How to paint a wooden floor in a house? Options and what is better to choose

The floor is one of the basic elements of the room, which means you need to choose and care for it as carefully as possible. Currently, wooden floors are especially popular, as building materials of natural origin have become fashionable. However, wooden coverings can deteriorate under aggressive environmental influences. You can preserve your floors using ordinary paint. But you need to choose it, taking into account the characteristics of the floor covering.

How to paint a wooden floor in a house?

Painting a wooden floor

Wood is a natural material that can quickly deteriorate without special protection. It follows from this that the main function of the floor covering is to protect it from rot, high humidity, mildew and mold. But this may not be enough. The decor of the house, including the flooring, should please the owners so that they enjoy spending time in it.

Important! If we are talking about a dacha, then today it is rare for anyone to store unnecessary rubbish there, which has no place in city apartments. Now, decorating a country house is a separate area of design, and therefore purchasing floor paint requires an individual approach.

There are many reasons to use paint:

the paint does not allow the wood to absorb moisture or dry out;
painted floors are not exposed to fungus or mold, and this increases their service life;
painted floors do not require additional care - they are often simply enough to be washed;
paint protects the material from temperature fluctuations;
Thanks to paint and varnish products, you can easily create a beautiful and unique pattern.

Painting a wood floor is very important to protect it from moisture, mold and mildew.

Why is the floor on an open terrace so special?

You may be surprised, but most owners of a private house with a terrace are faced with the same phenomenon as the annual replacement of the wooden floor of the terrace. This is directly related to the fact that wooden boards are annually exposed to the adverse effects of precipitation. Therefore, without proper protection, yours will experience the same thing. It is clear that everything still depends on the board from which the terrace floor is made. If we talk about decking made of larch or other dense types of wood, then their characteristics are much better and allow you to use the veranda or terrace much longer. But even the best covering on the terrace will not be able to withstand an aggressive environment without protection.

Features of the use of floor coverings

When repairing a wooden floor, use one of two possible ways to update it. There is nothing complicated in the first method: first you need to choose a composition that is similar to the previous one, and then apply it to the coating. Using this method, you can avoid disturbing the layer of previous paint.

The second method is much more labor-intensive, as it requires impregnation and varnishing of the floor. But this option is much more effective, since it involves not only painting, but also restoration of the coating itself.

Important! To put the floor in order using the second method, you need to prepare the floor surface for restoration. To do this, it is smoothed and polished, and sometimes even completely changed.

You can apply paint to the old layer, or you can completely renew the surface of the wooden floor.

The preparation should be secured with several layers of clear varnish. This will give the surface strength and immunity to external adverse events.

If it is necessary to increase the service life of the floor, it is recommended to replace the old boards with fresh ones and cover them with paint and varnish products. True, with this option a lot of impregnation and varnish are consumed, because new boards absorb a lot of liquid.

Painting facades with Tikkurila paint

The lining used to decorate facades ages faster. This is caused by exposure to moisture, UV radiation, mold, and wood-boring insects. Therefore, the finishing of facades is carried out with lining made from softwood, which, due to the content of natural resin (which is a good antiseptic), is more durable. The resin protects against fungal formations and prevents the penetration of moisture into the material.

Varnishing the floor

Despite its natural protection, such material must be treated with special means to preserve its aesthetic and performance qualities. For additional protection, several types of varnishes and paints are used.

Translucent Unika Super Tikkurila will give a matte tint and good resistance to external factors. In order to preliminary evaluate the color transfer of the coating, it is worth applying the varnish to a small area and letting it dry a little. Paints are also often used to treat the exterior walls of buildings. For example, you want the house to be completely white, like in the photo. In this case, you should use white Tikkuril paint, pre-prime the surface or dilute the paint with a primer.

Interior painting

To preserve the original appearance of the wood and protect it, it is best to use Tikkurila scuba tanks on the walls and ceilings of rooms (as in the photo). If you have a wooden floor, then it should be coated with alkyd varnish. Experts give the same recommendations for treating balconies, loggias and verandas. The coating will prevent darkening of the wood and protect the lining from wear.

If you want to give the room a special color scheme that matches the interior, you should use different types of coatings. Particularly popular now are water-based semi-matte paints, which are designed specifically for wood decoration, with the appropriate color. Detailed technology for painting lining can be seen in the video.

To really perform a high-quality painting and increase the service life of the coating on the lining, you should follow these recommendations:

mix the varnish or paint thoroughly;
do a test stain on a piece of board that is not in use;
use brush;
do not paint outside in clear weather (the best weather is cloudy and windless);
work the ends in several layers;
To repaint the façade, use the same type of paint as the previous time.

By following these simple rules and recommendations, you can easily and quickly select the right materials for painting a house or bathhouse.

Choosing paint for a wooden floor

Some people believe that wooden floors are an indispensable attribute of the old days. But this opinion is erroneous, since floors made from natural materials are often used even now to create a pleasant atmosphere and make the room more attractive.

Only with the help of proper floor painting can you achieve the best quality of the floor structure. This does not require special knowledge or skills. All stages of the procedure can be performed by yourself.

It is quite possible to paint the floor yourself - the main thing is to follow the technology

Before you start painting, you need to consider the following points:

Is the flooring quality?
what the final appearance of the floor should be after painting;
what material is best to use in a given situation;
How long does it take for paint to dry?

Ultimately, you need to have a complete vision of what should happen in the end, and based on this, make a choice in favor of one of the materials.

It would be useful to first familiarize yourself with the types of materials in order to have an idea of what to apply to the flooring so that it gives maximum benefit. Transparent products, such as various varnishes and impregnations, allow you to emphasize the natural texture of wood, but do not provide adequate protection from any loads.

You can use only varnish without applying paint - this will add beauty to the wood, but will not protect it adequately

You cannot move heavy objects or walk in heels on such a coating, as this will damage the protective layer, which will not be able to protect the tree from negative influences in the future.

When painting floors, you can forget about the natural beauty of wood, but in return you get a variety of colors that are obtained by choosing the right materials. In addition, the paint helps strengthen the coating.

Important! When choosing paint, it is important to consider the humidity in the room. By the way, in any case, you need to apply a protective layer only to a previously prepared floor.

The coating should be applied taking into account the selected materials in this way.

Varnish. One layer of varnish is applied to the previously prepared coating. After it dries, the surface is leveled with fine sandpaper and cleaned. Then, using the same principle, a couple more layers are applied, but not less than three.
Dye. Drying oil is first applied to the boards. After hardening (after 3 days), the floor is painted 2 times. Once the paint has dried, you can safely move around it.

Several layers of paint are required

When re-treating the floor, you need to take into account the degree of preservation of the coating. In a situation where the quality of the floor is called into question, it is worth re-laying the entire floor again. This will save you from problems.

Yacht varnishes

The advantages of yacht varnishes include: good stability, high permeability into the pores of the material, resistance to ultraviolet radiation. The yacht varnish contains an alkyd-urethane mixture. It is used to cover outdoor structures. Advantages of varnish:

Resistance to environmental influences. This applies not only to water, but also to pollution. When dry, the varnish begins to repel dirt.
Penetrability into cracks and pores of wood. Thanks to this property, the wood is completely preserved in varnish.
Ultraviolet resistance. The tree is able to maintain its natural shade for a long time.
When using yacht varnish, the protective layer is transparent. This allows you to emphasize the natural grain of the wood.

Before applying such coatings, it is better to dismantle the veranda boards. This is necessary for sanding them with sandpaper. Then the varnish should be applied in 2-3 layers. After each application you should wait 4-5 hours.

One of the significant disadvantages of yacht varnish is the loss of elasticity when exposed to low temperatures. For yachts that sail in warm seas, this is not a problem. However, when treating the floor on the veranda, you should take into account the annual impact of frost on the wooden flooring. When wood loses its elasticity, the consequences can be unpleasant. In this case, the varnish composition will need to be applied after a year of using the flooring.

What to look for when purchasing?

Despite the fact that paint is one of the most popular materials for flooring, it must be chosen very carefully, because the floor should serve not only for protection, but also for decoration. Well-chosen paint can not only improve the quality of the coating, but also emphasize its appearance and structure. When purchasing, you need to consider the following points.

Variety of varieties and types of wood. Because each type of wood reacts differently to paint, the amount of material required for painting varies.
Conditions for using paint. Different paints are used to paint the floors inside and outside the building.
Terms of use. Finishing materials can be used to cover both fresh boards and newly repaired ones.

When choosing paint for the floor, you need to pay attention to many nuances
Quantity and composition of old finishing. Such information is required in order to select a product that can be combined with the previous one.
Coverage quality. In some cases, pre-treatment of the wood may be required.

All these factors should help determine which paint to choose from the huge selection.

Types of paints and varnishes for the veranda

Even highly resistant varnishes are not intended for external use when treating the veranda floor. They cannot be used to treat open terraces. For this purpose, special formulations are being developed. They have several additives that help counteract temperature changes and ultraviolet rays. Among them the following groups can be distinguished:

yacht varnishes;
terrace oils - they are often used to treat verandas;
chlorinated rubber paints.

Materials from each group differ in their application features. You should understand their pros and cons. They need to be considered in detail. In addition, care must be taken to create the correct design of the veranda. This will ensure its safety for many years.

Regardless of the presence of a canopy over the veranda, its surface is still exposed to precipitation and sunlight. One of the active reagents is water. This means that when designing a veranda, it is necessary to minimize its delay on the covering.

This goal can be achieved using water-repellent coatings. The veranda flooring is protected from the effects of water by choosing the correct floor structure. It is necessary to leave 3 mm gaps between the boards. Water will be drained from the veranda through them.

What wood should you choose to build an open veranda? Soft and hard wood can be selected for this purpose. Hardwood has an attractive appearance and many useful properties. However, the price of such wood is quite high. When building a veranda from such boards, you will have to pay a considerable amount.

Soft varieties are cheaper. Their list includes pine, larch and spruce. Such boards are much easier to process. Using antiseptics and paints can make such a floor durable and reliable.

It is also important to understand such an indicator of wood as operational safety. If the floor gets wet and there is dirt on the surface of the wooden elements, the floor becomes slippery. To increase the safety of using such a covering, it is necessary to choose boards with longitudinal grooves for the construction of the flooring. This will increase the surface friction coefficient.

Before applying any paintwork, it is necessary to dry wooden products. In addition, they need to be sanded. The surface of the boards should be perfectly flat. This will make them more attractive. This will ensure better adhesion of the wood to the paintwork material used.

Paint selection

If you choose the right paint, you can not only decorate your wooden floor beautifully, but also preserve it for a long time. It is very important to pay attention to the following details before purchasing.

What paint was used previously? For example, a coating that can withstand sub-zero temperatures is suitable for a balcony. For rooms with high humidity it is better to use moisture-resistant coatings.
Interior decoration. The paint color should match the overall design. Currently, the choice of colors is so diverse that there should not be any problems with this. If there are any doubts, you can opt for white, which is considered universal.

It is important that the color of the floor paint matches the overall design of the room
Wood species and texture. The surface of the pine flooring is quite soft and flexible, so it needs additional protection and strength. For it you need to choose a paint with these properties. Beech flooring has a glossy sheen and a non-standard texture, which means it is worth using coatings that can highlight this. You can also apply oil impregnation to the beech surface before painting - this will preserve the properties of the wood.
Type and characteristics. Transparent products, such as impregnation or varnish, do not allow oxygen to pass through well, and their layer becomes thinner over time. However, they enhance the shine of surfaces and protect them from solar radiation. But they need to be applied to an already painted surface.

When choosing paint, you need to consider what kind of coating it will be applied to - for example, different materials are suitable for pine and beech floors

When the choice is made and the paint is purchased, you can begin preparatory activities.

Elimination of coating deficiencies

Eliminating gaps between floor boards

Unfortunately, the boards will not always be perfectly smooth and without cracks. Therefore, before you go to the store and choose what to paint your wooden floor with, you should think about how to eliminate the identified shortcomings:

the gaps between the boards can be filled with oil putty, adding a little sawdust to it;
Unevenness and dents on the boards will have to be first filled with putty (with oil putty to match the paint you are going to paint with) over a layer of dried primer or drying oil - in this case the floor is not varnished, but only wood paint is applied.

Preparing for painting

The preparatory stage includes several stages:

preparation of a wooden surface, primer;
painting.

To prepare the work surface, you need to do the following.

Clear the room of furniture and equipment and wash the floor. To do this, it is better to use soapy water, especially if there is severe contamination.
The surface must be cleared of debris and remnants of old paint. If there are cracks and roughness, they can be removed using grinding equipment.
Gaps and cracks must be filled with putty or other suitable solution. Usually it is necessary to put several such layers. In this case, each subsequent layer must be applied only after the previous one has dried.
Re-sanding. When the solution dries, its surface needs to be smoothed.
Next, they are treated with a primer, the properties of which correspond to the selected paint.

It is necessary to prepare the floor for painting - free it from debris, old coating, seal cracks and cracks

At this point, the preliminary preparations are considered complete, and then you can begin painting.

wood putty

Enamel

This paint is a multi-component tinted mixture, which is not only wear-resistant, but also has a decorative effect. For painting outdoor surfaces, enamels are produced based on:

Natural and mineral oils. Oil paint works great on wood, concrete and metal surfaces.
Solvents. Nitrocellulose paint is highly resistant to moisture and lays beautifully on the surface, forming a glossy film.
Polymer resins. These are alkyd universal and specialized paints, which are divided into water-based and acetone-containing. Enamels containing acetone are the most resistant to external influences.

Painting the veranda floor consists of several stages:

The surface of the boards must be cleaned of remnants of old paint using a hair dryer. For very old coatings, alkaline paint removers are used, which are harmless to wood.
We eliminate unevenness on the floor surface using a special putty mixture.
We perform final grinding of the surface using a grinder or sandpaper.
Use a foam roller to prime the surface in the direction of the length of the boards.
The paint composition should be prepared in accordance with the instructions: if necessary, add thinner to the jar and mix the contents.
The paint is applied with a flat, wide brush.

If you have to paint a wooden floor on a large terrace, it is better to use a spray gun instead of a brush and roller.

Coloring

To start painting, you need to wait until the floor is completely dry after priming. After this, the painting area should be marked with paper or masking tape.

Different paints have their own painting technology. To paint the floor with a roller, the paint is first mixed and poured into a special tray. After this, the roller is dipped into the tray and the surface is painted. It is better to start from the far corners of the room. Before working with a roller, all hard-to-reach places, as well as baseboards, must be painted with brushes of different widths.

Important! To properly paint wood, paint is often applied with a spray.

The technique of painting with rubber paint requires special attention, as it must be performed in accordance with the rules:

First, the paint must be mixed, and if necessary, add water;
for application you can use either a roller, a brush or even a spray;
during painting, the temperature in the room should not be lower than +5 degrees;
During the painting process, the paint must be stirred so that it does not have time to harden;
You only need to paint a dry and clean surface;
Regardless of what kind of paint is used, after complete drying the painted surface should be washed with warm water.

If painting is done in several layers, you need to wait until the previous one dries before applying the next one.

Painting is a labor-intensive task, so the whole process needs to be thought out in advance and careful preparation carried out.

Types of organic-based enamels

This group is fire hazardous and has a pungent odor. Moreover, it is unpleasant and goes away only a few days after drying. They are:

Alkyd

Suitable for interior and exterior work. Universal, but it must be used at certain temperatures. Doesn't dry out at 0 degrees. It is not recommended to apply it in a thick layer, as a film will form on the surface. It does not allow the paint to dry completely to its full thickness.

Oily

Is the cheapest option. Its quality depends on the drying oil that is included in the composition. When the paint does not dry within three days, it means that it contains low-quality drying oil. You need to either dry it with a hair dryer or remove the coating completely.

Epoxy

This type is widely used in industry. They are valued for their durability. In everyday life, floors are mostly painted. But, for domestic premises, you can choose a cheaper option. Moreover, these paints have an unpleasant odor.

Nitrocellulose

This option is quick-drying. Their main disadvantage is their short service life, up to 2 years. They have a strong unpleasant odor because they contain cellulose nitrate.

Recommendations

To paint your floors perfectly, you need to take into account the following points:

For painting you need to prepare spare working tools or materials. Rollers and brushes should be of different lengths, widths and shapes;
You should only purchase paints from well-known brands after familiarizing yourself with the composition and accompanying documentation;
the type of paint should be selected taking into account the texture, species and texture of the wood;
When painting residential premises, you need to choose paint that is odorless and has no toxic inclusions.

Important! Paint and varnish products intended for wood processing can provide the necessary care and protection, and they are varied in appearance and color.

Before you start painting the floor, it is better to prepare several rollers and brushes of different lengths, widths and shapes

Popular brands

Since paints are one of the most popular products on the construction market, many companies are involved in the production of this product. Of all this variety, the following popular brands are worth noting.

Firm	Description
"Tikkurila"	This brand is an indicator of high quality. It is produced by a Finnish company whose products are in great demand in this market. For flooring, paints from the Betolux series are best suited.
"Dulux"	Despite the fact that the paints of this company are of high quality, it is still inferior to the manufacturer described above.
"Polisan"	Products of Turkish origin belong to the middle price segment and are suitable for solving ordinary problems.

There are, of course, a lot of other paint manufacturers: “Knauf”, “Soudal”, “Ceresit” and so on. All products from these companies are quite popular, differing only in quality, composition, and method of application.

Similar products for covering wooden floors

To preserve the natural pattern of a wooden floor covering, you need to select transparent products:

oils;
impregnation;
varnishes.

Using varnish you can provide reliable coverage for a long time. It forms a hard protective shell that preserves both the color and texture of the wood. Mastic was always used for varnishing and polishing oak parquet. This product is great for hard wood. But for soft varieties, such as pine, it is better to use a plastic transparent composition. Otherwise, after some time you may find cracks or dents on the floor.

To preserve the natural color of wood, you can use varnishes

Wooden flooring, assembled from inexpensive softwood, is treated with special products that contain pigments that enhance the natural texture and color of the wood. Biological compounds do not pose a danger to people, and they also have fire retardant properties. Surfaces treated with this composition do not rot for a long time and do not suffer from pests and fires.

Oil impregnations are compounds made on the basis of natural ingredients: natural resin, wood or linseed oil. With their help, you can protect and tint the coating, increase its wear resistance. Oil is much more plastic than varnish - this allows the product to be absorbed into the deeper layers and make them stronger.

Important! Impregnations should be used to treat high traffic areas.

Oil impregnations are best suited for unheated rooms. Therefore, they can be used to paint floors on the veranda or terrace. The same composition is good for use in rooms with high humidity. This will make the wood water-repellent and protect it from mold.

Oil impregnations can be used

To protect wood from fungus, mold and insects, it is treated with antiseptics. They can also be used at home by surface spraying. For deep impregnation, production conditions are required. In specialized markets you can purchase treated wood for flooring.

Finishing protective and decorative coatings

In order to get the most objective answer to the question of how to paint a wooden floor in a country house, it is necessary to take into account the quality of the surface of the board, the presence of knots, irregularities and other defects, as well as the color and general style of the interior and, of course, personal preferences and taste of homeowners.

Modern paints and varnishes for finishing floor coverings come in several types, and each dacha owner will be able to choose the most suitable option at his own discretion.

Matte, glossy, tinted or transparent varnishes are excellent for opening smooth tongue-and-groove flooring or parquet boards after mechanical sanding or scraping of the surface. This coating lasts 2-3 years.