How to paint a wooden floor?

Wooden floor - This is a traditional coating that will never become obsolete. Wood flooring has many valuable qualities that modern synthetic materials cannot boast of. This is environmental friendliness, durability and the ability to maintain a healthy indoor microclimate. Despite the fact that the wooden floor looks great in its original form, it needs a mandatory coating, which is necessary primarily for protection. In addition, painting can refresh the old floors and even change the interior of the room. We learn how to paint a wooden floor in order to extend its service life and improve its appearance.

Protection - First

When choosing materials for painting, the main criterion should be high protective qualities of the coating. If you apply unsuitable material, then without proper protection, not only will the floor service life be reduced, but its appearance will also suffer. When choosing a coating, you need to consider several important points:

• type of wood the floor is made of;
• operating conditions, which primarily include indoor humidity and intensity of loads;
• in the presence of an old covering - compatibility of paints and varnishes;
• the possibility of applying the selected composition repeatedly.

Types of materials for floor painting

Materials for coloring the floor are usually divided into two types: transparent and opaque.

• Transparent include varnishes, as well as oil and acrylic impregnations. Such materials make it possible to emphasize the natural structure of the tree, and when special pigments are added, it makes the subtle woody pattern more distinct.
• Different types of paints and enamels are referred to as opaque. Paints provide good protection for wood and allow you to update the look of the old coating, forming a dense opaque layer.

Paints for wooden floor

Paints for the floor are significantly different from each other in terms of quality and price. The compositions have different saturation, drying rate, level of water resistance and vapor permeability.

Oil paints

Until recently, this type of composition was very popular due to the lack of decent alternative options. Now oil paints are supplanted by modern compositions, but thanks to their advantages, they are still used for painting the floor in the apartment.

Advantages of oil formulations:

• color saturation and depth;
• pleasant uniform structure;
• good resistance to temperature extremes;
• low cost.

Disadvantages:

• loss of initial surface appearance after several years of service;
• tendency to cracking and loss of gloss;
• long drying time.

Alkyd paints

The alkyd compound creates a waterproof film on the surface of the wood, which protects the floor from moisture and rot. Suitable for lovers of glossy coatings, can be used in rooms with high humidity.

Advantages of alkyd enamels:

• quick drying;
• bright saturated colors;
• water repellent properties;
• excellent protection of the tree against moisture and temperature extremes;
• the presence of additives that prevent the occurrence of mold;
• low price.

Disadvantages:

• strong and persistent smell;
• flammable material;
• instability before exposure to aggressive chemicals.

It should be noted that some of the advantages of this material easily turn into disadvantages. For example, the drying speed negatively affects the depth of penetration of the paint, which makes the coating not durable enough. Water-repellent properties are combined with low vapor permeability, so alkyd paint is not the best choice for living rooms. It can be used to paint floors on the balcony, in the kitchen or in the bathroom.

Acrylic paints

The leader in the market for paints is dispersion acrylic compositions. Choosing how to paint the wooden floor, most dwell on this option. This is due to the almost complete absence of disadvantages and a number of advantages, among which:

• high wear resistance;
• environmental friendliness;
• excellent vapor permeability;
• the widest color palette - over 2 thousand shades;
• long service life - at least 4 years;
• water resistance and frost resistance;
• resistance to burnout;
• fire resistance;
• lack of an unpleasant smell when painting.

Disadvantages:

• quite high cost.

Polyurethane paints

Modern material that has excellent performance, but has limitations in use due to its toxicity.

Advantages of polyurethane paints:

• excellent wear resistance;
• long service life even with increased loads on the coating;
• quick drying;
• excellent protective properties.

Disadvantages:

• toxicity;
• high price.

Due to the possible release of toxins, it is not recommended to use this material for painting the floor in the apartment. If you are still going to use it, choose not a universal composition, but intended specifically for internal work, and use it to paint the floor in the corridor.

Impregnation for a wooden floor

If you do not know how to paint the wooden floor to protect it from external influences, but at the same time preserve the structure of the wood, you can choose impregnation. Impregnations are of two types: acrylic and oil.

Acrylic impregnations have a water base and are able to penetrate deeply into the wood, providing good protection. They can have different shades, they are applied, like paint, using brushes or roller.

Oil impregnations have a natural basis - wood and linseed oil or modified resins. Strengthen the wooden coating, make it moisture resistant, give a beautiful silky sheen. As well as acrylic impregnations, they are used for tinting the surface.

Varnish coating

Varnishes preserve the natural beauty of wood and make the floor surface shiny and very attractive. Unfortunately, varnish can provide only partial protection, since it is unstable to mechanical stress. The wooden floor, covered with varnish, requires a careful attitude, it can only be walked on in soft shoes, protected from shock, falling and moving heavy objects.