My first DIY for the #555RoomChallenge was flooring in the laundry/mudroom. I was a little intimidated to take this on by myself. For the most part, my husband does the heavy lifting and I do more of the planning, finishing touches, and painting. However, this year I have committed to getting my hands dirtier (that does not sound right, but hopefully you get what I am trying to say). After a little Youtube research, I determined that I was going to use vinyl plank flooring. I chose this type of flooring for several reasons:

1. It was cheap… at around $1 per square foot, it was definitely in my budget for this space. 
2. It is waterproof. This space obviously houses our washing machine and if a leak were to happen (God forbid) this floor should survive. 
3. It is fairly durable. This space serves as our primary entry to the house so it needs to withstand constant use and abuse. 
4. It is easy to install. Sign me up! This required no power tools and no real skills.
5. It can be laid on top of an existing floor. 

The first step was of course to clear the room. Thankfully, that is not a step I had to participate in at all. Once my husband cleared the room of the washer and dryer and cubbies it was time for me to clean. I already had some of the TSP cleaner leftover from the stencil project I did last year in the boys’ bathroom. So after I swept the floor and vacuumed everything it was time to get to mopping. I shared on Instagram about how cool this mop and bucket are. It was given to me by my mother in law and it was definitely a good buy. I mopped the floor two to three times letting it dry in-between and making sure it was really clean before moving on. 

You guys… this was so easy that I do not even think this can be considered a tutorial. I literally just peeled the backing off and stuck it to the ground! Lol. Because the existing floor had a grid like pattern, I was able to use that to line everything up. I started from the middle of the room and worked my way out. I wanted to make sure to vary where the lines were so I did not line them all up evenly, but instead I staggered them. 

When I came to a point where a board needed to be cut it was super easy to do. You just need a blade of some sort, I used a box cutter I believe, and something to make sure you draw a straight line. I used a triangle ruler thingy. I simply determined where I needed the cut to be made and used the ruler to score the board. Once the board was scored I just popped the pieces apart. 

Seriously, this entire thing was too easy! The only issue I had is where one piece was laying flat initially. I just grabbed some of my husband’s weights from the gym to make sure that the adhesive had the opportunity to fully make contact with the floor. It worked and I have had no other issues! We added the quarter round back and I will caulk and paint when the pedestal and countertop is installed. Next up is the wall paper accent wall! I cannot wait to see what it adds to this space!