The Beauty of Painted Floors—A How-To Guide {Guest Post}

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Painted white floors are a clean, timeless choice for any room. They are associated with Scandinavian design, which is known for its simplicity and modest elegance. White floors serve as a blank canvas on which you can let your furniture and accessories truly shine. However, these beautiful floors are not the fastest or easiest DIY projects, but they are very beautiful and worth the effort!

1. Prepare yourself. This project is going to take at least five days. No walking around in the space for five whole days. If you’re painting your kitchen floors, be prepared to eat a lot of takeout. It’s also best to tackle this project sometime when the weather is hot and dry. It will help speed up the drying process.

2. The most laborious step is actually just moving everything out of the room. Once you’ve done that, it’s a cakewalk.

3. Sand down the floor with fine grit sandpaper, anything between 150-180 will do. You can rent a drum sander from Home Depot for around $45.00. Make sure you wear safety goggles. You will probably need to go around the perimeter of the room and touch up the edges by hand.

4. Sweep the floor so it is free of any dust or debris. Then clean it up with a powder detergent before you lay down the primer.

5.Once the floor is clean and dry, apply an oil-based primer. Although oil-based primer results in serious fumes, it is much more durable than a water-based primer. So be sure to open some windows so you have proper ventilation. Once the primer is down, wait 24 hours for it to dry.

6. Gently run over the primer with very fine sandpaper. Then wipe the floor clean using mineral spirits solvent and tack cloth. This should dry quickly and then you can move on to the next step.

7. Using a natural-bristle brush, apply the first coat of paint. Don’t be tempted to speed up the process by using a roller. The roller will give your floor an unattractive mottled finish. Take your time with the brush, and remember: paint in thin coats.

8. Let your first coat dry for 24 hours and then apply two more coats, letting each dry for a whole day in between. Although your floor may seem totally dry once you’re finished don’t drag your furniture back into the room yet. It takes time for the paint to cure, and the times may vary depending on the brand, so check the manufacturer’s instructions before moving furniture back into the space.

This article was written by Erie Construction. You can follow Erie Construction on Twitter for more tips on home remodeling. All photos courtesy of guest poster.