What can I paint with?

To choose the right paint and varnish coating, you should consider 3 important nuances:

  1. Wear resistance. The floor, unlike the walls and, especially, the ceiling, is constantly exposed to stress: people walk on it barefoot or shod, move furniture, scrub with brushes and floor mops. In order for the painted joists to retain their appearance for a long time, you should choose durable, reliable paints and varnishes intended for this type of use.
  2. Scope of application. The floor surface itself is a problem area in any interior, and if you have to paint a wooden floor in an unheated or, especially, open room, the situation is aggravated by temperature changes, natural phenomena such as the scorching sun or rain, snow, hail. The material must be as durable as possible.
  3. Design. If the style or personal preferences suggest preserving the natural texture of the wood, you can simply apply a transparent varnish to the sanded floor – matte, satin or glossy. Another option is wax or oil, but it is best to use them as a coating for wooden floors in heated spaces – houses, apartments. In other cases, use paint for wooden floors – dark, light, colored.
Varnish

Alkyd, acrylic, polymer compounds are suitable for covering a wooden base. Oil, ether varnishes are not used in finishing works, they are considered furniture.

The main advantage of varnishes is that they do not hide the texture, forming a dense transparent film. Even if the base is tinted, it will still only emphasize the appearance, and not hide it. Unfortunately, a layer of varnish has not only advantages, but also defects: cracks, chips. To completely hide them, you need to putty, and then cover them with opaque paint.

varnished wooden floor

The photo shows a floor covered with glossy varnish

Wax, oil

Liquid oil and hard wax, unlike varnish or paint, do not create a noticeable film, but only block the pores of the wood. Due to this, the texture is emphasized, a water-resistant barrier appears. The main disadvantage of this coating is its short life. Oil should be renewed every year, wax – once every 2-3 years. For comparison, a varnished surface will “stand” for 10-15 years.

wood oil

The photo shows oil being applied to wood

Paints, enamels

When buying floor paint, first of all pay attention to the base:

  • Acrylic. The modern environmentally friendly water-based composition has a wide range of applications, including ceilings, walls, furniture and, of course, wooden floors. Wide tinting options allow you to choose exactly the shade you need. Acrylic paints do not fade in the sun, are resistant to abrasion, have excellent adhesion, and do not crack during use. In addition, acrylic is universal: it is suitable for indoor and outdoor use, has absolutely no odor, and can be used to paint a children’s room, a terrace, or a gazebo. The service life depends on the manufacturer and operating conditions. On average, it is 5-15 years.

Important! Applying water-based paint outdoors is only possible in good weather without precipitation. It is desirable that drops of water do not fall on the surface until it dries completely.

  • Alkyd. Resins form a dense film on the surface that protects the wooden floor from water and ultraviolet radiation. The paint layer will not crack, will not deteriorate from chemical detergents, and will last 5-10 years. But alkyds have a huge drawback – the smell, multiplied by the long drying time (24 hours), it creates a serious obstacle to indoor use.
  • Oil paint. Compositions based on drying oil belong to the category of old paints that are rarely used in modern finishing. Yes, because of the strong smell, painting with oil enamel is uncomfortable (especially inside a house or apartment), but in addition to the disadvantages, there are also advantages. And the main one is high hiding power. Applied with a brush or roller, it creates a dense layer that covers small cracks, abrasions and other defects of a wooden floor. Including gaps between the boards.
  • Polyurethane. It also forms a dense film, but unlike alkyd and oil, it is practically non-toxic. The smell is weak, noticeable only during the repair process. After drying, it becomes invisible, and the coating is considered 100% safe. Polyurethane resins are resistant to sunlight, water and moisture, dust and dirt, temperatures, chemicals. It has an unusual property – it self-levels after application, so it will not be difficult to paint a wooden floor evenly. It lasts longer than most types — up to 15-20 years.

painted wooden floor

The photo shows painted boards

Features by room types

Floor preparation, choice of composition, application nuances depend on where exactly the wooden floor is to be painted.

Open space

Unglazed balconies, open verandas, gazebos without walls are painted exclusively with outdoor (street) paints and varnishes. Choose frost-resistant paints that do not fade in the sun and do not peel off in the rain.

painting the floor on the veranda

The photo shows painting the flooring on an open veranda

Closed unheated room

In summer cottages, summer extensions, closed gazebos, it is important that the floor can withstand not only walking, but also temperature changes and high humidity. Universal compounds are suitable, but it is better to choose enamel for outdoor work.

Advice! Varnish is not the best choice for cold wooden floors, because even frost-resistant varnishes are less durable than the same paints.

painting the floor in a closed gazebo

Closed heated

It is easiest to paint wooden floors in a house or apartment. Any paints marked “For interior work” are suitable for the job. They are cheaper, since they do not contain additional strengtheners and additives. Choose odorless paints or varnishes, wax or oil.

painting a wooden floor in an apartment

What tools will you need?

Painting a floor is not much different from any other painting work, but the set of tools and necessary things here is a little wider.

  • Tray, roller, brush. A roller, which is conveniently wrung out in a tray, ensures quick beautification over a large area. And a brush is more convenient for carefully painting joints behind walls, going around pipes.
  • Masking tape. Paper tape will help protect walls, pipes and other elements that should not be painted.
  • Wood putty, spatula. For smoothing out irregularities, filling cracks, seams.
  • Chisel. Has the opposite effect of puttying – helps remove unnecessary protrusions.
  • Primer. Used as a preliminary layer, improves adhesion, creates additional protection for wood.
  • Solvent. Will help clean the brush and hands after work, remove accidental stains.

You may also need:

  • Construction hair dryer. Effectively removes complex old coatings such as oil paint, even if the number of layers is more than 1-2.
  • Sanding or scraping machine. For parquet restoration before varnishing or waxing.

tools for painting floors

Recommendations for preparation

The final quality of the work depends more than 50% on the preparatory stage. First of all, remove from the room everything that can interfere with painting (furniture, equipment). Free the perimeter of the floor from baseboards.

A wooden floor treated with paint or varnish that has already begun to peel off must be returned to its original condition – this is the only way the subsequent fresh layers will lie on it evenly. This can be done by heating (hair dryer), grinding, chemicals (special washes).

If the coating holds firmly, it is enough to grind the floor to a satisfactory condition and you can move on to further actions.

  • Masking large irregularities. If there are wide gaps between the joists, planks cut to width are tightly inserted into them. After the “patch” has taken its place, it is planed and sanded to the same level as the floor.
  • Leveling out minor defects. Armed with wood filler and a spatula (it is better to have two at hand: a soft rubber one, a hard metal one), fill in cracks, chips and other defects. Let the filler dry and sand with fine sandpaper.
  • Protection before painting. Priming is an important stage for wood. It is necessary not so much for better adhesion, but for additional protection. The primer penetrates deeply into the wood fibers, providing a barrier against pests, fire, fungus, and destruction.

wooden floor puttying

How to paint yourself?

Painting a wooden floor is no more difficult (and maybe even easier!) than any other surface. The main thing is to follow simple step-by-step instructions:

  1. Use paper tape to seal all areas that need to be protected from pigment. Including walls adjacent to the floorboards.
  2. Open the can of paint, mix the contents well to evenly distribute the fillers. Pour some into a tray.
  3. Using a small thin roller or a suitable brush, go over the outline of the room along the walls.
  4. Using a large roller, paint the entire floor area, moving from the far corner to the exit. Leave until completely dry.
  5. Apply a second coat of paint, repeating steps 3 and 4.

Important! If you plan to install floor skirting boards to be painted in the same color as the floor, install them immediately after the preparatory work and paint them at the same time as the boards.

painting a wooden floor

After completing all work, give the paint at least 24 hours – during this time the coating will become harder and will not be scratched if accidentally hit by furniture.

Advice! Before bringing in furniture, check the quality of the floor paint: if the material has flowed a little while the boards were drying and bald spots have formed, it is better to cover them up right away.

To make sure that anyone can handle painting and not miss a single stage of the work, watch the video:

Features of applying varnish

On the one hand, it may seem that varnishing is no different from painting. But in fact, the processes are noticeably different from each other.

Firstly, if it is better to take a roller for paint, then for varnish – a soft wide brush. Secondly, it is essential to varnish at a temperature of 15-25 degrees above zero.

Let’s get to work:

  1. Carefully stir the varnish inside the can. If you plan to use a brush, you can leave the contents in the tray.
  2. Apply the first coat along the wood grain, carefully going over each joist and spreading the varnish thinly. Leave until completely dry (the time is indicated on the package).
  3. After the first coat, you may notice that the grain has risen slightly – take a block, fine sandpaper and go over the entire floor area to remove any unevenness.
  4. Carefully remove the resulting dust with a vacuum cleaner and a clean cloth. It is recommended to wash the smooth sanded floor 2-3 times.
  5. Apply the second coat of varnish.
  6. Sand and wash the floor again.
  7. Apply the third coat of varnish. It is necessary for pine floors. Hardwood can only be coated twice.

applying varnish to a wooden floor

Important! The topcoat is not sanded: to remove the sticky layer, simply wash the floor with a soap solution after drying.

A detailed video instruction will help put everything in its place:

Original painting ideas

The easiest way to make a single-color floor covering is to simply paint it in one color around the entire perimeter. But if you want something more original, you can arm yourself with patience and create a unique pattern.

For example, alternating white and wooden diamonds: simple, fast, impressive. First, paint some of the squares white, then cover the entire area with a couple of layers of varnish.

diamonds on a wooden floor

The photo shows an unusual way to paint the floor

Geometric 3D painting looks no less original – you don’t even need to have artistic talent to implement it, it’s enough to figure out where and what shade to apply.

Are you afraid of making a mistake when modeling manually? Use stencils! You can buy ready-made ones or order one from a printing house to your taste.

3D floor painting Stencil for floor painting

And the last idea – add colors! The technique of multi-colored painting looks best on small-format floors, such as parquet. The only downside is that you will have to tint many shades to get a spectacular result.

bright wooden floor

Floor paint is a budget, but nevertheless a working option for finishing boards. By choosing the right composition and following all the recommendations, you will create a durable floor covering with your own hands.

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