Painting Hardwood Floors the Easy Way
By Rob Buenaventura

Painting a hardwood floor can cover up any marks if the floor is damaged and make it last longer. It can also end up looking better than a laminated floor or tiled floor. Using a thick, brightly colored paint is a good idea, one that will cover the original grain in the wood. You need to use a lot of urethane - at least three coats. This increases the durability of the floor and makes it shiny. The paint itself is not resilient to a lot of foot traffic but the wood beneath it is. If you do not use urethane or you do not use enough, the floor can lose its luster and look dull and neglected. The urethane also protects the hardwood floor from contaminants such as water and dust.

If you are going to paint your hardwood floor, the first thing to do is to make sure it is clean and dry. Make sure there are no hairs, dust or other particles on it. Sweep or wash the floor well. If there are seams, dents or large holes in the floor, you might need to fill these with plastic wood type fillers before starting any painting. You can get plastic wood type fillers in hardware stores or home renovation shops. If you mix them with water, the result is a hard, heavy surface.

The next thing to do is to prime the floor before painting it. The function of these sealers is partly to hide the wood grain that might show through the paint. If there is already urethane or a varnish finish on the wood, you should sand it well before applying primer. If you get stuck, you can ask for help in the hardware store or get a list of all the compatible primers which would work with specific coat paint products. A lot of manufacturers have these lists available already in the stores so you can check what is compatible with what before making a purchase.

For floor painting, oil paints seem to work best usually because the oil resins adhere well to the hardwood. With water-based paints, this is not always the case. Oil paints also harden and dry quicker so your floor can be ready sooner. When the paint is dry, you can add patterns or designs in the form of stencils or something from your imagination. You can make the floor look exactly as you want.

Rob Buenaventura has worked in the home improvement industry for several years. Learn more about hardwood floor refinishing, cleaning hardwood floors and other Installing Hardwood Floors
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