Painting a Floor

Refinishing a floor isn’t always feasible. The floor could be concrete or laminate, the wood could be too poor of quality, or its simply cost prohibitive. Painting a floor is a cost effective way to spruce up a difficult room, covering up mistakes, stains, or an ugly floor. The difference between painting a floor and a wall starts by understanding that a floor needs to be far more resistant to damage. This means additional prep work and a special final coat of clear polyurethane.

Painting a floor requires extra time, as the paint must be given plenty of time to dry before additional steps are taken!

1) Preparation- Preparing a floor starts with a thorough cleaning. Sweep and mop the floor vigorously, especially in the edges and corners. After cleaning, the floor should be sanded. Ideally, the entire space that will be painted should be sanded, to better help the primer to adhere to the surface.

2) Prime the Surface- Pick a primer appropriate to your flooring. Allow ample time for the primer to ‘set’. Priming a floor is essential to a lasting and durable coat.

3) Paint the Surface- Painting a floor should be done in at least two full coats of paint, allowing time for each coat to dry before starting again. Coats should be done in smooth thin layers, with no drips or unevenness. Smooth with a roller or take extra care with a brush or the floor will develop an uneven surface.

4) Polyurethane Coat- Once ample time has been allowed for the surface to dry, we seal the paint with a durable polyurethane finish. Clear polyurethane finish is essential to the long life of the floor. One or two coats will give you a long lasting and durable surface.

When choosing the right paints and primers, its important to read the can! Be sure that they match your floor, and as always, your friendly Paint Experts at Mallory Paint Store will be happy to give you advice on which products and tools you need to be sure your project goes smoothly!