we liked it so much on the main level. 

Installation

Pine plank floors are so easy to install. My husband was able to install the flooring on one Saturday afternoon. These planks are tongue and groove so they fit together pretty nicely.

Begin by starting on one side and then moving across the room. Use a finish nail gun to nail the ends and middle of each board. One option is to leave the nails exposed to add to the rustic element. After the planks are all in place, you can stain them a different color or leave them natural.

I stained the planks with General Finishes Early American stain. The finishing touch is to apply Old Masters matte top coat to seal everything. Let your floors dry for a few days before moving everything back in.

Proper Maintenance

The great thing about pine floors is they are so easy to maintain. No need to worry about scratches because pine plank flooring is supposed to look distressed and worn. Any time someone scratches or drops something on the wood it just adds to the overall style and character of the flooring.

If the floors ever get really scratched, you can use stain to touch them up when needed.

Another great thing about a pine plank floor is that it hides dirt very well. Mopping floors is not my favorite chore so when I skip it for a few days no one can tell with these pine floors. 

A Great Option for Other Rooms

When we moved into this house the first thing we needed to do was upgrade the master bedroom flooring. The old flooring was outdated and worn. We also had a tight budget so we needed some inexpensive flooring options. Since we liked the look of our pine plank flooring on the main level so much, we decided to install it in our master bedroom.

This was a great option because the flooring materials were cheap, the labor costs were free since we did it ourselves and the whole floor turned out beautifully.

We were able to upgrade the bedroom floors with pine planks for cheap. We did our entire bedroom for under $200.

Drawbacks to Pine Floors

Every type of flooring has some drawbacks. Unfortunately, pine planks are no exception. However, they can be easily maintained making this flooring type still a good choice, especially if you are looking for budget flooring ideas.

Not Designed to Fit Seamlessly

One major down side to pine planks is that they are not designed to fit together seamlessly, leaving cracks in between each board. Our flooring is tongue and groove which allows some of them to fit together tight, but others still have larger gaps allowing crumbs to fall down in between the boards. However, most messes can be vacuumed out without too much effort.

Soft Wood Scratches

Pine is a much softer wood then real hardwoods such as oak, so these do scratch easier. But, like I said earlier, it goes with the character of the flooring and can be easily stained to hide the scratches.

Slivers

Since pine is such a soft wood, sometimes the wood will break or crack which can cause slivers. When that happens I sand it down slightly, stain it and then seal it. The wood looks the same as before.

Upgrade Old Floors for Cheap DIY Floors

In spite of some of the drawbacks to this flooring option, I love my pine plank floors. Since they are real wood, they bring a welcoming warmth to our home. They also bring some great rustic charm that adds character and style. The DIY installation requires minimal skill level and the cost of materials is a good price point. These floors hold up to lots of foot traffic with kids and dogs and still look great.

If you are looking for cheap DIY flooring ideas, you are in the right place. Pine plank floors would be beautiful in any home.