The wood floor is popular in architecture and design due to its unique, natural look. This makes the idea of having painted wood floors became a controversy.
While some think that wood’s natural beauty should be visible, others prefer painting as a practical, cheap, but beautiful makeover idea.
You are probably caught between two opinions when planning to remodel the floor using this method. If you are still indecisive, this guide will help you.
1. Reasons to Paint Wood Floors
Despite some opposing opinions, painting wood as remodeling option is very common. There are various reasons why people want to cover the wood’s natural beauty with a solid color. The most common ones are:
- Covering wear and tear
Painting over the surface is the easiest way to hide wear and tear. Painted old wood floors are not only interesting, but also hiding signs of old age. These signs are often hard to cover if you only rely on polish.
- Creating a new look
Changing the colors in the house can dramatically transform the room. Even without buying new furniture or remodeling the house, a new color will create a striking look. Painting is the easiest way to do it.
- Giving a new background for design switch
There may be times when you want to switch the design style of your house. Repainting the old wooden floor creates a new background for the design.
While some people may enjoy the wood’s natural beauty, others love to experiment with colors and patterns. If you are the latter type, painting your floor is one of the best ways to achieve new effects.
Read also: Brush up Your Home Décor with Walnut Wood Color!
2. Pros of Painting Wooden Floors
As a remodeling method, painting the wooden floors as several benefits, such as:
- Cheap makeover
Repainting wooden floor is a relatively cheap makeover method. You only need to buy the desired paint color to get a really different look.
- Can “manipulate” light and room size
Repainting wooden floor is similar to choosing main feature color: you must adjust the option with the room size and natural light source. For example, white painted wood floors are perfect for small rooms.
- Modern and bold
Painting wooden floor is great to create bolder, more modern look. Instead of exposing wood’s natural grains, you can make the floor “scream louder” by painting it with a solid color.
- Wide opportunity to get creative
If you are a creative soul, painting wooden floor will give you freedom in creation. You may combine two different paint colors, or try large patterns on several spots on the floor. The sky is the limit!
Aside from all these benefits, repainting wooden floor can also become a fun DIY project. You can even take your kids to repaint the floor with their own hands, and have fun with you together.
3. Cons of Painted Wood Floors
Despite the benefits, there are several legit concerns regarding painting wooden floors, such as:
- “Cheapen” the house
Finding the right color combination to repaint wooden floors is difficult. When you choose certain colors, they may cheapen the look of your house. If your house has a classic design, the brightly-colored wooden floor may not be a good idea.
- Hard to correct
Sometimes, builders or homeowners regret their decisions when the projects are halfway there. If you repaint your floor and suddenly get new inspirations, or if you make mistakes, it is hard to correct them.
- Not a long-term solution
Repainting the old wooden floor may refresh the look, but it is not a long-term solution. Also, no matter how good the paint is, you will need to repaint the wood every several years to keep the brilliant colors. Otherwise, your floor will look “tired”.
Finally, you may want to rethink the idea of painting the floor. In many cases, repainting wooden floor is viewed as damage, and can decrease the property value.
Many prospective buyers may also get disappointed when they see that the wooden floor’s natural beauty is erased.
4. Tips to Repaint the Wooden Floor
Despite the downsides, having repainted wooden floor is a great way to refresh your home. Here are several tips you can follow to get successful results:
- Design with stencils or adhesive tapes
If you want to get creative, use stencils or adhesive tapes on your floor to create intricate designs. Use smaller brushes when dealing with the smaller patterns.
- Prepare a temporary place to sleep
Paint produces faint fumes that can make you sick after long exposure. When repainting the wooden floors (especially in a large house), you should find temporarily place to stay. Let the floors dry for at least one week.
- Choose proper paint for floor
If your floor has high feet traffic, choose the paint that can protect the floor properly. Paint such as oil-based enamel or porch is perfect to handle wear and tear from high feet traffic. Black painted wood floors look exclusive and can disguise some traces from high feet traffic.
Also, remember that repainting the wooden floor is a long project. You need at least two weeks to repaint a floor, starting from sanding, coat applications, and the actual painting.
Read also: Bamboo Flooring Pros and Cons
5. Ideal Way to Repaint the Wooden Floor
To disguise the old look of a wooden floor, you can try several tricks, such as:
- Sandpaper the entire area of the wooden floor. All you need to do is removing the gloss or shine from the old floor.
- Vacuum the floor and mop it.
- Use multiple coating techniques. Ideally, you must start with the very thin Wait until dry before you sandpaper the surface a little and start the second (and main) coating.
- Apply decorations (if any). You must wait until the coat is completely dry before doing it. Usually, it takes about a week or two.
- Apply sealant on the surface. While this is not mandatory, you can protect the wooden floor surface with this method.
Follow these steps, and even the most amateur homeowner can get the best result.
Repainting a wooden floor is not always a good idea, but it gives your house a new look. Think carefully about your plan and design, because it is hard to correct once you change your mind.
If you are sure, use proper techniques to get the best-painted wood floors. This new look definitely will refresh your home.
