We have (finished) red oak hardwood floors in our living room. I would like to paint over them in a light lime green. Do I have to sand them first or can I just prime and paint? If I do have to sand them, is that a do-it-yourself project? Finally, once I a paint, should I apply a couple of coats of polyurethane to protect the paint? The room gets very little traffic.
Many thanks.
Jocelyn
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Replies
I would recommend a liquid sandpaper de-glosser. And a topcoat of poly as well. A floor paint is adviseable, vs. a generic wall paint. Prime with a oil primer, oil paint. latex would be a nightmare.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I'm not familiar with the liquid de-glosser. Can I use that instead of sanding? Do you have a brand that you recommend? If I were to use a stain instead of paint, can I just stain after I use apply the liquid?
Thanks much.
Jocelyn
It is called "Liquid Sandpaper" Any paint store has it, and staining over a previously finished floor can be done, but I would not call it DIY..a barrier coat of shellac would be needed to isolate the stain from the poly, the solvents in the poly would rehydrate thr stain and make a streaky mess...painting is a longterm effect..hardly reversable.
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
I'm not sure my question was clear: since painting sounds like a bad idea (from several perspectives), can I use the liquid sandpaper to remove the finish and then stain over it? Is the liquid sandpaper a DIY product or do I still need to involve a pro?
Thanks.
Jocelyn
liquid sandpaper will not remove the finish, it chemically softens it and removes the gloss, this allows a new finish or paint to adhere. I you could do that, yourself, but the window of time for staing may be short. Many variables here..what type of existing finish, what type of new stain, how to apply the stain..what for new top coat..waterbase vs. oil based..I would let a floor pro have a crack at answering your questions taht can survey your current conditions and take it from there..if your floor is ok why restain it? and if not ok,,,what would he recommend as to stripping it or attempting to stain over what is there.
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
OK. Thanks. BTW, the primary reason I want to change the finish is because we put in a much lighter laminate floor in some of the rooms, and I don't like the way the oak looks next to it ) too many floor color changes). Since we can't afford to put more laminate in, I thought I would change the color so it was sooo different that it didn't seem like too different wood tones right next to each other.
We did get a quote a while back to bleach the floor, but it was pretty pricey and wouldn't even match exactly.
Thanks again.
Jocelyn
I'd say "dam the torpedos" and paint it..if it is a later problem, deal with it then..make it what ya want now..that's what matters.
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
sand floor first, removes contaminants which cause adhesion problems for paint, also levels deck out for clean appearance...paint will highlight imperfections, so deck needs to be done clean...not a homeowner job, takes time to learn control of machinery...use oil base floor paint, top with three coats poly...satin is the best, shows damage the least...poly is the wear coat, protects the paint
might reconsider this...of all the floors i sand, painted are the least favored, downward affect on value of home at sale... hard to sand out as paint gets into all seams and some is untouched by a resand...solid color painted look the worst, especially personalized color such as the pink floor i refinished a while back...those with painted mural, center carpet or borders are the least offensive...
showing the wood grain off is still best, use a stain?? a pastel color tinted stain??
using either stain or paint, sand and coat, then park the job for a day for a full cure of chemical, come back third day for first poly coat.