Despite the abundance and variety of floor coverings, painted light wood floors are not a thing of the past. In apartments today they are quite rare, but in house houses and cottages the floors are most often made of wood. In addition to the decorative function, painting protects the tree from moisture, facilitates cleaning and creates a unique pastoral interior. In addition, it is not so difficult to choose how to paint the wooden floor in the house – this can be determined depending on the type of wood used and the purpose of the room.
Why do I need to paint a wooden floor in the house
Wood is a soft natural material that can quickly collapse under the influence of external factors without additional protection. Therefore, in any case, the main task of the coating applied to the wooden floor is to protect it from moisture, decay, spread of mold and mildew in the room. However, this is not enough. The interior of the house in general and the floor in particular should be beautiful, cheer up, forced to return to the house with joy and impatience.
Gone are the days when the cottage was used exclusively as an additional warehouse of unnecessary things in the city. Today, interiors of house cottages are an independent area of design, and the choice of paint for a wooden floor must be approached very responsibly.
Accordingly, there are a number of main reasons for painting a wooden floor in a house:
- painted floors practically do not absorb moisture, do not dry out;
- the paint protects the tree from mold, fungus, extends the service life;
- painted surfaces are much easier to care for, they are easy to clean;
- paint protects the surface from temperature fluctuations;
- with the help of varnish or paint you can create a very beautiful, original interior.
The main varieties of flooring materials
When deciding how to paint a wooden floor in a house, the choice will have to be made from two main categories of paint coatings:
- Transparent compositions. These include varnishes on different bases, which create a transparent protective film on the floor surface, allowing you to admire the structure, color, quality of the tree.
- Coloring compounds. They cover the wood with a dense protective film of the selected color, completely hiding the wood. Wooden floors are painted with oil, alkyd, acrylic paints. New generation, compounds based on rubber, perchlorovinyl, polyurethane.
High-quality floor painting involves the use of traditional enamel, and to emphasize the beauty of wood and the naturalness of the coating, you can varnish the floor boards. You can also look in the direction of modern protective compounds based on oils or wax.
Paint or varnish, which is better for wood
When choosing how to cover a wooden floor in a house house with paint or varnish, it should be borne in mind that varnish coatings are more difficult to use than paint. Only varnished, sanded floors can be varnished.
Another question is how to paint the wooden floor in the cottage unheated in the cold. If the dacha is not heated and practically do not visit it in winter, then under the influence of low temperatures the varnish can crack and fly around. Therefore, for a wooden floor in the house, varnish is not always functional. If you definitely want to coat the floors with varnish, take a look at the compositions for outdoor use. They are more heat and wear resistant, but the price of such a varnish will be higher.
Paint for a wooden floor in the house, allows you to get the desired shade of the coating, retains its decorative, protective properties for a long time, allows you to hide possible defects, usually quite affordable price.
Floor Treatment Compounds
In addition to varnish and paint, the floors are often covered with special compositions based on oils and wax. They protect the floors well from moisture, preserve the structure of the tree, perfectly mask minor defects, do not slip.
The disadvantage of this coating is the need to periodically update it (rub to a shine). On floors treated with such a composition, it is better not to put metal objects, as they will leave dark spots. To clean this floor, special detergents are needed.
It is better to wash the painted floor only with suitable compounds.
Rubber and polyurethane compounds form a strong, durable coating that does not slip, does not crack, has additional waterproofing properties, and high density.
The disadvantage of such coatings is the significant price
The advantages of painting the floor have been known for a long time, so no matter which flooring option is chosen: varnish, paint or wax, the main thing is that the wooden surface is protected, lasts a long time, could not harm the health of people living in the house.
Paint Compatibility
Before covering the floor with wooden paint or varnish, this nuance must be taken into account:
- Acrylic paints can be applied to almost any previous coatings.
- Alkyd, can be applied to a floor painted with oil paint.
- Polyurethane mixtures are only compatible with each other.
If there are any nuances in combining materials, then this should be reflected in their characteristics. Therefore, when choosing a paint, you should definitely study the information that the manufacturer indicates on the label. In addition, the seller may also suggest something useful.
How to choose a varnish
Water-based varnishes are odorless and easy to apply. If the cottage is heated, the coatings do not suffer from temperature extremes and high humidity, then they can be used to cover the floor.
Varnish is an ageless classic for wood flooring
Indoor floors that may suffer from cold and dampness are better covered with more serious protective compounds. In this case, it is better to overpay a little, but choose a varnish for outdoor work – it forms a more durable, durable protective coating.
Which paint to choose
Deciding what to cover the wooden floor in the house, the choice can be made from several varieties of paints, which differ primarily in the basis on which they are made.
- More recently, the floors in the cottages were painted mainly with oil paints. They dried for a long time, had a pungent odor, over time, the coating cracked, circled. Today, oil paints are rarely used.
- Acrylic paint for a wooden floor, it is a safe water-based composition, it forms an abrasion-resistant coating, does not lose brightness over time, perfectly protects the wood.
- Alkyd paints and enamels. Cheap and practical. Floors covered with such paints are easy to clean, and the coatings themselves are beautiful and last long enough.
- Polyurethane paints. They form a very strong coating, practically do not deform, are durable. Often used when painting porches and arbors, they are not afraid of temperature extremes and high humidity.
- Rubber paints. Novelty in the market of paint and varnish industry. They form a very dense matte finish similar to rubber. It perfectly protects the floor, durable, does not wipe, does not slip.
With an abundance of offers on the market, the choice always remains with the buyer and depends only on the budget laid down for this part of the repair and the general interior of the house. In general, no matter what paint for the wooden floor inside the house is chosen, if you follow all the recommendations for its application, the house will always be cozy and warm.
What tools will be needed
The quality of the work performed depends not only on the right paint, but also on pre-prepared tools – so as not to be distracted by this issue during the work. Before you start staining, you need to buy protective gloves, a respirator, several brushes of different sizes, a roller on a long handle. The telescopic handle is more convenient, it allows you to adjust the tool to the growth of the contractor.
Brushes are needed in any case, for painting corners and baseboards, even if everything else is painted with a roller. By the way, for the roller itself you will need a tray for paint (or several – depending on the number of workers who will paint the floor).
When working with a roller, you will need a paint tray
You also need masking tape – they will cover surface areas that are easy to stain with paint during operation.
When using oil paint and enamel, it is additionally necessary to prepare a solvent or drying oil and provide ventilation of the room.
If alkyd paint is chosen for painting the floor, buying a spray gun will greatly simplify the work.
The procedure for preparatory work before painting
How to paint a wooden floor in a house house depends on the quality of the preparatory work. Before painting, the floors are cleaned of the old coating, cleaved chips and cracks. The cracks between the floorboards are sealed with putty, and they are cleaned after drying. If necessary, grind. After that, the surface is washed and allowed to dry. You can paint, only dry clean floors. If floors are planned to be painted, they should be treated with a suitable primer. This will facilitate staining and reduce paint consumption.
Primer coating on the parquet
If it is planned to cover the floors with varnish, grinding should be of better quality. In addition, the first layer of water-based varnish raises microfibres of wood, making the surface rough. It is necessary to wait until the floor has completely dried, sand it to smoothness, cover it with another two or three layers of varnish.
On a clean, dry, paint-ready floor, apply a suitable primer in 2 layers. Each layer needs to dry. The primer is chosen depending on the type of paint that you decide to use. Consult with the seller and carefully read the composition and rules of use on containers with a primer. Priming will reduce paint consumption and facilitate the painting process. The primer can be applied with a brush or roller.
Wood flooring
First, paint the baseboards with a brush, and those places where it is difficult to get with a roller. Then, the entire surface of the floor is painted with a roller, moving from the windows to the exit. The second layer is applied after the paint of the first layer is completely dry. Usually two coats of paint give a high-quality, durable coating.
How to varnish floors
Before coating the floors with varnish, they are also primed. This is done with nitro-varnish, which is applied along the wood fibers, gently, without leaving untreated areas.
After the primer has completely dried, varnish begins to be applied to the floor. When varnishing usually do not use a roller. The varnish is applied with a wide soft brush, which must be carefully chosen, since the falling hairs are difficult to remove from the treated surface.
Important! When buying a large number of paints or varnish, it is strongly recommended to pay attention to the article number and batch number. In such a simple way it will turn out to pick up and acquire a paint of a completely identical shade.
Conclusion
Paint for a wooden floor in the house, the easiest and most affordable type of finish. With simplicity and cheapness, this method provides excellent protective and decorative results. In addition, painted floorboards are an indescribable tactile sensation, because it is so nice to walk on them with bare feet, unlike a “bare” tree, on which chips and cracks may appear over time.