Painting Floors Really Works Well

My husband and I are remodeling one of the bed rooms in our trailer home. When we removed the carpet we found that the pressboard under had what looks like an oil stain. ( The previous owner used this rrom for storage. Many stains all over the floor.) We would like to put down vinyl but worried that in wont stay. Is there any way to seal this mess?
Melissa H. CLarington, OH

Melissa,
I doubt you will have any problems with the sheet-vinyl adhesive. Possibly consider coating the floor with a water-based urethane.

I have an old basement floor that was once covered with glued tile, that one of my customers wants painted.What is the best methodand type of paint to use. The floor (concrete)has been stripped of the tile but is not down to bare concrete. Is there a sealer that i can use the will stay.

Arthur,
If there is no vapor barrier under the slab, all paints will likely fail. If I was forced to paint it, I would use epoxy paint.

I am redoing my sons bedroom. The carpet is awful. There are plywood floors underneath the carpet and I wondered if it's possible to pull up the carpet and paint the plywood and make it look good. Can you help?
Thanks,
Shanece Harrod

Shanece,
One would think you skimmed the column above and went directly to the comments. You bet the floor will look great!

Tim, I have torn up carpet and found particle board on one bedroom floor. Do I need to cover it with plywood first or can I paint on that? Thanks for your advice! I'm a newly single mom and happy to find out I can redo some floors without spending a fortune!

Rhoda

Rhoda,
You can paint the OSB, but it might be a little rough.

Hi Tim -

We are finishing our basement (our home is 3yrs old). No sealer was put on the concrete floor. If we paint/stain it, does it need to be etched? Also can I use 3 coats of polyurethane to seal the concrete?

Thanks for your help!
Donald

Don,
Just clean the floor. Use a masonry primer to seal the concrete.

I,too, want to paint my basement floor. After I stripped the old tile and glue down to the bare concrete, I see there is a remarkably preserved glossy gray finish that appears undamaged, even by the mineral spirits I used to remove the old glue. So my question is, will new paint be as durable, and do I need to do anything special to the glossy gray finish before applying primer, paint and urethane?

Roland,
Use a liquid deglosser on the existing paint.

I have a PARTICLE WOOD subfloor that is exposed in all rooms. Any alternative, out there suggestions? I have no money presently to lay laminate, hardwood, carpet or for that matter not too much money to do much of anything. Sweat equity is what I will be expending. Any thoughts on alternative flooring? The particle wood is so ugly and dirty. It sheds dust all the time. Please help......

Jeanette,

Well heck, PAINT them! :->>>>> Clean them well, prime them and then do what I say in the column.

Hi Don,
We have some Dupont T&G laminate flooring that looks like fake green slate. It's aweful! The previous owners installed it, and they started @ either end of the room(combined dining rm and kitchen) and met in the middle. There's a horrible patch work piece in the center. We want a change and are considering painting the floor, but what can we do about this aweful cobbled together strip in the middle?
Thanks!

Shannon,
Who is Don?
Replace the hack job. If you are unable, hire a pro.

We are planning on painting the plywood floors of our cabin.

It is only a summer place - not heated at all. There is no insulation under the plywood and an open crawl space beneath that.

Is there anything special that we should use to ensure that it stands up? Will the urethane stand up to the freezing and dampness in the winter?

Bill,
You should be fine...... As long as water vapor can't come up from the ground. Read all of my Vapor Barrier columns.

I have laminate flooring and some parts are really damaged with dents and holes, which makes it look like mud stains...any good idea to repair it please as i cannot afford new ones now. Maybe paint over it or a good repair kit....thank you

I am painting plywood that has been painted with very glossy marine paint. Any pointers on painting over the current paint? Also, have you ever used rags to create texture on a plywood floor like you would on a wall? Would this work? Thanks Alexa

Alexa,
You need to sand the floor or use a liquid deglossing product. Get a rag roller.

I wanted to update the lino floor in the kitchen as it has an 80's pattern on it.
I was wondering between the paint and the three layers of urethane can we walk on the floor? Or will we have to avoid the area for a few days?

Thanks, Emily

Emily,
I think the column is pretty clear about when you can walk on the floor. Look at it once more. The urethane alone needs 48 hours of cure time for heavy traffic.

Is it possible to paint laminate flooring? If so, what needs to be done to prepare the surface and what kind of paint can be used? Thanks for the help!

tina

I recently had an 8x12 shed, with an overhead door, built on top of a cement pad adjoining my driveway. I can not keep the floor dry. Right now, the only vent is the ridge vent. I bought two wall vents to install, believing that might help. It was built to house my motorcycle and the wet floor and dampness is not good for the bike. Any other suggestions on keeping the inside of the shed dry?

Tina,
It is possible. Read all of my past columns about painting floors. There are several columns with lots of tips!

Bruce,
The builder made a mistake. A high-quality vapor barrier should have been placed on top of the floor joists before the flooring was installed. All sorts of water flows under the shed and this water is evaporating through your shed.

Hello Tim
I have a small condo 650ft. The former owner tiled the enire condo. Problem is they used a different tile in each room. It looks hideous. How do I paint it and do I need to fill in the grout to even the floor out? I am experienced in redoing wood flooring, but have never refinished tile. Also, the tile is very smooth, would I have to rough it up?

Arlene,
Just follow all of the advice in *all* of my columns about Painting Floors - there are several. You do not have to rough up the tile, just make sure it is clean.

I have read your comments on painting floors. I did not see anywhere if it is okay to paint laminate wood floors. I have a swimwear store on the beach with a lot of heavy foot traffic and a lot of sand that comes in with the people. Is it possible to paint the exitsing laminate wood flooring? I would like to do a distressed white wash look to the floor.

Wendy,
You can paint laminate floors.

Thanks for having this web page.

I need to sell my house. My realtor says my bathroom floor tile should be covered. Though I disagree...it is in perfect shape and is not ugly, I am thinking of painting it a neutral color (it's kind of a Spanish tile with yellow/brown decorative stuff).

Do you have a product that you recommend for this?

Again, the tile and grout is perfect. I would probably need to sand it with something, prime it and then use a enamel-type paint?

Thanks,

Susan

I'm finishing a bookcase I built (see below for a link to a pic of it). I'm going to paint it, but it's actually going to be used quite actively; that is, it's not just to show off knick-knacks.

I want to be be sure that the finish is hard and will stand up to use. I don't want anything to stick to it... I've had to touch up many rooms after leaning something against the wall for a while.

Is water-based urethane the answer? There seem to be lots of different products out there (I'm looking at you, Minwax), and I have trouble telling the difference between them.

Can someone make a specific recommendation? What product is best for a non-yellowing, hard finish for a bookcase that will see active use for books, electronics/computers, etc.?

Check out the bookcase here: http://picasaweb.google.com/fgarriel/Bookcase/photo#5158150769881454962

Susan,
Follow your heart. Do not paint this floor. Let the new owners deal with it. That floor color will not be a deal breaker. I am a licensed broker here in Ohio and there are many other things you should be fretting about.

Frank,
Water-based urethane is indeed the answer.

Hi, Tim,
My husband and I are finally finishing the stairwell. We have a small landing at the top and bottom of the stairs which have a designed vinyl sheet goods. The colors do not go with the paint color we are using and the tile also has a few gouges in it. I understand I can paint the tile to match my colors better and not have to replace the tile which could be a problem. Where can I get the paint and primer to do this job? Thanks for your help.
Mary

Mary,
I would go to a store that specializes in paint.

Hello,
We have just finished painting my daughters floor and are ready to put the urethane on. Can you tell me the best way to put urethane on the floor?

Thanks

Jenn,
I have had superb luck with a lamb's-wool applicator. You may need to thin the water-based urethane a little so it really flows.

tim,
I have a 50 year old basement floor slab and no vapor barrier. installed a french drain with 2 sumps in opposite corners. and last, i used a 2 coat cement based sealer to cover. last spring i did get a few small pools of water when the water table came up throught the floor. i want to put down an final finishing coat on the floor. should i just use a latex or can i use epoxy paint to really seal the deal? thanks!!! Jon

Jon,
Wrong! You need to stop the water BEFORE it gets indoors under the slab. Please go read every one of my columns in the Drainage category.

I would like to try painting an OSB covered floor to look like an old barnwood floor. Any tips?

Linda,
Yes, read all of my columns about Painting Floors and the ones about Faux Painting.

We have a section of floor in our bedroom that is concrete in the corner (think a fire place used to be there) What's the best way to make that look better than just a horrible dirty piece of concrete in the corner?

Susan,
Carpet, cork, tile, slate, etc.

Great article, Tim & awesome ideas. Hubby and I are remodeling an old trailer home, the vinyl flooring is terrible and we had laid down 1/2" treated plywood in bathroom and hallway. We wanted to continue on with possibly 1/2" lauan plywood and finish it. We thought of stain/urathane or just urathane, now I'm interested in your good ideas of painting it. Any recommendations for this situation? What specific type of filler paint, and/or urethane would you recommend? Am very open to advice, I hate this vinyl floor and I think this is the best fix for us!!

Cinda,
Just read ALL of my columns on this topic. There are several and you will have all of your questions answered.

what type of paint would be good for vinyl flooring?

Joann,
The type I discuss in all of my columns about Painting Floors.

We live in Mexico. We want to paint a clay tile floor. What paint should we use? Do you have any other suggestions.

My husband and I recently bought a used mobile home with horrible carpet, when we pulled it up the floors turned out to be particle board. Is there any way to stain or paint particle board?

Hi Tim

I would like to use 2 colours on my floor. A base colour, then a top coat
then sanded or worn in places to have the base coat show through. Do you know how to get this effect and still have a durable floor?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

Sandy

I found that under my carpet is particle board also. Is it possible to sand it to get rid of the wood chips or do I just paint directly over it?
Thanks for your help!

Hi,

I'd like to paint my doug fir (new construction) porch and porch stairs. My contractor is discouraging this, saying it will be a lot of maintenance and the stairs will be slippery. Do you think this is true? Should I go for a synthetic "trex" type of porch decking?

Hannah,
Yes. Read all of my columns about this.

Sandy,
Read ALL of my columns about Painting Floors. There are several of them.

Kim,
You can sand OSB, but it is a mess. You can also just paint it.

Erin,
The paint will be problematic over time. You better read all of my past columns about Composite Decking!

We have just bought a new house and are renovating the whole thing. We have a room that used to be a porch and is now a closed in room. We don't want to spend much money in this room because it will need to be torn down in a few years and rebuilt anyway. The flooring in this room is a tiled floor (from 1970's) which had been covered over by a carpet. We would like to paint this floor but there is a lot of glue left on it from the carpet and there are also paint stains on the floor. Could we clean up the floor in order to paint over it and if so what should we do to clean it up? Also, which paint would work best?

Leah,
I cover this in all of my past columns on the topic. There are at least three more you need to read.

My husband and I want to paint the floor of a room in our house but we pulled up the original flooring from the 70's and there is this black glue or tar looking stuff it is smooth....can we just paint over that or do we need to take it off and if so what we use to pull it up with?

Laura,
Please read all of my past columns about Adhesive Removers. There are several.

Is it possible to paint particleboard in this manner?

Anna,
Yes.

hey tim,
Is it possible to place a tile floor on top of another tile floor and have it be durable?
thanks for the help,
Jim

Jim,
Yes. So long as the existing floor is solid and in great shape.

My husband and I are short on funds when it comes to flooring in our new home. Could I do "anything" to the current plywood we have down as sub-flooring to give it a finished look? If so, what? I would really love to stain it and trim it out. Is that possible?

Brandi,
You can stain or paint..... If you stain, be sure to go read my past columns about Wood Conditioners!!!! Read all of my columns about Painting Floors.

Hi,

I currently have a painted floor in our new home. It has started to peel. I would like to continue with a painted floor in another color. What do I need to do to prepare the floor before I paint? Thanks.

Aime,
You need to follow the advice in many of my Painting columns. I tell you how to properly prepare surfaces. Happy Reading! :->

Hi Tim,

I was wondering if I could stain rather than paint pressboard and then seal? Of course we would sand it first to make sure it's smooth.
Cathy

Cathy,
Absolutely positively Yes!

Great article. I have painted and stained concrete floors for others before and I want to do it in my house now. The last time I did it the builder had used an adhesive to glue the carpet pad down. I ended up having to rent a huge floor sander to get all the glue off, is there a better way? Is it necessary to get it all off to paint?

James,
You may try a liquid adhesive remover.

We have refinished our garage. the floor is an old tie. I don't want to remove it, I want to paint it...

I will then paint footprints on it from my grandson's feet.

Is this possible?

Gail,
Regular paint will fail from hot tires and water vapor that might come through the slab. Just realize it may fail in short order.

I have read all of the above comments. I am just so nervous about my proposed project! I live in a mobile home with OSB floors. I am wanting to rip out all of the carpet ~ paint or stain the floor ~ then put a couple coats of poly over it. Am I going to be able to lay new carpet or hardwood or vinyl over that later on down the road without it causing a fire hazard or something like that? I think that it will be okay ~ I am just looking for some reassurance before I start such a big job!!! Thanks

Pam,
There is no fire hazard. There is an old saying: Elephants are best eaten one bite at a time. So start this job in a single closet. Experiment there until you feel comfortable. You can also go buy one sheet of OSB and experiment with that!

I'm happy to learn that a ceramic tile floor can be painted, but I have some concerns about painting my kitchen's floor. Can you tell me if a painted floor will hold up to frequent washings...perhaps three times per week...and to the daily use of chairs being pushed in and out from the table? Also, are there any special considerations when painting dark ceramic tile to a much lighter color? The floor in question is a rustic brown ceramic tile with wide black grout...way too dark for our poorly lit kitchen. Many thanks for any advice you can offer.

Hi,
I am wanting to paint some vinyl tile in my basement. It's in fine shape, it's just ugly and old fashioned. From what I gather from this page, all I need to do is clean the floor, then paint it with the same kind of paint a person uses on walls, then seal it with three coats of water-based urethane. Does that sound correct? Any tips? Thanks.

Hi,We just had new cement poured (it's been 2 weeks) and did an acid treatment 3 days ago and have now applied 3 coats of cement stain. It is gunpowder grey which actually turned out close to black. Each coat that dries looks a little better but there are chalky steaks every time it dries. It doesn't look good. What can we do?

Tammy

I am sick of the carpet in my home. I am at the point of just pulling it out. I would like to tile the house, but at this point I don't have the energy (because I would be the one to do it). I have decided to paint the concrete. Once I pull the carpet, do I need to etch it or am I able to clean it and start painting? What type of paint should I use. I don't want a shiny floor, and lastly, what do I seal it with? thank you so much for any information!!

We have a small portion of ceramic tile in our entry way that we painted black, and it's pretty much just all flaked and cracked off. Can ceramic tile even be painted? We are trying to save some money instead of having to replace the tile..

Rhiannon,

Tim discusses painting ceramic tile in this column - http://www.askthebuilder.com/723_How_To_Paint_Ceramic_Tile.shtml

Copy and paste the link, or go to the Ceramic Tile category on the left. This is one of the first columns listed.

If I cut 2' x 2' squares of ply, and put a beveled edge on them, and white wash the, then coat with the urathane, will that be okay without a primer?

Tim,

Hello!
I have torn up the carpet in the front room of my manufactured home. I am planning to paint it. There are stains on the particle board (mobile home decking class 3). I used some Webcreat 98 to cover staple dents and to level up the center board seam. My problem or question.....
The stains are coming through the webcreat98. Will I be done with these stains after I paint on an oil base primer? The floor has been setting a week without the carpet on and NO I did not spill anything on the floor recently.
Thanks for your advice.
Meg
rowing3cc@yahoo.com

Hi Tim,
I'm helping my boyfriend repair and remodel his family's river front home. Structure alone has eaten up all of the money right now and we need a cheaper solution for the floors. They are currently those dark and dingy 9" asbestos tiles but are so old and marked up they never look clean. Can we paint over these as a solution for a few years until we can have them removed and replaced?
Thanks,
Caitlin

We're looking at redoing our daughter's bedroom with plywood floors. Instead of painting, I'd like to put a light stain on them (something like a whitewash) so the wood grain shows through. Just wondering what the best option is for a stain and if there's anything special we need to do before staining that differs from painting? I'd ask at my local hardware store, but they're all about laminate and will just try to convince me it won't work!

Tim- I just used Zap oil based sealant on an old wood floor. It has a mildew smell, so I asked the salesperson if they thought this product would work. I wish I would have read your site before I started. I have let the first coat of sealant dry...and I can still scratch it off. I am worried. I don't want to have to remove the sealant. :( I am hoping you'll have advice. Can I paint over this (with what?) and then seal it with urethane coating? Thanks in advance. Sherilyn

I want to put a dark wood floor in my kitchen, and don't have a large budget. We've pealed up the vinyl and seen a really nice, hard composite board underneath as the subflooring. I think it looks really nice, reminds me of cork a bit. Can we just stain it, and finish it in the manner you suggested? Any recommendations on stain... I know the composite has filers and/or resins in it... is there anything in particular we should use?
Thanks!!

My house has terrible carpet throughout that I want to get rid of, but can't afford to put down the hardwood or cork I ultimately want, at least not at the moment. I am up for the idea of painting or staining the existing plywood subfloor, but am wondering what to do on the stairs...

Any idea what I would find under the carpet on stairs in a wood-frame townhouse built around 2002?

The finishing work on the place is not great, and when I pulled up the basement carpeting the floor was not in great shape (there were stains and nails etc left behind by the builders) so I'm not SUPER confident that the rest of the subfloors will be in good shape. Is it worth it to try??

Hi there. I just bought a house with 2 yr. old armstrong laminate plank, gooved, natual look floors. I can't stand the color and was wondering what primer, paint, urethane combo you would use to paint them. I have painted ceramic tile counter tops before using Glidden Gripper primer, then coating it over with Minwax polyacrylic. I even did two ugly showers and made them look brand new in 50 yr. old houses...but I am scared of ruining the floors here as I have so much of them and high traffic with a newborn, 1 yr. old and recent 3 yr old. I let them ride toys inside and this floor cleans up so well but I can't stand the fake gun oak wood look. I want them black or something cool. The floors are seemingly impermeable to liquid so do I need to scuff if I want to paint them?? Sorry for the million questions but ripping the floors out is something I want to wait a few years for. An exact set of recommendations would be so helpful. Thank you again and FYI Armstrong floors are not very good. The pieces come apart, the floors chip and the manufacturer's 25 yr. warranty is worthless...so maybe paint can save them??!!

Hi,
Getting ready to paint my basement floor. Floor has been painted long ago and coming up in a few spots. I scraped the floors and cleaned them well. Do I really need to etch the exposed concrete or can I prime it and then paint. I really don't want to be exposed to toxic fumes with no venilation. Planning on painting it with epoxy concrete & garage floor paint.

Hello Tim,

I'm going to be painting my hardwood floors, and I'm glad I found your article because I was about to use latex. Great to know that I should use oil paints. The urethane is a great idea, but I like my floors to have the flat look, as a matter of fact, I'm painting them flat black. Is there a urethane that won't make the floors shiny?

Thanks for your time,
Nastatia

What is this "special primer" you need to prime the bare floor with. Does it have a special name or brand?
Thanks for the help.

I was delighted to find your article on painting subfloors after much searching. I have a 10 year old mobile home with carpets that need to be replaced, but as others have said, money is tight. This mobile home has tongue in groove plywood subfloors. I had the idea of just painting these floors, but was cautioned against it by my father and stepfather who both say "it isn't a good idea to just paint a bare subfloor". What are they thinking could go wrong? Is there any risk? Just don't want any more expensive problems down the road.

I would like to paint the floor of our 100 year old log cabin. It has linolum on the floor that is about 50 year old and so thin that it is almost fused to the concrete underneath. Can I use garage (concrete) paint on the floor? The cabin is not winterized and gets a lot of water on the floor from swimmers in the summer. Do you have any suggestions for another kind of paint?
Thank you,
Jean

I pulled up my carpet to find not so great looking hardwood flooring. I want to paint the floor instead of refinishing it. I am wondering, do I need to sand it first or could I just clean, primer and paint?

We live in a condo that was constructed as an addition to a larger building in 1976. We are hoping to paint our concrete basement floor, but really have no way (that we can see) of telling if there is a vapor barrier. Do you think it is safe to assume that a '76 construction would have one?

Robert,

If you have good looking hardwood floors, don't think you want to paint them. We found hardwood floors under our carpet. Had it sanded down and a few coats of clear polyurethane applied. They look great. Paint won't let the hardwood show.

I'm ready to paint my plywood floors. Any good suggestions on colors? Is it possible to make then look like stained concrete?

i have a concrete basement floor. built in 1957 (so, i'm sure no vapor barrier). is it too late for me to put one down? i'd really like to try the plywood flooring (but was thinking more of staining it, as opposed to painting it). would some type of vapor barrier work at this point? or am i out of luck?

I have a painted concrete floor in my sun room that is chipping and peeling. How can prep the floor to repaint? Once prepped, what type of paint should I use before the 3 coats of polyurethane?

Help!

My basement floor was previously covered in vinyl tiles that were secured by this black tar looking adhesive. I want to get this stuff up and either paint or put down real tile. Is there anything I can use to get this up and should I paint or tile? The house was built in the 1960's so there is probably no vapor barrier and it gets pretty moist down there. Also is there any help for the moisture problem?

We are getting mixed advice regarding trying to paint over a torginal floor in our basement (home built in 1970). We rented a commercial floor sander and were told to use fine grade sand paper to scuff up the surface. We're unsure if the paint will adhere to this type of surface. Do you have experience with this type of surface and can it be painted successfully? I'm also assuming your advice regarding sealing with 3 coats of urethane would also apply to this type of floor. Thanks for any info you have! We're sick of looking at this ugly floor!

I have an old wood subfloor that I wish to paint. Unfortunately, I have been unable to remove all of the old glue and because of the type of wood I cannot sand it down to a perfectly smooth floor. Will a primer adhere to the glue and will the slightly rough floor turn out reasonably well after the painting process?

Our contractor painted our old wood floors with exterior enamel paint. They are "sticky" like now and make a squishy sound when you walk on them. The paint store said they shouldn't have used this paint as it is a dark color and will not harden for a long long time, if ever. What can we do now? Thanks so much for any advice.

Are there colors of paint out there that looks like stain and is there more than just gray,red colors for wood floors? Thanks

Hi Tim:

Thanks for the very helpful site, great information. I am in the process of finishing my basement. It is part subgrade with a walk-out in the back. I would like to sealer the concrete floor prior to laying and carpet to prevent moisture vapors from coming in. Can you recommend what type of sealer will be safe to use on a basement floor? Thanks! -Jason

I LIVE IN A CYPRESS LOG HOME AND I LEFT THE LOGS ROUND INSIDE AND OUT. WE HAD A FLOODING PROBLEM DUE TO OUR WASHER OVERFLOWING FOR HOURS. WE HAD CARPET AND PLANK FLOORING AT THE TIME. I TOOK ALL THE CARPET OUT AND THE PLANK FLOORING BOWED AT THE SEAMS, SO IT HAD TO COME UP TOO. WE THEN BOUGHT PORCH AND FLOOR PAINT IN WHITE AND PAINTED OUR SUB-FLOORS, THEN I USED A ROCK DESIGN STENCIL ON TOP OF THAT WITH GREEN PAINT. I AM READY FOR SOMETHING THAT WILL LOOK MORE AUTHENTIC THAN THIS NOW,SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE OLD BOARD FLOORING AND AGED GRAY. I LOVE THE PAINTED FLOOR LOOK AND HAVE GOTTEN A LOT OF COMPLIMENTS ON IT, SO I WANT TO USE PAINT AGAIN. MY QUESTION IS HOW CAN I GET THAT OLD GRAY BOARD LOOK USING PAINT? THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSE, MAGGIE IN P.C., FL.

Tim - what about painting a bathroom floor?

Is the poly enough to protect the floor from inevitable moisture?

Also - on selecting the primer - how do I know which of the recommended primers will hide grain better?

I need paint for my out door basketball court

Hi Tim,
I saw a team on HGTV paint old hardwood floors with a rich deck stain. Have you had any experience with this? Would you recommend it? What are the application steps?

Dearest Builder,

We are looking at a house with horrible Laminate faux wood flooring all over, the kind you you will find here : http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40070010
As the house is expensive, we will not be able to lay wooden floors for years to come.
Can this kind of laminate be painted?
Will I need to sand it, can it even be sanded?

Thanks for your help!!
Stine

Hi Tim, We have a game room in the basement which has some paint left on the concrete floor can we lay ceramic tile on the painted floor?

We want to rip out our family room carpet and paint the concrete slab below. Have radiant in-floor heating and wonder if we need to worry about sealing the concrete before priming and painting.

Thanks,
Jane

I have a 30 ft concrete walkway (exterior) in NY that is exposed to all 4 seasons. I also in the winter throw rock salt on it to prevent slipping...

Last year, September, I painted it with a BEHR concrete epoxy paint...and by spring time the paint was completely faded and gone and concrete exposed. I need to redo it again...

What is the proper way to paint my concrete walkway? what products should I use, how many coats, and what should I layer on what to maintain this walkway for years?

thanks

Tim,

My husband and I just bought a house - 1953 ranch. all the floors are all tiles but we are told they are asbestos tiles and should not be pulled up. We are going to put vinyl floors within a couple of years. Do we use a primer and paint and polyurethane to seal them?
Thanks,
Lena

I am painting my plywood floor and was thinking about trying to do a faux marble finish. Would you tell me the easiest way to do a marble finish.? Or do you have any suggestions on another type of faux finish that I could try that would be easier?

We painted subflooring without coating it several years ago. Now there is dirt and stains all over. How do I prepare/clean the floor so that it will accept another coat of paint and urethane?

Thank you.

Thank you for further encouraging me to repaint our floor. One question - am I correct in reading that you recommend water-based urethane over oil-based floor paint? I would have thought that the old "no water over oil" rule would apply. Please comment and thank you.

Dear Ask the Builder,

I need to paint the tiled floor in may basement. There was a carpet over it originally but sinced removed. There is old title underneath. Can this be painted??

Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Tim--
I am ready to paint over the old wood floors in my hallway BUT... all of the bedrooms and bathrooms are off of this hall... how do we get to them while the paint and polyurethane are drying??

Tim, the floor in our soon-to-open shop is made of concrete. My friends and I removed the carpet and tiles, and managed to remove the nasty adhesive. We want to paint the floor ourselves though we've never done it. Our questions are as follows:

1) There are small depressions and uneven edges in several places. What kind of leveling compound to use to fill the depressions and even out jagged edges?

2) The floor has been painted (dark red) before any floor covering was installed. Does it mean it has a vapor barrier under the slab? Do we need to prime it?

3) When we told the landlord that we want to paint (and stencil) the floor, he offered to buy us a gallon of Coronado's Tough Shield 100% Acrylic Floor & Patio Coating in a color of our choice. We learn that it's a water-based paint, instead of oil as you recommend. Should we turn his offer down and get oil-based ourselves instead?

4) We've never painted a floor before. Are the tools any different than those for painting walls, window sills or door frames?

Thanks,
Rina

I am considering painting the hallway in my home. My concern is when it comes time to apply the polyurethane. How can I do it in a way that still allows me access to the rest of my house (ie the bathroom!!)??

thanks!

I have a small hallway kitchen with old and nasty laminate tile flooring. I wanted to paint the floor with garage paint and use paint chips. Is this a good idea or not? And eithier way what sort of primer, paint and sealer should I use?

Hi. I just read this article and all the comments. I now know that I can paint osb board but was wondering this. I am going to paint my children's floor with chalk board paint. I can't put urethane on top of that. Would this cause me problems down the road? Thank You!

I'm wanting to re-do the floor in my living room. I pulled up the carpet and there is diagonal wood flooring, then plywood (very cheap version w/ pieces flaking off) and then horizontal wood flooring. I'm thinking I'll put painted plywood down (I was thinking an MDF type of plywood but am open to suggestions) over the diagonal wood and the pre-existing plywood but leave the horizontal wood and just paint it. What I would like to know is how I could fill in the cracks of the plywood (where the sheets butt against each other) so that I would have a smooth floor, as I would really like to apply an epoxy over the top of it (I'd really like to apply the epoxy over the horizontal wood too, so any suggestions about that would be appreciated too!) Do you have any suggestions as to how to do that? Thank you!! =)

Hello. I was interested in painting my concrete floor, but need to know what to buy to make the floor smooth. Then what do I paint with first as my base coat, and as you stated above use oil base correct. Then how do I make it look like a bunch of different colors? I am looking for a faux finish look I guess. Then when I do that how many coats of the faux painting do I need to do? Last but not least, how do you faux paint walls?

Thank you so much for your advise in advance.

Autumn

i just bought a house and am going to paint the floors. they are all Plywood. we tore the carpet out b/c of the pet odors. i was palning on kilz'ing with oil based kilz 2x then painting and putting on a clear top coat...

is it necessary to use floor paint.. Valspar i know is great paint but it is 20 a Gallon. and i have an 1800 sq ft house to paint the floors on.

any advice?

I would like to cover over the rubber floor in my 50's kitchen. The floor lost its seal a long time ago and is now porous. Will the primer/paint stick to the rubber as well?

Hi. I just finished painting my old oak foor white. I used Pittsburgh Paint Floor Porch and Deck. It's nice. It required 4-5 coats and my problem is that the surface is not as smooth as I expected. It feels more like touching a painted wall rather than painted wood. Did I do something wrong?
Thank you

Hello, I just finished painting my old oak floor white.I used Pittsburgh Paint for Floor Porch and Deck. It looks really nice, but when I touch it it feels like touching a painted wall not a painted wood. Did I do something wrong. I sanded it and painted three coats. Shouldn't be more smooth and a bit glossy?

Hi Tim,
I have a kitchen that has top quality sheet vinyl flooring that is glued to a concrete subfloor. The pattern is horrific and I would like to paint over it if possible. What kind of prep would I need to do and what paint would work best?

Thanks so much,
Alice

I took up my carpet and painted my floor with the kind of paint you use to paint decks or other outside surfaces. Be sure to full in all of the cracks with PolyFil before painting.

Tim-- We have a tiled basement floor with tile installed in 1946 (when the house was constructed). We want to paint the tile but I am concerned about the paint pealing if water enters the basement (which happens once or twice per year if we get some flooding). Is there a way to avoid peeling?

Can I also just stain and seal the plywood sub floor, instead of paint?
any recom. about products to fill gaps, stain, seal, etc. if this is possible?
Thank you

I have a large room about 30 by 20 that was never finished when our house was built. Right now it is just plywood floor with a coating of sheetrock dust. Would I need to remove the dust before painting the floor, and if so what would you recommend. Also how much does the paint cost generally.

Tim, I have ugly vinyl peel and stick tile that I would like to paint. Is there anything I need to do before I paint...ie: sanding or priming? Thanks!

Tim,
My husband and I just painted our basement concrete floor. We have followed suggestions and instructions to a tee. The concrete had not been sealed, so we cleaned floor first, put a primer on second, third applied two coats of paint, and after that dried for several days, we applied two coats of polyurethane. Waited between each coat before applying. Now here is the problem: We were taking the tape off around the edges and a piece fell on the floor, when picked up, it pulled up a BIG piece of the painted area !! Please Help ...
Always trying ....

I pulled up the carpet in my house and have plywood floors. Some smooth some nicked and small chunks. some look like they had been wet at sometime or another. But all in all good shape. I decided to paint them. They look fine but no shine. I used some poly on one in a less traveled area to see how it would work. Some parts are fine but one area is flaking. Another room most is ok but one place is flaking. What is wrong do you think and is there a paint I can use without poly and still get a shine?

We were thinking of staining oak plywood sheets and using them as flooring. Is there any way to hide the seams?

I would like to paint concrete or add plywood and paint that in my son's room. My question is...if at a later date, I want to do this to a joining room/hallway do I have to strip the urethane off or will it match up and not look tacky?

How do you apply the plywood so the joints and screws won't ruin the look of the floor when you paint it? Should we set the screws in and fill with wood filler?

Thanks.

We have purchased a home where the basement has been painted or stained. It is an ugly color, so I want to paint over it. Couple of questions:
1. If I use epoxy paint, does it matter if the paint that is on it is paint or stain?
2. Can the epoxy with color chips finish be used on this? I am of the understanding that you can't use this system on top of painted floors.
Thank you.

How do you know if you have a vapor barrier? My house was built in 1976 and it had old glue tiles. The tiles are sticking fine but some got a bit of mold under there when the washing machine leaked and it couldn't dry out. I'd like to seal and paint it but don't want to cause more problems.

Thanks!
Greg

I am about to embark on repainting a wooden kitchen floor. It was painted sometime ago then hit with chains and other implements to cause the floor to look aged. Can you give me any suggestions on how to attempt to recreate the original antique look of the floor?

i am going to paint my basement floor with a water based paint. do i need to shut off my furnace and hot water heater? there isn't any ventilation.

do the furnace and hot water heater need to be shut off before painting floors? not much ventilation.

We are planning to use your suggestions to Tim on how to paint our floors. When we pulled up the carpet in our home we found that previous owner'(s) used different dark stains around attached area rugs giving each room the look of twotone, center areas one color & perimeter another. We have over 800 sq.ft. alone in the(dining,living, and sunroom.The wood was very beautiful Oak flooring at one time. 1 1/2 x 3/8 tung & groove.
It has been sanded according to estimates to many time to resand again. Any suggestions on how we would be able to remove the varnish/urethane before we begin. Thanks
Bruce & Abbie
Normal, Il.

I am looking to fill the gaps between my old floor boards before painting them. What should I use? A few people have warned me about the wood contracting and popping out the filler. Thanks.

I see many comments on preparing plywood for painting. Pulled a carpet kitchen and viyl this weekend and I have particle board. Any thing change when preparing particle board?

hi just wondering if you can help me with this one,We have recently pulled up all of our carpet in the house,to reveal beautiful timber floors,except for one room,wich is painted a dark blue colour i was wondering is it possible to give that floor a marble look effect with paint,if so how would i go about doing that
we have thought about sanding but been the bedroom thought that it may look nice been different

I have a pine flooring in the TV room and the floor is terribly worn and the urethane is worn off in many spots,

I am considering painting as an alternative to redoing the urethane but your advice is to sandd off the urethane prior to painting. THis is almos impossible since the boards have deep v grooves in betweeen them.

Is there a system that would simply cove the wood and the uerathane without sanding off the urethane,

Thanks for your help

Hey Tim!

We live in a new home and ran out of dough before we could install flooring in the basement post-remodel. Two questions: 1) what is the best way to get ALL the drywall dust off the basement floor and walls and 2) If we use a basement floor epoxy, does the "three coats of water-based urethane" rule still apply, or can we just go with the epoxy? Also, the epoxy doesn't say we need to prime - should we or shouldn't we? I guess that's three questions - thanks so much!

Dave & Suzanne

Is it possible to paint laminate wood flooring? The surface seems too smooth to accept paint, and I wasn't sure it could be sanded. We have a very small area (4' x 4') that needs painting. Would it be easier to lay new flooring there and then paint that?

I've lived in this house for 30 years. In those years the original wood floors have been sanded & stained many times. The floors are in fair condition. I'm interested in PAINTING not staining my floors for a change. My concern and Question is if I DO paint the floors and in a few years I want to STAIN it again.... am I going to have GREAT difficulty getting it back to wood. I know that wood is pourous so I am concerned that the wood might absorb the paint deep to the point of no return.??????thanks

We moved into our first home and the kitchen is kind of a mess. We can't afford major renovations so we were going to paint the walls and cabinets but the floor is awful. The vinyl does not reach the walls and I am not sure if there is another layer of flooring or just exposed glue. How easy would it be to get down to the plywood so we can paint. Is that something we can do ourselves (we are new to the do-it-yourself stuff!)?
Thanks

Dear Tim,
I saw some similar articles & responses, but they don't quite get at my full problem. 1930 home, cement basement floor (most likely no vapor barrier under it) and it had been previously painted in 2003. I had bad spalling and deep pits. Now in spots some spalling began again and white efflorescence is under the chips of spalling. The questions are how can I: (1) get a firm floor by permanently removing all spalling - and (2) get the old paint out of the pits left behind - and (3) what can I fill the pits with to produce a smooth painted cement floor that won't pop out scaling again in a basement with possible vapor pressure still pushing from underneath? (yes, I removed outside water sources nearby.) (4) Must I completely remove ALL the old floor paint as well - even if it's holding up well in some areas?

I have a room that is just for my dogs and we were wanting something durable it is just the osb boards and i was wanting to paint it with the garage floor paint cuz its so tough is that possible if so what all would i have to do

I just moving into a really old house, I dont have the money for the tile I want at the moment so I was going to paint the floor and make it look like stone. First off any tips on where to find stone designs to go off of? And secondly the floor is just boards- should I put plywood over the top or just sand it down and paint it with a primer/sealer paint first? Thanks!

I need to repaint the interior wooden stairs in my home. I have heard of using black marine paint on stairs. Is this a good idea? I was planning to put on a problem solving primer first, and we will be putting a carpet runner down the centre of the stairs after I paint.

The floors in my new home have already been painted but not sealed and are looking rough. Do I have to strip the old paint before I redo them? I did find a can of the old paint and would be able match the color and repaint with new paint.

I have a manufactured home and would like to pull up the carpet and paint what is under it...but I don't know what the material is called. It seems to be very porous though...it is not plywood or pressed wood. What could be used to fill in the joints between the boards, and what type of primer do you use? I have a floor paint that I was thinking of using by Dunn Edwards, but how would this surface respond to the paint? Does anyone know what this flooring under the carpet is called?

I'm painting a spare room in my house with hardwood floors that someone has painted a pea green. I plan to repaint them a dark chocolate brown. My one concern is that clear urethane will look to glossy. How shiny will the floor be if I use clear urethane, is there any way to get a more matted look that is long lasting?

heres a question for anyone. my bedroom has old vinyl tile from the 50's i assume. i just want to paint it. any brand or type you suggest?

Hello Tim,
Ahhh, where to begin. About 12 years ago I found out I was getting some company from out of town. My vinyl flooring looked awful with nicks and stains. I had no money to replace it but I ripped it up as best as I could. There was still some vinyl I couldn't get up. So I got some joint compound (yes, that's right), and slopped it on the bare floor in various places, smoothed the tops a bit. After it dried I used cheap, flat, off white paint and rolled it on. Then when that dried I took some wood pasted stain and rubbed it on the floor catching it in the grooves. It was still tacky after a couple of days, but I went over it with a couple of coats of polyurethane. It looked beautiful. I bet you know what the problem was...that joint compound. It would chip. However, I would touch it up every now and then. At one point I did a 4x4 area by the sink with some satin paint that I had and went over it with the stain and the urethane only this time the stain and paint rubbed off. So a couple of years ago I repainted with kilz first, then black and blue paint over the top. It looked like slate. I didn't urethane it for one reason or another and a lot of it wore off. I'm planning on doing this again. This time I don't want to concoct any ideas myself. Can you give me some advice on how I can go about doing this as far as prep work. I'm concerned about the joint compound mostly. Also, I have some really heavy appliances and cabinets that should be moved, but I'm sure it would ruin my floors after moving them back in.
Thank you so much for your expert advice.

Gail

i am pulling carpet in a bedroom upstairs.it has wood planks. i absolty love painted floors. i want to give it a "shabby chic" look. there are some paint spills on the wood from when the house was built and the gaps between the planks. what do u suggest on filling the gaps? or would i be ok with leaving them? also the paint drips are white and that is the color i wld like to use.

Hi,
I want to revamp my bathroom, just wondering if i can paint over floor tiles and how they will wear if i do so.
Thanks
Liz

My home(built in 1962 RI)had a walk up basement with a screened-in attached patio. I recently had the patio rebuilt then decided to make it a "three season room" (all walls enclosed and siding on exterior to match the rest of the house). I want to paint the concrete floor. There is one thin crack that extends the width of the room (10 1/2 feet), but is otherwise sound. It has a slight swirly texture/appearance. What would be the best way to prepare, paint, and seal this floor?

I painted my 1970's vinyl flooring and it turned out great. I tried a few methods but found the best was just using a top quality wall paint (color of your choice)several coats. After its completely dried/cured (according to manufacturer's label) then I used Armstrong's acrylic floor wax "Future". If you're not terribly rough on it, it'll last 2-3 years before you have to repaint. Very inexpensive and it looks like a brand new floor. I get compliments all the time! Good luck.

i want to paint my very old basement concrete floor has cracks i read were you wrote, if your home was built from the 1970's on it will be fine. would my floor be fine from the 1950's what steps and what should i purchase to make it work? thanks m.h.

What's the best way to remove the rubber/foam backing from a carpet that has stuck to a wood floor. I will be painting the floor after I can clean it up.

I want to paint a decorative faux area rug, about 3x5, on my exterior entrance deck of pressure treated wood. It is fully exposed to the elements (including full-day, hot, coastal southern sun). Can this be done? Should I fill the cracks first? I don't believe it will be realistic unless I do, but I don't know what to use. I have a beautiful, artistic, somewhat playful idea in mind---Just don't know if it's possible. Thanks so much!

Tim,

We pulled up carpet, removed a******* tile and are left with a plywood subfloor that has remains of the glue used to adhere the tile many years ago. Wishing to paint the floor, a couple of questions. Do we have to remove all traces of the old glue? The pattern is not displeasing, but wondering about adherence of the paint issues. Also, if we paint, apply the water-based Urethane and wish to change color in a year or too, how difficult will that be?

Thanks for advice!

Molly

Tim,

Three part question:
1) I need to remove OLD cat urine from the plywood before painting it - how do you best recommend I do this?
2)1/2 of the house is the old 9X9 tiles (non asbestos)the kind we had on the floors in high school! can these be painted over too? What can I use to fill in broken tiles?
3) The kitchen has vinyl squares from the 80's... can they be painted over too??

Thank you for any help you can provide.. we have a very limited budget to fix the house and carpet is out of the question. SMK

Hey Tim,

We bought a home built in the late 60's, it has a foyer that has a brick tile floor. It looks to have polyurethane sealing it up. Is there any way to paint the brick then seal it without having to strip off the poly?

tim i want to paint my bedroom floor with a tile look do i need two colors one for the tile and one for the line and what kind of paint do i get the shine of tile floor look

Greetings,
I live in a doublewide and was wondering wht it would entail to paint the flooring under the horrible blue carpeting that came with the place when we bought it.
What about insulation? I was told once before that in a mobile home you HAD to leave in or replace carpeting wherever you found it because it served as the insulation in that room. Is this true? Also, it's OSB floor and will I need to fill and sand it to make it smooth?
If so, what would you recommend to use for that job?
Thanks so much for you help!
Shosha

Like Mark in the article, we ran out of money to put wood laminate floors. So we're contemplating painting the the exposed engineered wood floor. If we paint the floors and apply polyurethane, would it be okay to install the wood laminate on top of it in when we have the budget to do so?

I am repainting a bedroom floor which had a rubber backed carpet on it. the paint underneath got tacky and I can peel or roll it slightly. I have applied paint stripper and scraped. it's better but still sticky. Do I need to sand with a belt sander or get "all" the paint off?

Thanks so much for your input

I just finished painting/staining a concrete floor using 3 colors of solid stain (looks like paint) to achive a faux finish, then applied to coats of clear acrylic glaze designed for concrete. I still do not have the finish I want as the glaze is not leaving the look of depth that I am wanting to achive. Can I apply water based polyurathane on top of these products? This is in a bar/restaurant that will see lots of traffic.

Hi! I am in a bit of a pickle. I bought nice bamboo flooring to finish two rooms. However, the bamboo does not match the bamboo in the rest of the house (it is a very small cottage, both rooms are open to the room with the existing bamboo flooring). I was wondering if I could paint over the new bamboo, like you can with plywood, etc. And, if I can, do I have to sand out all of the finish, or just provide a rough layer for the paint to adhere to?
Thanks,
Laura

I have been asked to paint a garage workshop floor. it is a large area that shows around 250 cars. the vyna; floor tiles are old and are covered with tyre and burn skid marks. is it possable to paint such an area and if so whow often would it need re painted. if it is painted and covered with a urethane protective coating
do i re paint or just re coat with the protective top coate

It says in your article that the floor should be primed with a "special primer/sealer paints". What specifically should we look for on the label when we're buying the paint?

I'm perplexed about what to do with my hardwood floors. When the house was on the market the previous owner had the carpets pulled up and the hardwood refinished. The people who did, didn't do such a good job, and the owner had them use a "European oil finish". That means I spent the 1st six months in the house with stain all over my socks, and now the oil is all soaked in and every drop of water that gets on the floor turns it white. With 3 dogs you can imagine how it looks. I want to paint the floors, but am wondering if I would have to sand them first. The oil is totally gone, it almost seems like working with bare wood. What would you recommend to make it look the best? I also talked to a couple of floor guys about laying new hardwood or laminate over top and they all just about had heart attacks! Don't lay new wood over old wood that's in good condition! I really don't know what to do. Thanks!

Hi Tim,

My husband and I are building a small house...there is plywood flooring throughout the house. We actually Thompson Watersealed our plywood because of rain blowing in the house (had some issues there with the roofer showing up)...anyways, if we want to stain and polyurethane this plywood, do we need to sand it down first? Recently we saw floors that were lightly stained and polyurethaned and they were soooo pretty! I hope we can do the same!

Thanks!
Tanya

Great tips... What is the best "special" primer to use on wood to hide gaps and wood grain prior to painting?

I am re-painting my basement floor. The floor has been previously painted (with an oil based paint). I've scraped the old paint off that didn't stick well and is coming up. I plan on using a basement/garage/porch epoxy paint. Will this adhere to the oil paint or is there a primer I should use first.

Hi, have an osb subfloor(new)basement that needs painted..What products do you recommend.1600 sq. ft. I Play alot of Tennis ..Is there a product to put on the painted osb floor in addition to the primer/paint for durability/bounce. Would greatly appreciate info. Most say Zinsser123 but smelly have kids to keep in mind..

My kitchen floor has vinyl peel and stick tile. I want to paint the floor, but do I have to remove the shine from the tiles for the paint to adhere or do I need special paint??

Tim,

We have a self adhesive vinyl tile floor in our bathroom that is lavender. We are tying to turn this into something nuetral.

I could either try prying the baseboards off the wall and removing the tile (hard way), or perhaps painting.

So painting - does that mean we would need to fill the small hairline gaps in the tiles with a sealer; would small amounts of sealer/leveling compount wind up making noise once locked in?

Or would you paint and poly it?

Is poly rolled on? Would I need to worry about this touching the carpet's guard?

...or should we either rip it up or even just put more tile over the top of it? :)

I recently removed the carpet from my bedroom and found hardwood floor underneath of it. I would like to keep the wooden floor, but there is white pain splatters all over it. How can i fix this? And if I were to paint the floor would it look nice in a bedroom or is it more for kitchens?

Should I use stain or paint on a cement floor if I plan to put carpet down later?

Should I put urethane on engineered hardwood floor?

Hi! We are somewhat trying to make our floors look better. We come to find out my daughter developed some allergies. So we pulled up the carpet to help out. Well we found under the carpet, what looks like lenolium tiles. Horribly stained and such. Well we painted them a deep chocolate. Which came out really nice. Now my question is, what can I use to seal the paint onto the tiles?

I'm planning on painting the vinyl that is currently on the kitchen floor. It sounds like you're saying the most important part is prepping to remove gloss and then putting poly coats on top, so I'll be sure to take special care when I'm doing that.

Do you have suggestion on whether I prime the vinyl floor before I paint it, or what kinds of paint to use?

Thanks,
Kim

Dear Tim,

My kitchen floor is an off white ceramic 12x12 tile. The most awful feature of this floor other than the color is the fact that each tile is pitted. So my floor never looks clean no mater what I do. Is there a process to paint floor tile? I'd love to add some color to it so it does not look so unclean.
Thanks Dianna

We built a new modular home last year. I chose (from samples they had) a vinyl tile (Tritonite) for both bathrooms and laundry room.
Not being able to see the entire tile- once our home was finished, and we have now lived in it a year.. I despise this tile!!! anyway I can paint it rather than replace it? Will it look cheap? I'm stumped- just HATE I made this choice. Any help appreciated.

I really need to get rid of my carpet but have old late 60's 12x12 vinyl (?)tiling underneath. One room is a mustardy yellow and the other is a medium advocado green!! Can I stain these tiles a darker brown?? I really wish I had the money for hardwood but no such luck right now. Also, I would like to remove the popcorn ceiling but have heard it my contain asbestos. If I send in a sample to have lab and it comes back positive will I be held legally responsible to have it properly disposed or can I go ahead and just carefully remove it myself? I live in NM is that makes a difference....Thanks sooo much!!!

Hi Tim,
We have a half basement (our house is on a slope, one side is over ground, one is under). The floors seem to be marley tile over concrete and they are chipping at places. The house was built in 1947, I believe and I am not sure about any water barrier.
If we were to paint the floors, can we paint the tile directly or do we have to take them out first? If we can, is there a proper primer for this job and a product to fill in the chipping parts?
If we can't paint the tiles and have to strip them off, it seems like your recommendations for concrete are masonry primer then epoxy paint, then 3x water-based urethane. Did I get that part right?

Thanks a lot for your help,
Pinar

Hi,
I have just rented a new spot for may store. It has old old old tiles that were put down with tar. I do not want to sink a lot of money into it. Can I stain the old tiles?
Thank you in advance.

My basement was painted with a white sealer paint and I would like to be creative and use paint to make the flooring look like marble. Can I do this with regular paint watered down and then use a sealant? If so, what type of sealant should I use after I finish the project? Do I have to remove the primer before painting? It is in very good condition.

Thanks for the info. This is the clearest explanation of what to use to finish a painted floor that I've found!!!

Don,
I'm decorating a nursery and I'd like to paint the floor White. It's laminated (poor quality) and very shiny. Is it possible to paint it with goog results?
Regards,
Marie

We are redoing a cottage from the 1920's. The kitchen floor has some vinyl roll out material on it. The cottage is not heated in the winter so the glue has come undone and is pealing at the locations where there is a seam. What would we have to do to pull this up and then get the plain plywood ready to paint? Would a simple sander work? Would the paint withstand the freezing winter temperatures?

I have a hardwood floor which has become stained with many stains over the years. A dog once lived here. At that time there was a rug over the hardwood. Can I paint this floor? dgs