This 1970s Room Became a Dream Home Library Thanks to an IKEA BILLY Hack

"We loved the coziness of the small office room, but it was so dark with the old faux wood paneling. The carpet in the room was so worn-down. We cleared out the room and the old carpet, and one of the biggest changes to the space was the flooring. She and Philip had refinished hardwood floors before, but this time around, they laid new white oak flooring and then painted it in a harlequin pattern using Benjamin Moore's Black and sealed it with water-based polyurethane."

"We likely watched about 100 YouTube videos and then did our best. I'm not too picky about things being perfect, but Philip is a little more of a perfectionist, which helps with details. The pair used delicate painter's tape and a 12×12 FloorPops tile to plan out the pattern, and they marked every other square with a dot of tape to know which ones to fill in with black paint."

"We knew our floors were laid straight so we used the floor boards as our guide to make sure we were not starting to stencil them crooked. She also says she initially wanted herringbone wood floors, and this was a nice budget-friendly alternative that still adds some pattern."

Katie and Philip Bowling renovated their home office by removing old faux wood paneling and worn carpet. They installed new white oak flooring and painted it in a harlequin pattern using Benjamin Moore's Black paint, sealed with water-based polyurethane. The couple researched extensively through YouTube videos and used painter's tape and FloorPops tiles to plan the geometric pattern. They marked alternating squares with tape to guide their painting. The painted floor pattern served as a budget-friendly alternative to their original herringbone flooring idea. The renovation also included built-in shelving using existing IKEA BILLY bookcases, creating a more modern aesthetic while maintaining the room's cozy feel.

Read at Apartment Therapy