Floor, p7
"Paper Bag Floor"
When it came time to finish the loft floors I concluded that a prefinished bamboo product would be the likely choice. However, after pricing the product and the rental of the flooring nailer, I decided to look for a cheaper alternative. I wanted something natural and inexpensive. After a brief web search I came across something called a "paper bag floor". It is essentially a paper mache floor created with torn up paper grocery bags, then coated with several layers of water-based polyurathane. It is simple and inexpensive, and can be easily repaired if damaged.
The paper bag floor with several coats of polyurethane.
The process involves tearing up paper bags into random shapes, then adhering them to the floor with the polyurethane. Use any straight edges against the wall. Smooth out the paper with gloved hands, removing any air bubbles, then brush on more polyurethane. Once the floor has been covered, let it dry overnight and then continue to add additional coats of polyurethane (no less than eight according to several websites). Use a high gloss product for a shiny floor. Water based polyurethane produces far less odor that the oil based product, and it dries much faster as well. If the floor should become damaged, simply tear up a new bag and repair the damage using the same procedure for installing the original floor. As you can see, the results are quite satisfactory. Next, we jump to setting the posts and beams.