painting wood floorboards for beginners: a tutorial in 10 simple steps

While many homeowners think about painting kitchen cupboards or whether to add a statement feature wall, flooring can sometimes fall by the wayside – especially if it’s hidden under an old carpet! But let nothing stop you from painting the wood floorboards in your home.

If you’re planning to sell up, you’ll find that many potential buyers are looking at what’s under their feet. This is in part because of the flourishing trend for home decorating, with the tag #FlooringIdeas racking up millions of views on the video-sharing app TikTok alone.

With the simple act of painting a wooden floor or refinishing it, you can add value to your home and, of course, add another string to your DIY bow.

why give painting a wooden floor a go?

As our homes will be the biggest investment we ever have to make, it’s common sense that they should feel worth every penny. Thankfully, to do this you don’t have to get all tangled up in extensive renovations – rather than replacing your old floor, you can breathe life back into it with a lick of paint.

There are so many reasons why painting your floor is a fabulous idea, starting with the fun of it. Besides this here are a few other motivations for you to mull over:

• The right colour floor can make a room look bigger and brighter
• It builds depth and character
• You can hide imperfections
• It’s an easy way to modernise an old house
• Is less expensive than installing tiles, wood-effect laminate or LVT
• Provides a beautiful base for an interesting interior décor scheme

If you’ve upcycled wood furniture before, this project is the next logical step in your DIY progression, so as long as you follow our instructions carefully you’re sure to do a good job.

our recommendations: the best paint for wooden floors

If you’re curious about what type of paint to use on wood floors – listen up – we have plenty of recommendations. Each of these gets a splat star of approval for eco-friendliness and quality.

• Farrow & Ball in Modern Eggshell – best eco-alternative
• Bradite Floor-it – best for drying speed
• Dulux Satinwood – best for cost efficiency
• GORI Opaque Wood Finish – bare for the bare wood look

colour considerations: the most fun shades to paint your hardwood floor

We’ve covered paint brands, but what about colours? Here are a few options to consider.

• White – ideal for opening up spaces with little natural light.
• Black – it might sound like a bad idea, but pair with lighter elements and you can create a fashionable look.
• Duck egg blue – creates either a dainty understated look or something quirkier.
• Sage – instantly soothe guests with this calming shade.
• Grey – very “in” right now and suitable for a whole range of décor styles.
• Natural – goes with anything, but especially befitting of a country-style home.

how to paint a wooden floor in 10 straightforward steps

Fortunately, it’s fairly straightforward to give your wooden floorboards a makeover – even if they have been previously painted over with oil-based paint and you are using a water-based product. Simply follow these 10 steps and you’ll have a floor you can be proud of.

1)      gather your equipment and set up a workstation

The first step in any painting endeavour is getting all set up with your list of products and tools, plus your workspace. For those who love everything to be spic and span, you could even lay out your stuff by order of when you’ll need them – life-changing, we know!

What you’ll need

• Sandpaper (of various grits) and/or electric sander
• Nails and hammer (if working on a damaged floor)
• Wood filler
• Clean spirit, cloth, hoover
• Painters tape
• Paint brushes and rollers
• Wood paint or stain finish

Missing any of these items? No worries, we’ll deliver them right to your door in eco-friendly packaging, so you don’t have to worry about making a last-minute trip to the DIY store.

2)      prep the room

Once you have all of your stuff primed and ready, it’s time to get the room ready. Remove all the furniture, rugs or carpet if you’re completely revamping the space. You can move these things into a garage, corridor or another room if you have the space – just make sure you have alternative arrangements for your home when the room is out of action.

With all of the annoying stuff out of the way give the wood a preliminary brushing, or hoovering if you want to go down the effortless route.

3)      repair any floorboards that are worse for wear

Next up, you’ll have to inspect the floorboards for any damage. If they’re loose, scratched or covered in splinters that’s no good. If you spot any wobbly ones make sure to secure them in place using the hammer and nails as appropriate, and then fill in any holes with your wood filler. This will ensure that the surface is smoother, preventing the build-up of dust. Lastly, don’t forget to remove any remaining carpet grips or staples if you’ve had the carpet taken up recently.

4)      get sanding

With the floorboards repaired, you can get on to the sanding. Before you grab your electric sander or sandpaper though, ensure you’ve sealed off the room from the rest of the house – we’ve learnt from experience that dust can travel!

As you might expect, there’s a couple of ways you could go about the sanding process. You can do it by hand, but if you’re working with a large floor, hiring a professional floor sander and edging sander can save you a lot of time and effort. Either way, opt for a medium to light sandpaper suitable for the condition of your floor and make sure any residual paint is gone.

Make sure to wear safety goggles, mask up and hoover all the dust thoroughly as you’ll need to rid the boards of any debris before the next step. You might want to give the floor a mop for the peace of mind that you’ve not missed a spot.

5)      cut in all the edges

(If staining the floorboards, you can skip on to the next step)

The first step to painting your floor is to cut in the edges using a paintbrush 3” or 4” in size. This means using a steady hand to paint a straight line along the perimeter of the room where the floor meets the wall, feathering it out with a modest amount of paint.

Cutting in first allows you to paint the rest of the floor much faster and ensures that you get a smooth finish at the edges – no more ugly picture framing!

Before you start, you may want to add masking tape to your skirting boards to protect them from any paint splatters, keeping them clean and free from any unsightly paint marks. Once you’ve cut in the edges and masked off the skirting boards, you’re ready to start painting the rest of the floor.

6)      apply your first layer of paint / stain

It’s time for the main event! We can’t say this enough: get started on the opposite end of the room from the door, so you don’t trap yourself in the middle of the floor and get covered in wet paint!

Painting a wooden floor

Before you start painting your floor, let’s make sure you start off on the right foot. Ensure that you stir the paint thoroughly so that the colour pigments are nicely mixed together. It’s always a good idea to test the paint on a small patch of the floor to confirm that you are happy with the shade.

When it’s time to get to work, there are a few things to keep in mind. Apply the paint in the direction of the grain. You can use a brush roller, or a pad to make things go quicker. However, using a brush might take a little longer.

Start in the corner opposite your door and gently paint towards it. To avoid leaving overlap marks, cover two or three floorboards at a time. And lastly, be careful not to paint yourself into a corner!

Staining a wooden floor

The principles of staining a wooden floor are very similar to those of painting.

Remember to stir the varnish well to blend the colour before applying it to your floor. Test the varnish on a small patch first to ensure that you are happy with the colour. To apply the varnish, use a 4” brush, starting from the corner furthest from the door, so you do not paint yourself into a corner.

Apply three coats of varnish for the best protection and finish, following the manufacturer’s instructions for drying time before applying the second and third coats.

7)      wait for the base to dry

With the first layer applied, wait for the duration specified by the product description. Often this will be between 1-6 hours, depending on the brand.

8)      add your second and third layers

When you’re absolutely certain that the paint / stain is dried you can rinse and repeat the previous two steps for your second and third layers.

If you’re unsure about how many coats of paint you need, consult an expert. The industry standard is 2-3, but we’d suggest opting for 3 to stay on the safe side.

For those staining the floor, just before you add the third coat, lightly sand along the length of your floorboards with 240-grit sandpaper to help give a final, smooth finish. Wipe down your floor with a damp cloth to pick up the sanding shavings.

9)      allow to dry

Again, let your floor dry out fully before doing anything else. For your final layer, leave it for a bit longer to ensure it’s hardened.

10)    reinforce your newly refreshed flooring

Here’s a bonus step if you want to keep your newly improved wood floors looking fresh for as long as possible.

To ensure your painted floor lasts for a long time, it is crucial to properly prepare the floorboards as instructed above. Spending more time on this stage of the process will result in a better end result, we promise you.

Regularly cleaning and maintaining the floorboards is important, but avoid using strong detergents or excessive water – a gentle touch is usually sufficient. We also recommend allowing the paint to fully harden before placing any bits of furniture back in the room and avoiding walking on the floor during this time.

Finally, you can prolong the life of your painted floorboards by applying an extra coat of your chosen paint, stain finish or a clear matte varnish.

see, it wasn’t that hard?

Hopefully, this blog post has fulfilled all of your needs for painting wood floorboards as a beginner – which methods stand out to you? Feel free to share photos of the end results – we’d love to see how you’ve incorporated this tutorial into your own home!

After more inspiration? See what else we have in store on the rest of our blog.