Content material of the fabric
Earlier than you start
Earlier than you head to the ironmongery store and refill on rollers, take a while to think about if this venture is best for you and your own home.
How lengthy will it take?
Portray flooring is not a fast weekend DIY. If you issue within the time it takes to totally clear and prep your house, the portray, plus the quantity of dry time per coat of paint (Micetich recommends a minimum of three to 5 coats and every ought to have 12 to 24 hours to dry), it may stretch over fairly just a few days. Take into consideration when you’ve got that point out there and in addition should you can take the house out of fee for that lengthy.
How a lot foot visitors does the room get?
The kind of room the hardwood flooring are in will vastly affect the longevity and sturdiness of the painted flooring. If the house sees loads of foot visitors, like a hallway or playroom, or can get humid, equivalent to a toilet or laundry room, then you definately should not paint the flooring. Humidity and moisture will trigger the paint to peel, whereas plenty of individuals strolling on the painted flooring can lead to chipping or discolorations, particularly should you’re portray your flooring a lightweight coloration, like white.
How lengthy will you keep in your house?
“This can be a very customized and customised resolution,” Micetich says. And whereas paint is not essentially the most sturdy on hardwood flooring, it is also actually tough to eliminate as soon as you have painted. “It isn’t one thing that’s simply undone,” Micetich says. So, should you’re not planning on staying in your house for a very long time or should you’re a renter, Micetich says that portray your hardwood flooring most likely is not the house enchancment possibility for you.
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Ought to I Use Sealant On My Painted Flooring?
If you wish to ensure that your laminate floor has a wonderful ground end, we suggest utilizing a sealant like polyurethane to forestall water harm. This may also help prolong the longevity of your painted wood flooring because the coating may also help reduce the consequences of foot visitors within the space. When you’re not utilizing a carpet to guard your laminate wooden ground, utilizing a sealant is the easiest way to go.
Understand that your sealant will rely on the kind of ground paint that you simply use. For instance, chalk paint would require a polycrylic sealer because it’s not as sturdy as latex paint, whereas porch paint will most likely be high quality with common sealant. Sealant can be used for upkeep since it may take up loads of scuffs and scratches by itself – in case your ground experiences a visual mark, typically simply reapplying the layer of sealant is sufficient to repair it.
3. Save your again through the use of a ground buffer
If it’s completed wood flooring you’re portray, you’ll must sand and prime. It may be backbreaking work should you’re in your fingers and knees with sandpaper—and even an orbital sander. Save your again and hire a ground buffer from the ironmongery store.
7. You possibly can Jackson Pollock your flooring
Splatter-painted flooring are all over the place within the cottages of Cape Cod. “I don’t know why our Victorian space ancestors began spatter-painting their flooring—maybe they couldn’t afford rugs, or extra possible, they didn’t wish to continuously beat the sand out of them—however I, for one, am glad they did,” writes Justine, who has splatter-painted flooring in her personal Cape cottage. “To begin with, spatter-painted flooring cover a large number of sins; nearly nothing reveals up on them. However extra vital, they’re merely lovely. They’re an exquisite means so as to add texture and curiosity whereas nonetheless protecting the general look minimal and clear.” See how one can get the look your self in DIY: Splatter-Painted Floors.

Insider’s takeaway
Portray hardwood flooring is a extremely customized DIY venture that may appear easy in execution however really requires in depth preparation and consideration. Earlier than you begin, remember to account for the way lengthy you are placing a room out of fee to see the venture by way of. When you attain the portray stage, take into account components equivalent to sanding the flooring, the required supplies, and the variety of paint coats wanted.
Megan Wahn Dwelling & Kitchen Reference Fellow Megan was beforehand a fellow for the Dwelling & Kitchen Reference group. She relies in New York, and has additionally labored as an assistant producer at WUGA-FM in addition to a content material editor for The Oultaw Ocean Undertaking. She additionally interned with HGTV Journal in 2019 by way of the American Society of Journal Editors summer time intern program. She graduated from the College of Georgia. Learn extra Learn much less