How do I paint an old wood floor? Do I have to sand it first?

Answer 1

Sanding first is the best way to start. Make sure you vacuum with the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner and then wipe with a tack cloth or a clean white cotton rag dampened with paint thinner or mineral spirits. If you cannot deal with the dust wiping with a deglosser will work (check your local hardware/paint store). As suggested an oil base primer is the next best step (although there are some quality latex primers on the market). A topcoat of either an oil base or latex floor and porch paint is recommended. The oil base will take the wear better. The latex finish will eventually wear down leaving an eggshell like finish. Some people prefer this look. If you use latex you can put a polyurethane clear coat over it to add durability. However, it will also make the floor slicker, much like wax. Be careful how you clean your floor. Paint normally takes thirty days to cure and should not be cleaned the first week. After one week a mild soap and water cleaning is alright. Solvent and abrasive cleaners should never be used.

Answer 2

BuddyL has the right answer. You shouldn't have to sand. An "old" floor is not a new, unfinished wood floor, and very likely you won't even have to use primer. Do use good quality oil paint that is recommended for floors: industrial enamel is a good choice; also exterior porch paint.

But ~ the removal of all dirt, grease, wax, etc., is paramount. For this [and for all paint-prep cleaning] I use TSP [brand name], which is tri-sodium phosphate. Because phosphates have been declared harmful to the environment, you may have a bit of trouble finding TSP that's not "phosphate-free". Get the phosphate, original product. It does a superior job of cleaning. It's granular and you should mix with warm water to dissolve. Use a scrub brush and have plenty of cotton rags to wipe up the grime and dirt as you go. Just get the floors CLeaN, then you can paint [assuming they're already varnished, etc.].

I have painted a plywood floor in a laundry room of a house I re-did/sold and made it look fantastic. But have to agree with the other guy who tried to talk you out of painting good, hardwood flooring. I've sanded many floors and it's not that hard of a job. Yes, you have to have the right tools, a drum sander and an edger, but basically, it just takes patience and care. This way, you can literally turn a horrible looking floor into a brand new beautiful floor!

Answer 3

First, you'll have to give it a real good washing. Once that is done, you'll need to lightly sand it. Don't do it by hand as the floor is flat and your hand is not so the sanding won't be even. Get yourself a flat rectangular sanding thing that can be screwed onto a broom handle. Sand lightly and then vacuum.

If you want the paint to last long on the floor, you should first apply an oil-based primer. One coat is fine. Once that is done, you can use any kind of paint but be aware that if you use a latex paint or any other paint that is not initially intended for floors, you'll need to use a sealer on top of it.

Answer 4

Depends on circumstances. If the place belongs to you or is rented; What shape it's in; If it's indoor or outdoor (deck or porch, for example -or garage). Basically, if it's indoors and you want to do a good, lasting job, then yeah, you SHOULD sand. But nobody can say you HAVE to. With paint, unlike stain and varnish, it's not essential to get all the old finish off. If it's already really smooth, just be sure there's no wax or waxy finish on it. Clean well, because paint was never intended to cover dirt! If it's never been painted before, but varnished, then there's probably wax on it. Give it a good scrubbing with a wax remover, just to be safe. I'd go one step further and wash it with naphtha (Coleman fuel is great for that!) But you'd need plenty of ventilation when doing that, and no smoking or sparks. Another often-overlooked tip is to pry off all the base moldings first, and paint up to the wall. This way, you don't have to mask them or be extra careful not to get paint on them, and it makes a much more professional job. Finally, don't paint yourself into a corner! Paint FROM the corners, and end up at a convenient doorway!

As stated in the above answers, floor paint is the toughest, and is generally oil-based. I've seen it in latex, but something tells me latex will never be as tough as oil-based.

Answer 5

Absolutely must be sanded, use a good floor paint. Ask whom ever you are buying the paint from what to use, they have paint just for flooring. If you use something different it will not last very long. As turnhog said oil based is the best no question.

Answer 6

I would go and rent a floor sander and lightly go over the entire floor. You don't need to take it down to bare wood, but what you want to do is smooth it all out, remove any urethane or wax that might interfere with the paint sticking properly to the floor.

From there, get a good floor paint and apply atleast 2 coats.

You might even want to consider an epoxy paint, or if you paint the floor with an oil based paint, put a clear coat of Urethane over it to help protect the surface!

Whatever you do, don't use Latex paint!

Answer 7

I would reconsider your option of painting floor. Painted floors looks like crap and lower your value. A refinished floor looks so much better and up your value. But if you must, sand lightly to get gloss off primer and paint.

I'd hate to hear that a wood floor went waste by painting it......
Please do some research first before you paint.......

Answer 8

Yes, it needs to be sanded thoroughly and then apply a primer coat before applying the finish coat. For the heavy wear the floor will receive, I would go with oil based paints for maximum wear. Oil base paint is admittedly harder and smells bad to deal with but certainly worth it.

Answer 9

Sand down to bare wood - patch / sand holes , reset nails and try to use a marine paint. Much more durable than reg. house paints.

Answer 10

Consider using milk paint (Woodworker's Supply and other sources). It's very durable, it has a very nice texture, and since it's water-based you can coat it with a few coats of water-based polyurethane (much easier and cleaner than other polyurethanes, and just as durable).

Clean first. I'd suggest sanding, then sealing, before applying the milk paint.