Why We Painted our Timber Floors and How to Do It

Whether or not to paint your timber floors is a contentious subject at the best of times. Everyone has an opinion and, to be fair, it is a big and rather final decision, so you have to be sure it’s what you want. We had a number of reasons why we chose to paint our timber floors and even with all of these the decision was a long time coming. It was also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made inside the house. So, if you are wondering how to paint a timber floor and why you should, read on.

Why We Painted Our Timber Floor

The first reason for painting our existing floor is that it looked like rubbish. The hallway in our bathroom, while original, was stained. It had boards that did not match from a bad patch job. To get a hundred years of dirt, grime and paint off it would have required heavy-duty sanding. I’m not sure the boards would stand up to this. Some were quite fragile and we had to do a lot of filling at the edges before we stained the first ones.

In the case of our front entry hall, the boards were new but, as I discovered when staining the stairs, the colour seemed to soak in more and ended up way darker than the older floor. Therefore, matching the stain colours between old and new would be almost impossible. So, painting the boards seemed like a good way to get a uniform look throughout.

Another reason we chose to paint the floors is that stain and varnish take forever to dry! Especially in Tasmania. Painting is a very quick and fast-drying alternative. When we varnished the bedroom it took over a week to dry. That was a week of lovely warm October weather. This year, we are wearing winter clothes in December. There’s no way we could do without the hall and kitchen for a week. Also, the cost of painting was minimal compared to staining. Add this to the fact the dark floor NEVER looked clean and you have a compelling case.

How to Paint a Timber Floor

The first thing I did after deciding to paint a timber floor was to investigate the options for paint. A number of companies make paint suitable for floors. They can be VERY pricey. I saw some people who used chalk paint on their floors but I’m not sure how successful this would be. In the end, I got a tin of Berger Jet Dry AquaTread mixed in the colour Dulux Feathersoft.

This warm beige-ish colour blends well with our dark Domino trim and kitchen cabinets as it has the same undertones. The fact that I chose dark kitchen cabinets instead of white has been a talking point for two years. Why not add to that with a white floor? (hehe) Anyway, I decided to paint the ensuite hall first as it is a small area. I could then make the decision as to whether to go all-in with the rest of the house.

The Process

I first asked Gavin to knock in the loose nails the were poking up from the floor. Then I sanded the floor with an 80 grit sandpaper using my detail sander. This grit would be too rough for a stained floor but provided the perfect amount of grip for the paint. I didn’t sand all the paint off, just made sure the surface was smooth. I then used a cutting in brush (my favourite) to do the edges and a roller to paint the rest. It took two coats to achieve an even look.

The advantage of using this paint was that the first coat was dry in 20 minutes! Absolutely dry! I recoated and the floor was able to be walked on by the time we went to bed that night.

I repeated the process for the entry hall and kitchen living area. In this area I gave the floor three coats. The beauty of this was that I was able to work in stages because the paint dried so fast. This enabled me to move furniture, paint a section and move the furniture back. It was not as disruptive as when we stained the floor and had to move everything for a week. There is no patchiness from doing it this way. If I’d stained in sections there would definitely be a difference in the colour.

How the Painted Floor is Holding Up

I did read reviews that said this paint is not good on concrete but then I would not paint concrete. I would not use a water based product on it either. However, on our floor, I am loving the finish. There was a slight scuff in the one area where we had a cocktail party the day after. One of the guests must have had something rough on their shoe and been shuffling their feet. I think, though, that the paint had not cured properly. I have since touched up that part and you cant tell. The dogs have run all over it with long claws and there is not a scratch. Likewise, it looks clean even if there are a few bits of fluff or tiny footprints. The old floor looked dirty ALL the time.

One thing I do love is that the floor is so easy to wash. The finish said it was good for this and I would agree. It also seems easier to sweep and keep clean. So much so, I’m thinking of getting a robot vacuum to give it a daily sweep.

So many people said I should not paint the floor, that it would devalue the farmhouse. But honestly? I think it’s improved the overall scheme. It’s made the farmhouse brighter and given it a more modern, country feel. I love how I can see the character of the boards too. Would I paint a floor white again? You bet I would!