Thursday, October 14, 2010

Would you paint a wooden floor?

It always looks great in magazines, but whenever I walk into a real house with real painted wooden floorboards, it looks a little - how shall I say? - real average. Painted floorboards tend to chip and look hokey. Personally, I think it's like rag-rolling your walls - it will look good for a month, but then will start to look like you've done something as silly as try to paint your own car (or fridge, or iPod, or insert-professionally-finished-item-that-would-look-crap-if-you-painted-it). A painting expert has just had a chat with Elle Decor about the best way to paint wooden floors, and this method does sound like it has merit. I, of course, will never test it out for fear of having a bad floor. Here's what apparently works:
• scarify the surface with 150-grit sandpaper
• wash the floor with a powdered detergent cleaner to remove all dust and deposits
• allow floor to dry completely (this may take a couple of days)
• apply a primer suitable for your paint type
• allow primer to dry overnight
• lightly sand primer with 220-grit sandpaper
• wipe floor clean with mineral spirits, using tack cloth or a rag
• apply the first, thin coat of paint with a natural-bristle brush (which creates a smooth finish, rather than with a roller, which creates a stippled finish)
• allow paint to dry 24 hours
• apply two more thin coasts, allowing 24 hours between each

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Pictures: ElleDecor

3 comments:

  1. Totally agree with your opinion. Never looks as good as the mags! A-M xx

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  2. hmm, I dunno, I didn't do it either, went natural with the floor which is a bit piney sometimes...often wish I had gone white on the floors but then again remember that I have 3 kids...in a rustic huge old house with no one who lives in it in a magazine then I think it rocks my socks ;-)

    ...we did do one of the floors in an outdoor room with floor paint and telling you it has been fantastic, no chips marks etc, tho in white shows the dirt something...

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  3. Nah, I wouldn't unless my house some kind of shabby chic type - which I'm sure it never would be.

    I don't have any floorboards in this house (first house of my last three) which I miss terribly. One day... perhaps.

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Thanks for taking the time to chat!

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