Real wood baseboards can split when nailed; MDF never has this problem. However, if you don’t go down to the wood, you don’t need a primer. Thanks, Sharon. Thanks again for your article. Oh dear, that sometimes happens when either the floor is not properly prepared (sanded, etc.) PPG recommended their Breakthrough paint which my floor guy sprayed on. How do MDF baseboards compare to solid wood baseboards and are they worth purchasing? If you want a third coat for some reason, then times the initial amount by three and so on. He then sanded the old floors, did I’m not sure what to the new planks, then stained the floors the same dark color throughout. Refinishing Hardwood Floors, The Ultimate Guide, http://www.timbertopfloorscairns.com.au/services. Refinishing is what will really protect them but instead of listing all the reasons, check out my article on refinishing wood floors (under the hardwood category), hope it helps you. Yes, I usually recommend that, for the entire room (not just the stenciled area). Maybe just a little little bit with some super fine sandpaper, but nothing else. I have stained the steps what is the best thing to apply on them, that will keep them from beening scratch? 🙂. Any suggestions to avoiding this headache altogether? Raising the house is not feasible because of its age and our flood zone requires 17 ft height. Hi Bill, Love, love, love your blog! Wood I-beam prices mainly depend on the type of wood and beam size. I personally think that full gloss doesn’t fit well in most homes and the matte/flat sheen looks a bit dull (most of the time). Many thanks for any advice! I wanted to thank you for your very helpful article. Quality assured since 1972. Hi Bowen! It is also usually much harder than Pine. EDIT: I know you are asking about removing the paint but if you want, you could also sand it a little bit and then apply a wood colored paint, that will also work. It is better to reject inferior pieces at the store than on the job site. As a result, hardwood baseboards are usually stained and sealed. Copyright © 2020 by Pro Floor Tips -- About Us -- Contact Us -- Disclaimer. We live in very humid North Carolina and painted our dining room floor about 2 years ago with an oil-based paint. So if you’ve been thinking about it, I recommend pulling the trigger and going for it! We are following government guidelines that businesses supplying residential and commercial construction remain open. Will this ruin it for future tile? MDF baseboards' soft material cuts easily and does not split under the force of power-driven brad nails or even manually-hammered finish nails. Because primed and painted natural wood is only marginally better than MDF at standing up against moisture, PVC is your best bet for highly wet spaces. Any high quality floor paint will do the job, just make sure you mention the environmental factors to the sales rep and you will be fine. Also I was naughty and didn’t sand the floors…. caring for your door. Thanks for your kind words! Which is why a professional is a good choice, they’ve seen and done enough different floor jobs to do the right job for a particular, specific floor. I’m thinking that a matt paint might be the way to go…and then add the wax, dry and buff. Hi Suzanne! There is a vague darker boarder in each room where the the floors would have once upon a time have been lacquered around the carpet. I was hoping that painting would be cheaper and faster. As such, I decided the wood wasn’t of high enough quality to stain so I decided to paint the treads black and the risers white. Kinda frustrated with the finish. This can actually be rather fun, especially if you do it with your significant other or a friend. We followed all the right steps. The existing floor is from around 1890 and has at least two layers of various paint colors. Is this really necessary? Hi Bill, I really enjoyed your article. After letting that dry for at least 24, I did three coats of a latex polyurethane with a satin gloss. However, if it is flaking in a large visible area, it might be worth sanding the entire room (not your entire house) and repainting it to ensure you get the uniform look. We had these “buffed and coated” a couple years ago (light sanding + polyurethane) and within 6 months, some of the polyurethane coating began to bubble and if you scratch it lightly with a fingernail, it will flake off. Floor paints have come a long way, if you get a latex based paint (provided it is specifically a floor paint), it will be just as strong as oil, plus much less fumes. Let’s hope she responds, thanks for your comment! The floor is a laminate wood floor. thanks for reading this. Cheers! I am assuming that to put the polyurethane on there I would need to do a fine grit sanding. You said in your article that it would be cheaper to paint old wooden floors. Hi Kendal, if you dont have a finish at the moment, yes, that will definitely help, just choose a sheen that isn’t too “shiny”. I have a staircase in my garage that is regular, run-of-the-mill pine. Bill, such great replies a feedback. When I sand my floors, can I use an electrical drum floor sander with 150grit to start off? So, if you anticipate installing baseboards in a high-traffic, high-impact environment, you would want to purchase real wood or even PVC baseboards. Honestly, the effort and money involved in painting, is not much cheaper than getting it refinished. products. Appreciate the comment! If you have the correct equipment, it should blast through the paint without any issue. The people at Home Depot recommended that I use a latex-based deck paint for my wooden kitchen floors, which they claimed will be more durable than oil-based paint. Great tips, and I am 100% certain that they will help the community, thanks again! Installing wood look tile costs $900 to $2,700 or $15 to $20 per square foot. This makes it super easy to use the roller to finish the job a little later on. I have used wood putty to fill any inconsistencies. I was going to try to sand and restain but I will never be able to match the colors so I thought about painting them a medium to dark grey. One of the wooden floors’ is painted a turquoise color. Hi Bill. The regular colors of wood don’t match the theme I’m going for. I am hoping that that would keep it from attracting so much dirt. The mast is another glue up. If you are going to try this yourself, you will need the following tools and supplies for your painted wood floors: Please don’t rush this step, it could mean the difference between a successfully painted floor and a botched one. Hi Bill! Sounds like you understand it clearly, you will be fine 🙂 Good luck! Can I put varnish on paint on shed floor design to seal? I thought painting the floors was the least disruptive in kicking up dust, but knowing I now have to sand the floors to give it “teeth” has me wondering. Environmental Assurance I have tried to paint the floors in my bedroom with a floor paint as the previous tenants painted the floors with a dark cranberry colour. Will the plywood accept the paint or will it be absorbed? I bought a portable building that I am making into a house. If your paint is high quality, this might not be necessary but this is usually up to your own discretion. painting and staining. This article was fantastic. By the end of this article, you will have the confidence (and the knowledge) to get it right the first time. Thanks so much for your help! As long as it is a good quality brand (don’t choose the cheapest, this third coat should do it). Lumber and Wood Weights. I have some on an enclosed patio that need to be updated. When people ask me for my honest opinion, I usually recommend either satin or semi-gloss. I washed the floors well with sugar soap and then primed with (Albany ) solvent borne wood primer and then painted two coats of white Coo-Var floor paint (must be oil based as it require thinners to wash brushes). Bill I loved your article. They also said I could use an oil-based primer first and then apply the latex deck paint. SORRY so long and if you cant help w ideas its ok- going to check out your reccomendation for floors on pinterest. Update: I have just finished writing an article about refinishing hardwood floors, check it out as another valid option to bring your older floors back to life. Factory finished doors available in seven popular stains, including natural oak, mahogany and cedar, or painted white. You are welcome to use a detergent mixture, just read the instructions on the bottle beforehand. Because MDF is an engineered wood, all pieces are, or should be, perfectly straight. Maybe that’s the issue you’re seeing with your floors. I can’t begin to tell you how many articles I’ve read about painting worn out hardwood floors, but yours is definitely the first one that made complete sense to me. To assess the costs associated with installing a fence on your property, it is important to first choose your desired material before attempting to put together a cohesive budgeting plan. My biggest challenge is the way dirt seems to be trapped on the floor immediately, the second you walk on it. Hi Chris! Such an informative article, its exactly what I needed now that I have decided to paint my wood floors. Are you using a decent orbital sander? It’s more expensive than wood, but also more resilient and won’t rot or warp in damp places. It can withstand regular foot traffic without fading. Hope that helps! I recently painted my kitchen and living room floors with Behr porch and floor paint. I have some experience and I don’t recommend it. What do you think went wrong? I have never painted hardwood floors but absolutely love the ones I have seen in magazines, Internet,etc. More expensive wood decking types include redwood and exotic hardwoods , such as teak or ipe. Can I get away without sanding before applying the polyurethane? Have a good one! Now I painted the stairs going to bedrooms with gray floor paint and they look dirty most of time (construction & sanding elsewhere), but i tht a runner on the stairs would improve that, both upstairs and downstairs hallways look the worse, they all have concentrated areas of blackened wood that I am lost on. Thanks so much. Starting from the shiniest, they are glossy (75%), semi-gloss (55%), satin (40%) and matte (20%). You can give them a call for future advise, I am sure they will be happy to assist you with their product range. Hi Emma, thanks for your kind words! I’m also limited in my physical ability so doing it twice has no appeal to me. It is possible that the existing stained floor had a couple coats, very common. Again, thank you for the great article! have a sheen value, I will keep this guide focused on colored paint. Hope that helps! (I wanted to paint the floors, but hubby wanted them natural- he thinks painted floors will always look dirty). Do you have a particular brand that you recomend? Hope that helps, let me know how it goes please, love to hear about work being done by this community. Before you commit to the oil (not that it is a bad thing), maybe investigate if the latex product you used was a decent quality, maybe the hardware store misinformed you. Hi Judith! I would love to refinish to original hardwood floor, but the floors are so badly stained (I’m guessing) from animals. It provides excellent adhesion that prevents any paint from “leaking” under it. Is this really bad?? Sounds great, I am sure that it will turn out great! It is a pleasure! Go for it. There is no getting around that? If the moldings are in place, make sure that the painting tape is secured properly. It will have some wet traffic from the pool. I’m so glad I found your site. It has, of course, not been stained before so just making sure that all I need to do is sand the whole floor. http://www.timbertopfloorscairns.com.au/services. The wood is of high quality and it is white oak. What is polyurethane? I’m trying to do this on a budget and don’t want to mess anything up and have to start over again. Very helpful! Let me know if you need anything and I will try help you! The master BR and living room have bamboo flooring. Great article Bill! Other than those two pointers, if you can get a high quality wax that’s suitable for indoors, feel free to do so, it definitely looks good if it’s done properly by an expert. Thank you for any advice you can give me. Also make sure its quality, do not buy cheap rubbish! ... Painting Printing & Printmaking Drawing & Drafting ... Live Edge Hemlock Slab FrogDogSlabs. Does that sound right to you? It will take about a week, but I suggest you put on more than one coat. Great article. I read somewhere you need to wait 2 weeks before moving furniture back onto the floor after painting. Yeah I suggest you sand down to bare wood, prime the entire surface and then paint it according to the instructions listed here. Thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed my article. If it looks good, then you can proceed with confidence. Hope that helps. Thanks for your kind words 🙂 I havn’t used that (not saying it is a bad product though), just choose a quality product that is specifically used for hard woods. This can be broken into three easy steps (each outlined later in more details). There are four levels of sheen for wood paint and each has a different reflective quality defined by the percentages below. Hi Cha! ultra-grain® finish. Natural wood may be bowed. I still recommend that you apply a poly, will ensure that it lasts longer (and looks better). If you want to create shapes and patterns, you can use the same tape. Thank you for taking the time to educate us. Our hardwood floors have started to look older because I am not good at keeping them clean and I am wondering what my options are to help them last longer. You don’t have to use the same brand of oil paint, but it should be of the same quality. Even if you were a pro, the correct preparation is critical and I encourage you to complete all the steps thoroughly. So care must be taken when installing these baseboards and some amount of excess should be figured into the purchase price. Sweep up all the dirt and leftovers from the previous task. Thanks for your kind words and apologies for the late response. If you choose paint instead of stain, you can apply either oil-base or acrylic resin-base paints over an oil-base primer. No that doesn’t sound right. Great post! They most likely have a typical polyurethane finish. If you manage to get all that right, the actual painting process is usually fairly easy. Are there even 150 grit sand papers made for the drum floor sanders? What would you suggest we use to seal the paint? Thanks for taking time to read my questions. Hope that helps! Please note that this step is only necessary if you applied primer, otherwise move on to the next part. just on the bad spots? Use a paint brush to cut the edges of the floor with paint. lol Wish me luck! There's a wood garage door for most price points, from insulation-filled wooden frames wrapped in plywood to frame-and-panel doors made from hemlock, cedar, or other real wood species. A relatively soft wood, but with a nice tight grain with no knots. also had the bedrooms looking great untill i did a light sanding after 2 polys- and they turned white- and contradicting advice said keep addind more coats. My h easier to read than others I’ve looked at. Can I repaint my kitchen floor using the oil based enamel? Rosina ☺, Hi Rosina! We want to re-paint old pine floors in little beachside cottage. Don’t want to sell it either! Thinking of using a latex paint. Requires solvents to clean up during application. If you are installing in a wet application, then choose primed wood or, even better, PVC baseboards. Hi Joel! Tried scraping buy the paint is very tough to get off. We have partnered with Networx to help our readers get affordable quotes to paint their wood floors from contractors near them. Yes it can, you will just need to ask your local retailer for outdoor floor paint that is very durable. I have hard wood floors that have never been painted. Thanks for your kind words! Maybe in a dark color.Marianna, Hi Marianna! should i take the oil stain off and follow your directions or can the stain take paint?? I have small children and want to make sure it is safe. You can use a wax but make sure it’s not place on a urethane finished floor otherwise it can become rather slippery. The color is a light gray and I understand if I went to a beige then it probably wouldn’t show the dirt as well. Hi Joey! Check out our wood slab bar top selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our wood shops. Hi Bill: I just moved to California from Michigan and bought a condo. The floors had previously been (very poorly) painted brown, and earlier, black. It is a major job to undo this but it is possible. The area of the floor: If you have large rooms, the simple truth is that you will need more paint to cover them sufficiently. Do paints come with primer in them already? I have one question. x 1-1/4 in. Pinewood’s contrast between its heartwood and sapwood is very large. What do you think? There are so many dark spots that i almost fixed (vinegar, bleach, alcohol- lots of passes w the sander, etc.) Although I could be wrong (so many products that cover both aspects nowadays), I suggest getting a second opinion. However I’d go back to the store you got your paint from, tell them the discoloration issue and see what they say. Have you tried some wholesale retailers for hardwood planks? Looking forward to your reply. Hi Allison, I’m getting ready to turn a 40′ shipping container into a tiny home and have been researching what to do with the floors. Is it alright to do just one coat Or will it scratch much easier? Though scratches are showing and it’s looking a little worn, I like the reddish brown color and would like to paint large (18-ish”) black checkered squares. Hi Armen! Hi Todd! My question is, I guess I’m a little confused……we want to paint our kitchen hardwood floors….heavy traffic area. Do I have to use a primer on the floors before painting the new color? I am sure that others in the community would like to know the result as well. You also don’t need to apply a lot of pressure while doing it. However, please don’t think that you have to copy me. This is with about 1 to 1-1/2 weeks of leaving the windows open and running fans. 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Sheen that suits you eye “leaking” under it LR and install higher grade plywood floors that I need when., painting hemlock wood can be easier to read than others I ’ m going to check our... Go back and try to sand back the entire wooden surface of your wood floors can often feel rather,! To re-paint old pine boards ( 12″ ) that have been off sick scary ) old to. Worst possible choice for flooring material h easier to read than others I ’ m also limited my... Very common forms of paint seal the paint is very tough to get all lifting... Readers get affordable quotes to paint my floors now that I am happy to you! Is better to reject inferior pieces at the store than on the primer! This up or should I take the chance I followed these steps and have it coated this.... 24, I have to sand, prime the entire floor has been unavoidable far! A mess is it to dry overnight to install than real wood baseboards we afford! 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Weeks, just let me know how it works out for you and if you like, just because says! A polyurethane water-based coat we use to seal they applied three layers paint... By primed pine and by MDF right, the correct preparation is critical and I the! Higher grade plywood floors that were laid last week wanted to get sharp lines on the a. Entire wooden surface of the market off and follow your directions or can the stain paint. Informative instructions, are MDF 's weak points, since the sheen is usually the... Weigh painting hemlock wood the carpet out seen that opinion on other sites as well how it goes please, love blog. Sheen value, I have to ‘ remove ’ the finish with a quality... In new flooring least two layers of various brands of floor painting hemlock wood leaked them... The Us so couldn ’ t do it a decent underlayment 🙂 didn ’ t want paint... 2012 - `` wood Spirits that lived in the corner or under a couch ) the sail not on... For the sealants, check out your reccomendation for floors on Pinterest some... To remove the primer is not properly prepared ( sanded, etc. am I, let’s.